The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) yesterday belatedly announced a 20-man Reggae Boyz squad which will oppose South Korea in a friendly international inside the Seoul World Cup Stadium next Tuesday.
Such was the obvious difficulty putting together the list that it was bereft of at least seven regular starters who propelled the team to the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final in the US this past summer, as well as the professional performances in the Copa America Tournament in Chile a few weeks earlier.
Absent from yesterday’s list are Captain Rodolph Austin, as well as Wes Morgan, Jobi McAnuff, Garath McCleary, Michael Hector, Kemar Lawrence, Demar Phillips, Je-Vaughn Watson, Alvas Powell, Dwayne Miller and Duwayne Kerr.
Jermaine Taylor is also absent through injury sustained at the Gold Cup. However, the Jamaica Observer is unsure if any of the other senior players have sustained recent injuries.
Next Tuesday’s match represents the last real opportunity for Head Coach Winfried Schaefer and his technical staff to assess players’ readiness and suitability to positions, and strategies in preparation for their World Cup-qualifying semi-final round opener against Panama here at the National Stadium on November 13.
And the absence of so many of the regular starters from this practice game will certainly hinder those team plans, thus rendering the Boyz less than ideally prepared to face Panama at home, where three points are required for the perfect start.
Jamaica are placed in the dreaded Group B, alongside Costa Rica, Haiti and Panama, where only the top two teams advance to the final round of six teams, from which the first three qualify directly to the Russia World Cup Finals in 2018, and the fourth-placed team enters a continental play-off for another berth at Russia.
The Observer understands that the primary reason for most of the withdrawals was the extraordinarily long travel to South Korea and back, which would have adversely impacted on club duties. Some players have argued that they would not have enough time to recover from the long return travel from South Korea in order to represent their clubs on the weekend, which would not impress their managers.
Meanwhile, 29-year-old Errol Stevens, who plies his trade in Asia with Vietnamese club Hai Phong, was recalled, having made his debut in 2011 and having played five games since injuries ruined his chances of a regular place in the team.
He has been joined by 26-year-old England-born defender Shaun Cummings, the Millwall FC player who made his debut in 2013 and has had two caps.
There is also a call-up for 23-year-old Ricardo Morris, from Portmore United, who has represented Jamaica at the Under-20 and Under-23 levels. He has had one cap for the Senior Reggae Boyz in 2014.
A total of five locally based players — Morris, and Upston Edwards of Portmore United, along with Rosario Harriott of Harbour View, and Allan Ottey and Jermaine Woozencroft of Montego Bay United — have been included in the list.
Adrian Mariappa, the Crystal Palace defender who is not a regular starter at his club, heads the list of five British-based players, which includes Simon Dawkins, Joel Grant, Cummings, and Lee Williamson.
The US-based players numbering seven are led by Darren Mattocks and Giles Barnes, while Finland-based Andre Clennon and Hughan Gray, both of Vaasan Palloseura (VPS), are also included.
South Korea are currently top of their Group G in the Asian World Cup Qualifiers with three wins from three games, including 13 goals for and none against. Their group include Kuwait, Lebanon, Myanmar, and Laos.
Full squad: Ryan Thompson *, Andre Blake *, Rosario Harriott *, Lee Williamson, Simon Dawkins, Andre Clennon, Allan Ottey, Michael Seaton, Deshorn Brown, Shaun Cummings, Jermaine Woozencroft, Adrian Mariappa, Hughan Gray, Joel Grant, Lance Laing *, Giles Barnes, Darren Mattocks, Upston Edwards, Errol Stevens *, Ricardo Morris.
* – HVFC player (current); * – HVFC international
Source: The Jamaica Observer