2025 Concacaf Gold Cup

In reply to JoeGrine

Thanks again. I get the picture perfectly and the ratings tells me that I must
curb my enthusiasm as things are not too good.
Same old same old with the midfield .We aint going nowhere on the big stage
without a cohesive,well drilled and competent mid field the epicenter of all
wonderful teams.
Biases against certain player(s) must cease and the best put in place and best
positions if the Boyz want to achieve in the toughest environment.
Good to see Bailey doing better but as of now ,I remain pessimistic about qualifying for 2026.
Things don't look good and probably does not smell right either.

In reply to nitro

Bailey drop that low that there's comparison between the two now?




I don't recall a stop watch on both, however, it is not close, Cephas is one of the faster players in the region. You are comparing Bolt to the 2025 Champs 100m Class 1 winner. Cephas by a mile, come on Nitro.

No lies here.

In reply to hubert

1. Jamaica will probably make it to the World Cup, sadly, that will convince the jokers that they are doing the right things, only for us to look around 3 years hence as we are still spinning in circles.

2. I must conclude the coach is bowing to pressure from the JFF to include certain local players, so a "Busy" Atkinson, a forward, is forced into the team as a midfielder. What kind of joke is this, especially at this level? Which team, expecting to be taken seriously, does this?

3. Coach complain that midfield is an issue yet only picks 3 legitimate midfielders for the Gold Cup (who are you trying to avoid picking? We know the answer). Of course, two of the legitimate midfielders (Palmer/Hayden) go down, so we are left with Lowe, "Busy" masquerading as midfielders at one of the games highest level of competition. Ravel must have committed some serious crimes that we are not aware of. What about the CDM from Ajax? Just 20, we rejected him as a teenager then went on to pick up 15-0 in the tourney. I laugh when the Hydes, Hallimans, Coles, and Stewarts of this world hype local footballers and decry overseas Jamaicans on the basis that they are coming to the team when they are old. Well, there's Lembikisa (who local coaches say was not good enough to make our youth teams), the kid at Ajax and I could list many more who tried to get into the team at a young age but the Manning Cup and DaCosta Cup stars were deemed better. Where are these "stars" now? Hey Hyde, where is your boy "Powa" now? You said all Powa, cho him just need a chance fi show that him better than the farrin ballas. From the last 12 years, the only Manning/DaCosta players who have been able to stay in Europe with any form of success are (1) Dixon (2) Parris (3) Satchwell (4) Richards? Yet we rejected at least 8 overseas juniors recently on the way to the 15-0 embarrassment.

4. Myopia, xenophobia, scheming, and "eat a food" mentality will doom our football.

In reply to JoeGrine

If anything, Bailey is very slow! Whisper and Cephas are the two fastest players I have seen in Jamaican colors on the ball!

I wish the coach could read your reviews - the coach is a joke, no impact on the game with substitutes.

I wouldn't berate Dixon, need more game time to up the ante!

The team is engineless!

Review excellent as per usual!

In reply to XDFIX

Panama is playing some beautiful football….they look like Prime Spain…
They can be tested in defense though….attacking wise back to front they are a treat to watch….

If it is true that Russell is suspended for the Panama game then it will be even more difficult for Jamaica…they will have to play Campbell and Burrell…in place of Atkinson and Russell…

In reply to JoeGrine

A few questions. Is ‘busy’ the guy with the dreads? Anderson.

What are your thoughts on tyreek Magee? They seem to not have an interest in him. I know he was regarded in some quarters a few years back

Is greenwood ever coming? Maybe Turkey can help us close the deal?

Trying to figure out why we are playing a recovering Mikael Antonio.

In reply to XDFIX


Please do not interpret my saying Dixon is not ready as berating him. He is being forced into the team (he belongs in the 60 but not the 23 man squad much less starting or on the pitch). He is a talent, however, he needs polishing. Look, he is a reserve on the club team and a Jamaican starter there cannot even get on the filed for our national team. What madness is that? There's just too much politicking involved in Jamaican football.

In reply to rudebway



No, that is Anderson.



Outstanding high school (Manning Cup) player as he was given time/space. In fact, I was quite high on him then I really started to focus on him and realized how deficient he is. He is a defensive liability, he has physical challenges and one play I will never ever forget the last game he started for Jamaica, we had a throw-in (note WE had the throw-in) so you figured he would try to find space to receive the throw-in......Magee went and attached himself to Pulisic thus giving his teammate who was throwing in the ball, one less option. We proceeded to turn over the ball on the throw-in. NO BALL SENSE

I have said this before, Shakone Satchwell is, technically, the best player our high school has produced in the last 20 years. Outstanding with both feet, comfortable on the ball, and guile and a potent kick in spaded. His agent need to get to work.



