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Former Reggae Boyz back Hallgrimsson
June 25, 2024
Former national representative Richard Edwards believes there were more positives than negatives in Jamaica's 1-0 defeat by Mexico in their opening Copa America match last Saturday night in Houston, Texas.
"I think we played well defensively, we were organised and you could see that there was a clear indication of solid preparation. We created about three opportunities that we should have been capitalised on and playing against Mexico, you have to turn half chances into full chances," he stated.
The Reggae Boyz 's last victory against Mexico was a 1-0 win in July 2017 during an international friendly, and, according to Edwards, who represented the senior Reggae Boyz on 36 occasions, there's a mental hurdle that the team needs to clear.
"I think there's a psychological barrier whenever we play certain teams including Mexico. There is a mental block and once we continue to grow and build in how want to play from a structural standpoint eventually we will break it," he added.
Much has been said about the tactical move by coach Heimir Hallgrimsson to introduce both Damion Lowe and Michael Hector in the second half at the expense of Di'Shon Bernard and Demarai Gray. However, Edwards shared that he understands why coach Hallgrimsson made those decisions.
"Based on how the game was going, I think he analysed and recognised the amount of defending the team had already done. No one recognised the positive change when Kaheim Dixon came on the field and the amount of energy he brought. Coaching is subjective and sometimes the decisions go in your favour and sometimes they do not," Edwards said.
Former goalkeeper Ryan Thompson shared that defensively the Reggae Boyz looked the part throughout the encounter.
"The team went out, played to the game plan and they looked very organised defensively. The team was hard to break down and that itself is a win. Over the years, we haven't had a team that looked that well organised. The only disappointing thing is that we didn't keep possession of the ball longer," he said.
Thompson, who is an assistant coach at Austin Bold F.C, was also in favour of Hallgrimsson's defensive substitutions.
"I felt like they were getting tired because we were defending for 90 per cent of the game. I could see why the coach wanted to put on more defenders just to have fresher legs on the field. A lot of Jamaicans need to stop focus on what the team isn't doing and support the team in the stands. The team played well but needed that extra energy from the supporters," Thompson said.
