KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC-Head coach of Jamaica’s national under17 team, Wendell Downswell, said the World Cup dreams of the young Reggae Boyz were shattered by poor habits, fostered locally and reflected at the international level.
Jamaica’s young footballers returned home Tuesday after a failed World Cup-qualifying campaign that ended in disappointment in Panama on Saturday. Downswell said his players did not execute tactical plans throughout much of the tournament and argued that lack of experience hampered their performance.
“One of the problems with our youngsters is their understanding and (them) becoming students of the game… to understand the rudiments of the game,” Downswell said in an interview with the Observer.
“We had so many turnovers (of ball possession) in 45 minutes and at the international level it is unacceptable.” In the opening game against hosts Panama, the Jamaicans had the early lead, but went down to 10 players before conceding in injury time to draw 1-1. Jamaica also led against Barbados who stormed back to draw two all, and also surrendered a lead against Canada as well.
The Jamaican football coach also expressed his frustration at how often possession was lost, especially against the North Americans.
“If you look at the Central American teams and the North Americans and how disciplined they play… The whole aspect of turnovers is a no-no for them, especially in their defensive third,” the coach explained.
“We lost the ball (regularly) against Canada because the players didn’t show the ability to concentrate. We just make decisions without a tactical reason. It may be because they do it at the local level and get away with it”.
The Young Reggae Boyz were originally expected back in Jamaica on Sunday but were delayed due to airline booking issues.
