Concacaf's 3rd spot....

[Gamma]

that is true...but the cups have their name on it and nothing or no-one can change that...they won a tournament, the EUROS with teams like italy, spain, france, germany, holland and portugal ...not a one off match.

[Karl]

...Which would mean that skillfull and creative is not all that we chalk it up to be; at least not for us. I think the US is a very effective and efficient team. They are good at a number of things for which we have historically been weak: marking, team play, technical abilities, set plays (defending and executing), etc. Also we cannot forget the aforementioned statement of depth.

Well I am expecting good teaching/coaching team and a hungry set of REGGAE BOYZ who will play TEAM for 91 minutes for each 90 minute match.

Anyway, we can postulate all we want about the final six and the eventual meeting with the US. However, given where we will end up when we make it past Bahamas/BVI, I am concerned that we will struggling and might not make it to the hex.

Guidance

Here is where I am dying inside. We shall struggle to create TEAM in the short 30 - (a stretch, the group will be together for a much shorter period...combined number of days, but one lives in hope ) - or so training days before qualifiers.

That short training period means we shall struggle! A TEAM (a minnow) catching us on an off day...a day such as the 2nd match we played recently i.e. vs Guatemala...and, it could be curtains!

Unfortuntely we are in the current untenable position because of previous mismanagement and therefore of having our competitive matches be more of training games/'striving to make TEAM' matches than any other thing!

As you rightly stressed qualifying at each phase as we progress is vital. ...but, we also have to, in that same period/over the course of that time, move our disjointed, disorganised, unfocused...ignorant of what is TEAMplay group into that 91 minute playing exceptional TEAM aggregation, that if it qualifies, will go on to represent selves, TEAM, country and the fanz as TOP WORLD football team!

They have it to do...and, they should die trying to be the very best they can be!

[Warlord]

It is my belief that the mind-set goes with the reasoning. That the bigger the better. Hence some of the forumites believe that we are not at the stage where we can challenge Mexico or the US for 1st or 2nd place in the Hex.
I believe that the US has more respect for the Reggae Boyz than any other Caribbean team. So what do the forumites think runs through the mind of the US player when he knows he coming to the Office to play us. Big or not the US player and even the average American fan on more than one occasion has stated that they pray they leave our shores with a draw. Because they can easily get 3 points from all the other Caribbean teams, including T&T.

The US and Mexico has respect for their Concacaf opponents but it doesn't mean they fear them. What they fear is our style of football which has more to do wid our physical approach to the game than anything else. Caribbean teams tend to play that way by default. Not saying we don't have talent but we also have physical aggressiveness too when we tackle our opponents.

The Mexicans were afraid of the Soca Warriors after the defender Elcock broke the legs of Cuatehmoc Blanco a few years back. They respect Jamaica because they know its always tough to play us at home but they don't fear us.

[Jamaica2099]

It is my belief that the mind-set goes with the reasoning. That the bigger the better. Hence some of the forumites believe that we are not at the stage where we can challenge Mexico or the US for 1st or 2nd place in the Hex.
I believe that the US has more respect for the Reggae Boyz than any other Caribbean team. So what do the forumites think runs through the mind of the US player when he knows he coming to the Office to play us. Big or not the US player and even the average American fan on more than one occasion has stated that they pray they leave our shores with a draw. Because they can easily get 3 points from all the other Caribbean teams, including T&T.

[Baddaz]

Yea but how often do we do that? How consistent is it? And we've never beaten USA in WCQ.

what does that have to do with this upcoming campaign...

It isn't realistic that we can have two major scalps in one cycle.

isn't realistic to who? bredrin, yuh affi leggo the defeatist mentality...

[Baddaz]

Good point but realistically we cannot challenge Mexico or the US for 1st or second. We are just not on their level yet.

totally disagree... if the players share your mindset, then they will not challenge, but i doubt they do...

respect still...

[Tilla]

OK sir, senior level.

It was a qualifier for the U-17 WC. And yes, the USA had already qualified before the game kicked off.

