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Reggae Boyz need to improve - Local experts say Jamaica must step up game against tougher DRC in World Cup Qualifying decider
March 30, 2026
Though pleased to see the Reggae Boyz clear the first hurdle, with a 1-0 win over New Caledonia on Thursday in Guadalajara, Mexico, some local experts were far from impressed and believe the national senior men's football team needs to improve their performance in their quest to beat the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the final and book their second FIFA World Cup Finals appearance.
Former Boys' Town and Humble Lion's head coach Andrew Price said the important thing was the victory, but they will need to show more quality in attack and more discipline and organisation in defence against DRC.
"The team didn't play particularly well, but they got the job done ... but I believe we should have pressed home the initiative after we got that goal and we simply didn't take the game to them.
"Second half we were better with the introduction of Bobby Reid. We started to press forward," he analysed. "Now it's on to the final game on Tuesday against Congo and we have to have an improved showing against a team of higher quality.
"It's a playoff. It's a high stakes game and both teams want to win. So it's going to be very small margins. So when we get those opportunities we have to be very clinical. It might take one goal to win the game."
CONFIDENCE-BUILDER
Harbour View FC's general manager Clyde Jureidini pointed that although the performance was not much to write home about, the team got the win.
"It (game) was not a confidence-builder, but my focus was, and I think it was the team's focus, to get the result.
"There was not much fluency, as we have come to expect from the Reggae Boyz, especially with the lack of training time and cohesion and three players coming into the team.
"So a good result. Good execution. Not a confidence-booster, but we progressed" he said.
Jureidini expects a better performance against DRC.
"I would expect a much higher quality game. I have seen them (DRC) play once and I expect a higher quality from them and I would expect a higher quality game from our Reggae Boyz team.
"This was always going to be the decider. In that game (New Caledonia) we were favoured to win. But in this game, the Congo would be the more favoured of the two. We would have to raise our game all round to get another result.
"However, we are in the game and from you are in the game you can get a result. It's a lottery and we have a ticket, so we have a chance and we have to go for it," Jureidini added.
ANALYSIS
Former national under-20.and Chapelton Maroons coach Donovan Duckie also said the most important thing was getting the win on Thursday.
"One of the most important things in football methodology is analysis; analysis of opponent, analysis of yourself.
"Even before the game, I thought we could be aggressive at the start with our press, also allow them to play from the back and catch them in transition. And as the game started, immediately we were aggressive and I thought we did our homework," he said
"However, we were dismal in front of goal. The finishing was poor and we were a little suspect at the back.
"They caught us out about two to three times, where they broke our lines. Twice they tried to lob Andre Blake (goalkeeper) and twice they tried to break away.
"If this was a quality team like the one we are going to face, we would be in a lot of trouble. So it's important that we fix those."
