GEORGETOWN, Cayman Islands:

THEODORE WHITMORE has no doubt Jamaica can win the CONCACAF Gold Cup, just some concerns about several key players who are not involved in their last leg of preparation - a one-week training camp in The Cayman Islands.

With the impending departure of John Barnes, Whitmore was inserted as head coach to give him additional time to condition the Reggae Boyz for the regional flagship tournament, which begins in the United States next week Friday.

Capable of winning

Asked at a press conference shortly after their arrival in The Cayman Islands yesterday if he could imagine local reaction if the team were to return to Jamaica as Gold Cup champions, Whitmore responded thus: "If we don't imagine that, it makes no sense going."

It was as cheeky as the plays that earned him the nickname 'Magician' while he paraded his craft as maestro of the Jamaica midfield. Yet, even the chuckles that followed could not mask the fact.

"We've a team capable of doing the job. In our last games, we played against Mexico and Honduras, tough teams. I don't see why we can't go out there and do the job," Whitmore stated in obvious reference to an earlier stint while serving as interim coach, when Jamaica reeled off three straight victories and barely missed advancing to the CONCACAF finals in World Cup qualifying.

In related comments to that failure, Whitmore said: "We can't think about the past anymore. We just have to treat this Gold Cup as our World Cup. We have to treat it as our only chance. So we've to refocus on the Gold Cup."

"We expect a good performance and good performances always bring good results."

One factor on which such consistency hinges is the availability of key players. Less than a fortnight ahead of their Gold Cup opener against Canada next Friday at the Home Depot Centre in Los Angeles, Whitmore's team is grappling with such an issue.

Regular captain Ricardo Gardner is undergoing treatment for injury in Jamaica; hardcore central defender Ian Goodison did not travel because he doesn't have his passport; while Marlon King and Jamal Campbell-Ryce are said to be holidaying after a long season.

And several of the team's United States-based players are engaged with their clubs in ongoing competition.

"There are a lot of concerns, not only about Gardner, but about Marlon King and Jamal Campbell-Ryce as well," Whitmore said. "They're on holiday and we don't know what they're doing, but for Gardner, at least he's here (In Jamaica). He's getting his treatment and he's doing some work with the trainer. So there must be some concerns."

George Evans, head of the Jamaica delegation in The Cayman Islands, further explained that the timing of the tour was a bit off for both King and Campbell-Ryce.

Holiday training regimes

"This trip was arranged somewhat later than we would have liked to have got, so the players who had finished their English season made their arrangements outside this trip," he noted. "The federation is in contact with them while they are on holiday. We've given them certain training regimes that we've asked them to do while they are on holiday, so there will be some amount of fitness."

Evans added: "Campbell-Ryce was in Jamaica two weeks ago and played the game, so he has match fitness, less so Marlon King. One would hope that with such an important tournament coming up, that these are professional players, you'd like to think that what we've asked them to do they're doing it".