1 month ago
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FOLLOWING JAMAICA’S 5-2 aggregate loss to the United States and elimination at the Concacaf Nations League quarter-final stage on Monday, Reggae Boyz head coach Stephen McClaren said there is a lot work to be done before the next international window in March 2025.
Jamaica were defeated 4-2 by US at CityPark Stadium on Monday in the second leg of their quarter-finals tie. This came after a 1-0 defeat in the first leg at the National Stadium last week.
It was Jamaica’s fourth loss in Nations League history and the country’s third in a row against the US, with their last meeting in March earlier this year resulting in a 3-1 win for the Americans.
McClaren, who was appointed head coach in late July, said the focus will now be on improving the team as they turn their attention to the next international window set for next year.
“That is in development, that is also in recruitment and that, for the next three months until the next camp in March, is what we will be doing. There is a lot of hard work and we will be working with the JFF to maintain the standards and continue the improvement,” said McClaren.
McClaren closed out Jamaica’s 2024 fixtures with two wins, two draws and two defeats in his first six games as head coach.
In that span of games, Jamaica finished atop the Nations League A Group B standings and will also contest the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup Preliminaries for a spot in the regional competition.
McClaren said he has become well-accustomed to the standards of football in Concacaf and is aware of the areas which need improvement.
“I think we have had interesting games in Concacaf with Cuba, Nicaragua and Honduras twice. We deserved after those games to finish top of our group,” said the Reggae Boyz boss.
“The real test, obviously, comes against the top-three ranked teams. That’s where we test ourselves and pit ourselves against the best and we’ve come up short today but we know where we need to improve. I’ve said to the players, we have tremendous spirit and we stuck together. We could have folded at half-time but we didn’t and that is so important.”
He is hopeful the team can see major improvement having been impressed by the players he has overseen throughout his time in Jamaica.
He praised the team for their effort and believes they have the drive to push towards qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“The three camps have been a real education,” he said.
“I love the players. I’ve loved every camp and the players have got great spirit, great energy together, good vibes and they want to work. They want to improve, they want to get better, they want to win, and they want to qualify for the World Cup 2026.”
English (US) ·