Audley Boyd, Assistant Sport EditorSTRIKER MARLON King is among 10 players that were not invited for Jamaica's crucial away World Cup qualifiers in Mexico and Honduras, named in a 22-member squad for games against Mexico on October 11 at 'The Office' and against Honduras four days later at the same venue.
As the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) seeks to revive the nation's sagging World Cup chances, wholesale changes were largely anticipated and only three of the 22 play for local clubs - goalkeepers Shawn Sawyers and Donovan Ricketts as well as central defender Jermaine Taylor.
The alterations come just days after Captain Horace Burrell, the JFF president, had fired the team's technical director, René Simoes, on September 11 because of the team's poor performances in matches against Mexico and Honduras.
Despite the presence of more suitable Reggae Boyz due to the professional experience garnered abroad, Simoes included a large number of home-based players, several of whom were teenagers with hardly any big occasion experience.
It limited the quality of the squad, which drew 1-1 in Canada, but suffered 3-0 and 2-0 losses in Mexico and Honduras, respectively, to put their qualification in jeopardy. On Wednesday, when he named Theodore Whitmore (in the interim) and John Barnes (to begin on November 1) as successive coaching replacements for Simoes, Burrell declared Jamaica's top players would be recalled for the return matches here next month.
"I personally think I'm carrying my strongest pool of players to represent my country," noted Whitmore, in an interview with The Sunday Gleaner.
I'm confident that we still have a chance, so we want to do what we have to do and win the games. They are crucial games, but we know we can pull it off," he said.
ja at bottom of standings
Jamaica lie at the bottom of the standings on one point, the same as Canada, while Honduras are second on six points and Mexico lead with maximum nine.
The fourth-place team gets another chance in a home-and-away play-off against the fifth-place country from CONMEBOL (South America).
King, a natural finisher with a goal-a-game record for Jamaica, has not seen action since registering his thoughts to Simoes after he was substituted in the second round World Cup match against The Bahamas at the National Stadium.
Since then, the Boyz have played four matches - the return match against The Bahamas, and in this ongoing semi-final round play-offs against Canada and the Central American duo and neither King, nor a number of other established Jamaica internationals who were brought in for the easy Bahamas fixtures, were invited for the tough away games in a series from which only two teams shall advance.
"King is all right," noted Whitmore. "I spoke to him and Jamal Campbell-Ryce earlier. We were talking about the game in Mexico, where we are right now and where we want to go. Based on the conversation they are ready for the games," he said.
Besides King, who scored a double in Hull's 2-1 England Premiership victory a week ago, the nine other overseas-based pros who weren't included for any of Jamaica's three away fixtures in this crucial round are Damion 'Stew Peas' Stewart, his brother Demar, Claude Davis, Jermaine 'Teddy' Johnson, Omar Daley, Campbell-Ryce, Dane Richards, Omar Cummings and Oneil 'Bigga' Thompson.
Midfielder Andy Williams, who scored Jamaica's only goal in this quadrangular play-off, has not been selected.
"It's based on the whole approach of the team and what we need for these games. We looked for certain players to fit in certain places. Andy is a different player, it's not that he cannot make the team but it's the approach we're taking for the matches," explained Whitmore. "These games are must-win games."
"The whole approach to this game, it's going to be totally different from previous ones," he said. "So we need to look at the players drafted ... We have to be strong at the back and at the same time have a good attacking force."
Jamaica squad: Ricardo Gardner (captain), Donovan Ricketts, Shawn Sawyers, Ian Goodison, Jermaine Taylor, Shavar Thomas, Claude Davis, Demar Stewart, Damion Stewart, Tyrone Marshall, Oneil Thompson, Omar Daley, Demar Phillips, Jermaine Johnson, Jamal Ryce-Campbell, Wolry Wolfe, Rudolph Austin, Ricardo Fuller, Luton Shelton, Omar Cummings, Dane Richards and Marlon King.
'We looked for certain players to fit in certain places. Andy is a different player, it's not that he cannot make the team but it's the approach we're taking for the matches.'
