Sport

Now for some football Reggae Boyz in must win game against Panama

By AINSLEY WALTERS, Staff Reporter

PANAMA SHOULD FEEL the full brunt of a more cohesive Jamaica unit this Saturday when the teams meet at the National Stadium in CONCACAF World Cup semi-final qualifying action.

Unlike their August 18 semi-final round opener against the United States, when the bulk of the Jamaican squad was assembled two days before kick-off, head coach Sebastiao Lazaroni will have majority of his players in camp tonight - five days ahead of Saturday's 7:00 p.m. match-up.

Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) press officer Earl Bailey has said most of the United Kingdom-based players were due in last night with striker Ricardo Fuller expected tomorrow after Portsmouth's Bank Holiday match against Fulham in the Premiership today.

Bailey also pointed out that North American-based Boyz such as Andy Williams, Tyrone Marshall and Damani Ralph should arrive tonight to join local-based players, who have been in training for the Panama encounter.

Better team

"The last game the coach only had two days with them, three sessions, working with them and they played superbly," Bailey noted. "With five days, I believe they'll play a lot better.

"The coach will be able to put more of his plans in action, tactically, and we'll see a better team than the one we saw against the USA."

A more cohesive Jamaican team will spell trouble for Panama, who are last in four-team Group A after losing their opening match 1-2 to leaders El Salvador.

United States coach Bruce Arena, whose team is second in the group with one point after drawing 1-1 with Jamaica at the National Stadium, was impressed with the Boyz, who had minimal training under new coach Lazaroni.

"This Jamaica team was a hell of a lot better than the last time," Arena said after Brian Ching scored a last-gasp equaliser.

Jamaica, also on one point, need to put away Panama to stay in contention for one of two final round places in Group A. The USA are at home to El Salvador at the Foxboro Stadium in Boston Saturday, burning to take sole leadership of the group with a win.

The top two teams from each of the three semi-final groups advance to a final round group of six teams, who'll play from February 9 to October 12, 2005.

The top three finishers in this final group will advance directly to the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

The CONCACAF fourth-place finisher will compete in a home-and-away playoff against the fifth-place finisher of the Asian Football Confederation for one of the last berths in the FIFA event. These games will take place in November 2005.