Carl Brown
ASSISTANT coach Carl Brown yesterday said he is not worried about the form of the national football team which went down to its fourth loss in seven games on Thursday.
The Boyz who are on the second half of a two-week training camp in Brazil lost 1-2 to Velo Football Club of Santa Clara. Again it was not a forward but a defensive player, leftback Tyrone Marshall, who scored.
In their opening game they scrambled back for a 1-1 draw with Portuguesa through a goal from reserve goalkeeper-playing as striker Leon Gordon.
"When you look at what is happening I am not very worried," said Brown making reference to the players steadily trooping into camp and the inexperienced players at the coaches disposal before then.
"If you look at the forwards (Sheldon) Barnes is pretty new, (Dwayne) Richards is still young," Brown said. With the arrival of Deon Burton the forward line should benefit from his goalscoring - an area in which the team is very lacking - and his experience.
Added to that is the expected arrival of Walter Boyd in Brazil on Saturday or Sunday Brown said. But while Burton's presence is a plus his condition poses questions.
"We still have to do some work to try to improve his condition. He is woefully out of condition," Brown said.
For the time being Brown said there has been a gradual improvement with each game and training session. This he said was evident in the Velo game.
"The team played with a lot more confidence than we saw before and it is growing," Brown said.
For Thursday's game Jamaica fielded a line up of Winston Griifiths and Barnes (forward), Fitzroy Simpson, Jermaine Johnson, Christopher Dawes, Fabian Davis (midfield); Steve Malcolm, Marshall, Claude Davis and Linval Dixon in defence with Donovan Ricketts in goal.
"It is really using what we presently have that is contributing to this new formation because even during the game we shifted back to a 5-3-2 so it is a combination of both formations we are looking at," Brown explained the starting team and the formation.
The forward pair of Griffiths and Barnes, he said, did well up front before being replaced by Burton and Dwayne Richards respectively.
"Griffiths and Barnes did well up front. Burton when he came, on Brown said, could not do much as he was left on his own up front due to the ejection of substitute Richards for two bookable offences and Jermaine Johnson for retaliating to a foul.
Jamaica play their next match tomorrow against Atletico Mineiro one of the top teams in Rio de Janeiro. They are presently leading in the Rio de Janeiro football league.
The Jamaican camp is also trying to "tie up another game. I do not believe it is confirmed yet but we are trying to get that game as we leave on Thursday. In camp are: Aaron Lawrence, Ricketts, Leon Gordon, Dixon, Claude Davis, Fabian Davis, Dawes, Clifton Waugh, Shavar Thomas, Griffiths, Johnson, Marshall, Jermaine Hue, Simpson, Barnes, Malcolm, Dean Sewell, Richards, Burton, Frank Sinclair and Darren Moore.
Darryl Powell was expected in last night while Boyd should be with the party today or tomorrow.