And I want to tell you, qualify or not, the USA tried their darned best to maintain that record. Only after the game they consoled themselves that they had qualified before a ball was kicked.

[Zeppo]

Didn't our under-20 beat the USA in the CONCACAF WC Qualifiers in Jamaica? Or I guess that does not count as the USA had already qualified.

It was a qualifier for the U-17 WC. And yes, the USA had already qualified before the game kicked off.

But anyway, I was talking about the senior level, where Jamaica has still never beaten the USA in any game.

[Tilla]

Didn't our under-20 beat the USA in the CONCACAF WC Qualifiers in Jamaica? Or I guess that does not count as the USA had already qualified.

[Zeppo]

And we've never beaten USA in WCQ.

Or any game, for that matter.

[Jawge]

They are skilled but in certain areas :shooting (which
includes heading) and passing. They are aslo well conditioned and well organized. This is enough to earn them second spot (but the Prof exposed them on the road to France) but not enough to destroy euro teams and S.amrican giants. Creativity is lost and the same goes for talent. Well organized bunch of average players (they may change this soon though).

[Warlord]

...Which would mean that skillfull and creative is not all that we chalk it up to be; at least not for us. I think the US is a very effective and efficient team. They are good at a number of things for which we have historically been weak: marking, team play, technical abilities, set plays (defending and executing), etc. Also we cannot forget the aforementioned statement of depth.

Anyway, we can postulate all we want about the final six and the eventual meeting with the US. However, given where we will end up when we make it past Bahamas/BVI, I am concerned that we will struggling and might not make it to the hex.

Guidance

I was just addressing the previous posters point regarding the skill level of past US National teams. You obviously agree with my assessment that they aren't but as a team they play more organised and are more disciplined at defending and man marking. That is an aspect that is missing from our game. The fact that they have better holding defensive midfielders and ball winners is one of the reasons why their defenders rarely ever make mistakes. It takes alot of pressure off their defense when you have solid mids.

[GaryD]

...Which would mean that skillfull and creative is not all that we chalk it up to be; at least not for us. I think the US is a very effective and efficient team. They are good at a number of things for which we have historically been weak: marking, team play, technical abilities, set plays (defending and executing), etc. Also we cannot forget the aforementioned statement of depth.

Anyway, we can postulate all we want about the final six and the eventual meeting with the US. However, given where we will end up when we make it past Bahamas/BVI, I am concerned that we will struggling and might not make it to the hex.

Guidance

[Warlord]

denmark and greece winning the euros is proof of that!

you also failed to mention that after the highs of winning Euro 2004, Greece didn't even make it to Germany in 2006. One off situation isn't it and where is Denmark today?

Better yet when was the last time they qualified for the WC

[Warlord]

Warlord, a part of your problem is that you do not realize that the game is played on the field, not on paper. I could point you to so many games where the stronger team on paper should have prevailed, but they did not. Hey, the last week we say Russia losing to Israel and England to Croatia. If we followed your way, England would have been in the Euro next year.

That is true but did this isn't European football. It is Concacaf and realistically every once in a while that happens but not very often. I think one cycle Costa Rica won the hex but how often have they done it?

Most of you aren't realistic about the growth and development of football in Mexico and the US. The US in particular has injected more than 80 million dollars in the development of football since hosting the '94 World Cup, and Mexico has a very solid domestic league if not the best in Concacaf.

Mexico have some good players, not even counting Dos Santos and those other young ones. We can still beat them however with good coaching

.

Good coaching isn't the only way you can beat your opposition. You do have to have some talent and harness it the right way which takes time and unfortunately we do not have the luxury of the latter.

I also do not think #1 and 2 positions are guaranted to any team. They will have to work for it and as much as they can be considered fovorites, the game is still played on the field.

Of course they do but it doesn't mean they still won't get now would they. US and Mex virtually have a free pass to the hex. That's when there work really starts. believe me I will guarantee you that either team will not send all their best players to play until then.