Hue ... ready to shine in national colours again. - File

TORONTO:

JERMAINE HUE is looking to grasp this chance to maintain a spot in the national football squad.

The Harbour View star was recently recalled to the squad preparing for tonight's CONCACAF semi-final round World Cup qualifier by Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) technical director, René Simoes.

The Brazilian had called up Hue for a friendly international against Costa Rica at the National Stadium earlier this year, but the midfielder was cut from the final squad.

Absence

Since, many questions have been asked publicly about the midfielder's continued absence from the programme.

Fortuitiously for Hue, Simoes got frustrated at not having access to the bulk of regular players who are based with professional clubs overseas and decided to work closer with players in Jamaica so that he could better implement his strategies.

The gifted attacking midfielder actually made another case for himself in a match between his club, Harbour View, and the national team.

"I saw the game against Harbour View and I saw commitment on and off the ball. What I saw encouraged me to call him back," said Simoes.

Happy about return

Naturally Hue, who was exceptional in national colours at the 2005 Gold Cup in the United States, is happy about his return to the national fold.

"I feel good because I've been working hard," he said. "Hard work has paid off and I just have to try to keep the consistency by training hard and playing in the team."

For tonight's game, he adds: "The squad hasn't been named yet but mentally you have to prepare yourself and believe that you are going to be in the team and keep the focus.

"I hope to play a part and hopefully it will be a positive one in terms of helping the team to come out with a good result.

"Personally, I would like to score but, most importantly, I would like the team to come out with a win. And for the future, I hope to keep the consistency and try to make good performances to stay in the team."

Ability with ball

The telling factor behind his recall amounted to more than just the exceptional passing ability displayed in the recent practice match.

"Everybody knows his ability on the ball," Simoes said. "It's what he does off the ball as well that matters to the team."

The message appears to have registered.

"The coach, when we speak one-on-one, always speaks about the team," said the 30-year-old player. "How the team system is, it's not going to change for me, I'll have to change to fit the system, so I have to improve on my work rate."

So far, he says: "It's been going good. The only thing is my fitness, I'm about 80 per cent now. We just started preseason at Harbour View and we haven't had many practice matches."