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JAMAICA’S REGGAE Boyz face off against El Salvador in Concacaf World Cup qualifying at the National Stadium this evening at 6:05, and coach Paul Hall wants to end the qualifying campaign on a positive note.
The Reggae Boyz are out of contention and sit second from bottom with seven points from 11 matches.
The first meeting between the two teams, under previous coach Theodore Whitmore, ended in a 1-1 draw.
Hall, who took charge of the team only before the previous round of qualifying games, said he has great respect for the opponents but will try to make their game uncomfortable and take the three points.
“We have got to respect El Salvador because we know they can play well. They like to dominate the game with possession and we have to respect them as our opponent.
“The best way to respect our opponent is to make sure we play a good game of football and make it uncomfortable for El Salvador when they are in our environment.
“We will show them big respect but we want to make sure they know that they played us,” he commented.
All of Hall’s four games as national coach have ended in defeats, and although he is planning for the future, he said getting a win is essential.
“Every game we try to win. Every game we step on the field it is because of the importance of winning.
“We can use these games for all sorts of reasons but it is important to get in the win column. It is important that we finish all these games on a positive,” he said.
WHAT IS IMPORTANT
Nevertheless, he insists that the results of these three games will not be as important as laying a solid foundation to build a strong team for future tournaments and qualifiers.
“It is important to win but we intend to use these games as a platform for planning for the future. The players are going through the process of learning about each other and there are other things to think about in terms of succession planning and preparing for the Nations’ League.
“So results-wise the job is bigger than that. We have to look towards building a team and a structure that can go through a couple of cycles of Gold Cups and World Cups.
“The job is much more important than three games. I have to lay the foundation. I have to put things in place for the long-term future.
“So we are looking to win these three games but these games are going to be what they’re going to be. It is important to put things in place, so we can have a strong foundation to build on,” he stated.
El Salvador are sixth in the table, two points clear of the Reggae Boyz.
They still have a mathematical chance of finishing in the fourth-place play-off spot, presently occupied by Panama on 17 points. But they would have to win all their games and hope other results go their way.
livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com
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