Come September, I expect to see him.

In reply to JoeGrine

Bailey was recorded as the third fastest sprinter in Bundesliga history at 22.62 miles per hour, according to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2021/08/20/fast-not-normal-inside-story-speed-demon-leon-baileys-route/

In the current season (24/25), his EA SPORTS FC 25 player ratings reflect this with a pace of 90, an acceleration of 93, and a sprint speed of 87.
In FC25, Renaldo Cephas has a sprint speed rating of 91. I don't know how accurate these things are but FC25 seem to be spot on with player rankings. Cephas BTW has a score of 69 with a potential of 76. If the guy could only improve his football IQ he could play in the top 5 leagues in Europe but he is currently a 1 trick pony.

In reply to nitro

1. Cephas is indeed a one-trick pony.
2. If you have to bet your last dollar on a 60m race between Cephas and Bailey where does your money go? Your answer will let tell you all you need to know.

In reply to nitro

Bailey is not as fast as he used to be since he suffered a serious hamstring injury a few years ago…Cephas is one of the fastest players in the world at the moment but unfortunately he has no brain…

In reply to JoeGrine

Cephas of course, I did say he is faster but Bailey is no slouch although as FanAttick noted he has probably lost a lot through injury.

In reply to JoeGrine

There is a midfielder in the 60 man pool named Demetri Mitchell who is very fast as well. I guess a big baller like Busy Atkinson kept him out, despite Busy being a winger.

In reply to JoeGrine

Jamaica has this 'a nuh one a wi' culture - thus the politics! I guess, in general, a human trait - hereditary players gonna have a harder time with getting a first pick! That said, so far, the team selection has come a long way!

In reply to FanAttick

Yeah, with their current gameplay, sorry to say I don't see Jamaica beating Panama - my bet Panama 3 Jamaica nil!

I am also predicting an early exit of the coach!

In reply to JoeGrine

From what you stated,the obvious problem is the JFF. If a coach is hamstrung and
made to use local undeveloped players over seasoned professionals and older
players then we cannot expect to do well.

There are talented local players of course but unless they are very outstanding and better than seasoned
pros, then the first order of business is to have them in the squad to learn.
International football is serious and top class standards and local players however good
are not exposed to the regimen that it takes to be a top player.
The eat a food mentality must not exist if the objective is to be a winning team.
I feel for the coach as this is not an environment for success at any high international
level.
The local game has a long way to go in producing high level players that can compete with their
overseas professionals. Much needs to be done as local standards pale internationally.
The product must be built and the best players used at all times while development
is pursued unabated to reach high standards.

Eat a food may be profitable to the local clubs but it is a tremendous negative to the
international cause.
I hope someone will bell this cat once and for all.

Agreed but this will not change. As Speid noted sometime ago it is the parish presidents, club owners who vote for the JFF administration. In order to win the votes they had to compromise as he said most of them wanted quota on overseas born players in the senior team, not just the youth teams. He said they made compromises on the youth teams but not the senior team.

In reply to nitro

Speid can talk all he wants but the forced selection of Cavaliers ballers is not a good look….playing football at the highest level requires more than just skill…it requires an understanding of the technical and tactical elements..positional play…movement off the ball etc…Busy was running around like a headless chicken…

I noticed the same thing with Kaheim Dixon (although not a Cavaliers player)…but most of the JPL ballers exhibit the same characteristics…no tactical awareness..

McClaren said the same thing in a recent interview when asked about selecting local players…he said that they had potential but need more football IQ…

These players are hard to coach because in schoolboy football and JPL football the coaches are focused solely on winning titles …no time to devoted to developing players..the local academies are trying but there are only a few of them so the majority of players lack the support…

In reply to FanAttick

Yeah, it is hard to believe him given some of these selections as well as the comments of the former coach since he resigned.

In reply to nitro



and Ravel Morrison. That's the hypocrisy, stupidity and politics of the football in Jamaica.

Both the Gild Vup and the world Cup champs are victims of di immigration raids. People staying home.

In reply to hubert



The coach knows what he is in for and clearly at his age getting an unexpected paycheck and only having to visit the sunny climes of Jamaica around game time is an offer he couldn't refuse. This aged veteran has absolutely no incentive to go against the JFF, he wins and the JFF wins.

Ask yourself these two questions:
1. Why did John Barnes leave the team after a brief stint?
2. Why did Halgrimsson leave?

Canada’s holding on for dear life against Curaçao…

Jamaica will have a hard time against this team in World Cup qualifying…

Curaçao equalized…
Curaçao 1, Canada 1 (95th minute)