Demarai Gray (right) of Jamaica is challenged by a St Vincent and Grenadines defender during their Concacaf Gold Cup qualifier in St Vincent and the Grenadines on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Photo: Instagram/JFF)
April 14, 2025
Another phase beckons in Jamaica’s push for football glory
The positive impact of the Concacaf Gold Cup on Jamaica’s football over the last 35 years should never be underestimated.
Football followers with long memories recall that our national team was hardly a factor at the inaugural tournament in 1991 — eliminated in the first round.
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Yet, such was the improvement immediately thereafter, that by 1993 Jamaica, guided by Mr Carl Brown, reached the semi-finals of the Gold Cup.
Despite being crushed 1-6 by eventual champions Mexico in that semi-final, the Jamaicans kept their heads high, placing third in the tournament.
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That performance in 1993 went a far way in convincing Jamaicans, the Government, and the business community that it was indeed possible to qualify for the FIFA World Cup — a dream achieved five years later.
Since the 1990s we believe it’s fair to say that Jamaica has remained a formidable force in Concacaf — reaching the Gold Cup finals twice, only to fall at that last hurdle in 2015 and 2017.
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So that when national Head Coach Mr Steve McClaren tells us he is eagerly looking forward to the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup in the United States and Canada from June 14 to July 6, we suspect he is not merely referring to coaching in that tournament for the first time.
We are inclined to believe that Mr McClaren is aiming to guide Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz to the Gold Cup title, at long last. What a huge confidence-booster that would be in the quest of qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Drawn in Group C of the 16-nation Gold Cup, the Reggae Boyz are scheduled to face Guatemala in their opening game on June 16, Guadeloupe on June 20 and Concacaf Nations League finalists Panama on June, 24.
Intriguingly, the Jamaicans will meet Guatemala twice in less than a week since on June 10 the two teams are scheduled for a Concacaf World Cup qualifier at the National Stadium in Jamaica. Before that, on June 7, the Reggae Boyz are to face British Virgin Islands away, also in a World Cup qualifier.
Indications are that the Reggae Boyz and their technical staff won’t be short of match preparation for their busy schedule in June and July since they will be part of a four-nation competition in late May. That’s the Unity Cup at the Gtech Community Stadium, home of English Premier League’s Brentford Football Club. The Unity Cup will also involve Caribbean rivals Trinidad and Tobago and West Africa powerhouses Nigeria and Ghana.
Mr McClaren keeps reminding everyone that there’s no easy game in Concacaf. Hence the absolute importance of match preparation such as we expect will be had in the Unity Cup.
Of course, the crowded schedule also means that the “little things” — which those on the outside only think about when there is confusion and disarray — must also take priority attention.
Said Mr McClaren: “We’ve got to…plan properly. Everything [should be] logistically correct, hotels, training facilities, picking of the squads and just making sure that, yeah, we’re ready…We’ve got to be so organised, so on the ball…”
We wish the Reggae Boyz, their technical staff, and the Jamaica Football Federation the very best as they approach yet another phase in the drive for football glory.
