Jamaica's Ricardo Fuller grapples with Panama's Luis Henriquez during their first leg World Cup qualifying match at the National Stadium on September 4. Panama won 2-1.
Ian Allen photo
Audley Boyd, Assistant Sport Editor
JAMAICA'S REGGAE Boyz are aiming to take maximum points off awkward Panama when the teams clash in a return leg CONCACAF semi-final group World Cup qualifier in Panama City tonight at 8:00.
The match is crucial to both teams' hopes of advancing to the next stage as they are locked on four points in joint second position in the four-nation series. The United States lead the group on five points and the other contender, El Salvador, are also in the running with three points.
"It's the most important game for us," head coach Sebastiao Lazaroni told The Gleaner. "We must continue our high performance."
Only two will qualify for the final six competition, which will automatically advance three of the region's representatives to the 2006 Finals in Germany.
A fourth country will play off with the fifth place team from Asia for another spot in Germany's Final.
A GOOD WAY
Regarding that goal, Lazaroni, who ironically was handling the team in his first game back as head coach against Panama then, said: "Now we're in a good way in our group. We have a good chance. We know what we can do... let's go try our job to be in that group."
The other teams for the CONCACAF final six competition will advance from the Group Two and Three series, which also are quadrangular play-offs.
Today's game marks the start of return games in the round robin series and if the Jamaicans achieve their goal, they will have placed one foot in the ultimate qualifying phase for teams from this region.
They could even wrap up that position ahead of their final away fixture in the United States, if they put away Panama, then El Salvador in Kingston on Wednesday.
In their first leg tie in Jamaica, Panama, though largely outplayed, scored a 2-1 victory with an injury time goal from Julio Dely Valdes, and a third-minute goal from Roberto Brown.
Brown has been a thorn in the side of the Reggae Boyz in their most recent clashes, scoring on every occasion the teams have met.
Reminiscing on that clash, Lazaroni said: "Against Panama we made some mistakes and they beat us with 10 men. But we created many chances to score but we just put in one.
PLAY WITH OUR BRAIN
"In my view we played with our legs and heart only, but we must play with our brain, we must read the game, what's happening, we must control the game."
The results have all been close though, which is really an enigma considering the way Jamaica dominated this team and appear capable of drubbing them by six clear goals on a good day, but have never been able to beat since 2000 when they lost 1-0 and 2-0.
It proves just how difficult it is for the Boyz to even score against, much less beat Panama and they will need to find a solution that problem against this awkward opposition.
Panama have also been a difficult opponent for the other teams in this group as well, remembering that the U.S. only equalised against them in a 1-1 draw in injury time.
Such a result, as well as their success against Jamaica, would have done much to change the belief that they were merely in this series for the ride.
Additionally, teams generally show their true personality in the home leg of a qualifying series, so Jamaica must be wary.
GREAT PROMISE
Having said that though, the Boyz showed great promise in their last game, when registering a 3-0 win over El Salvador in El Salvador. That was the first time Jamaica had achieved a football victory in Central America. Now that they have sunk that bogey, they will be looking to really let it pour against this opponent against whom they are favoured to beat.
Marlon King stretched his remarkable scoring record to six in this semi-final series with two goals in El Salvador and he will carry much of Jamaica's hopes in this regard, in tandem with Ricardo Fuller and Damani Ralph, who were his strike partners in San Salvador.
The team was in a somewhat desperate situation then at the bottom of the table with only a point from the 1-1 draw at the National Stadium against the U.S.
The three-man forward combination worked well and Brazilian Lazaroni, who now knows a lot more about his players, does not look like he will change that set-up as he practised with the front trio going together for the few days the Boyz went through some tough drills in Miami.
It must be noted too that since a recent knee operation, on the evidence of the El Salvador game, Fuller is almost back at full throttle and could really dismantle this team to score or set up chances for his teammates.
Micah Hyde got a long overdue goal in the last match which should boost his confidence and that of a midfield which prior to then, had not accounted for a goal in the qualifiers.
SETTLING THE TEAM
One of the main players in this key sector of the ballpark, captain Theodore Whitmore, has a more subdued role of settling the team than in years gone by and though he was troubled by the 'flu ahead of their Miami departure on Thursday, he should be ready to lead his charges into battle.
The other midfield spot should be retained by ageing warrior Jamie Lawrence, whose task will remain limiting the time the opponent has to play the ball, especially the dimunitive red-haired midfield maestro Julio Medina, who dictates Panama's plays with his measured left-footed play.
With Ian Goodison eligible to play again following his early red card against this same Panamanian team there will certainly be changes in the centre of defence where Claude Davis has been his preferred central partner.
Having suffered badly by conceding early and late goals throughout this series, the those central defenders are faced with a significant task to ensure that nothing similar happens as they seek to put away this 'southpaw' opponent with the maximum punch.
