ARLINGTON, Jamaica – Reggae Boyz head coach, Heimir Hallgrímsson says the just concluded Nations League finals was a key cog in his side’s preparation for their ultimate goal of reaching the FIFA 2026 World Cup.
Reggae Boyz head coach, Heimir Hallgrímsson.Jamaica went down 3-1 to United States in extra time in the semi-finals after leading 1-0 for most of the contest last Thursday, before beating Panama 1-0 in the third place playoff on Sunday at the same venue here.
“It is just a part of our journey. We’re trying to build something, not for this tournament,” Hallgrímsson said following the victory over Panama.
“There is a saying that success is not a destination, success is not a date – it’s a continuous journey to the right direction. So we’re just working on improving this team.
“Our biggest goal at the moment is to try and reach the World Cup finals but this is a good step to play important matches, to play big tournaments and to play strong opponents like we did – US and Panama are two of the three highest-ranked CONCACAF teams.
“And we showed we’re closing that gap even with a number of players not with us so I have to give a lot of credit to the players for the way they presented themselves for Jamaica.”
Jamaica qualified for the Nation League finals after finishing top of Group B in the group stage last year., playing unbeaten to win three of their four outings.
They were, however, without key players for the United States assignment with overseas-based stars Leon Bailey, Ethan Pinnock, Amari’i Bell, Demarai Gray, Michail Antonio and Shamar Nicholson all missing for various reasons.
Hallgrímsson said the absence of these key players had provided the opportunity for other players to step up and show their worth.
“This camp has given us more depth in the squad, players really punching in and showing that they want to belong into this starting lineup. Jamaica is richer after this camp,” said the Icelander.
“Tactics – it was both because we were missing players and playing good teams so we thought it would be better to play with three at the back. Given that we played 120 minutes [against United States] it was a really good performance, a solid performance from the team so I’m happy.”
He added: “It’s [psychologically important], just to know that we can face teams of this calibre. I normally don’t talk about missing players but it gives belief in what we’re doing. I think that’s the biggest benefit for us and the players.”
Jamaica will turn their attention to the COPA America in the United States where they face Ecuador, Mexico and Venezuela in Group B of the June 20 to July 14 showpiece.
