Sharp Harris could replace Hayles By Nodley Wright,
Staff Reporter
SATURDAY could bring to a close a fairytale eight days for national striker Wolde Harris. After being left out of a Jamaica 24-man squad to train for a crucial World Cup qualifier against the United States at the National Stadium this Saturday, Harris responded to this snub with a double strike over the weekend for his club New England Revolution to spur them to a 3-0 win over the Tampa Bay Mutiny. Harris' effort did not go unnoticed as he was called up on Monday to replace Walter Boyd who failed to answer the call to join the training camp. After just 24 hours in the camp, Harris, based on training, seems to be the man to partner Onandi Lowe on Jamaica's forward line. At yesterday's afternoon training session which included a squad match, the sharp-looking Harris was the preferred man to partner Lowe. Both men played with a great degree of understanding as they created chances for each other. "We started to train but as usual I am not going to decide until two hours before the game," technical director Clovis de Oliveira said when asked if he will go with the partnership of Lowe and Harris up front on Saturday. "It is a good option. I like it...Wolde Harris and Onandi Lowe. I like it very much but I could see Barry Hayles and Ricardo Fuller showing some movement on the B team," he continued. "Let's see, we are are going to train tomorrow and Friday. There seems to be good understanding (between Lowe and Harris). It was good understanding between them. I like it." Fuller and Hayles who appear to be carrying a little extra weight did not do enough in training to show that they deserve to be ahead of Harris in the pecking order for this game while young gun Fabian Taylor is thought not to have enough experience. Harris for his part will humbly take his place in the lineup if selected. "It is always a pleasure to come in and play. Anyone who knows me know that I love to play football and especially to represent my country so anytime I get the opportunity to do that then I am ready and willing to take my chance," Harris said of the possibility of playing against the United States. The partnership between himself and Lowe would be a lot of fun, Harris said, as it would be like a reunion. "I am definitely looking forward to it. I do not think we have played together for any period of time since we played together on the Under-23s. We enjoyed that tournament here in Jamaica so it is like a reunion and I am definitely looking forward to it because it is going to be fun."
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