The Tactics

A COMBINATION OF SPEED, power, and raw determination, Jamaica will try whatever it needs to get a result.

Under Theodore Whitmore, what consistent strategy can be identified has worked pretty well, with the Reggae Boys back in the Hexagonal after a 12-year absence. An increased number of Europe- and U.S.-based players have upgraded the Jamaicans to a team that’s more than just a physical threat. The coach, known as a midfield general during his playing days, is attempting to get his entire team to play as he did: calmly, smartly, effectively, and with a little flair.

But the same group that has played well enough in qualifying to date–knocking off the U.S. for the first time ever in Kingston last year–floundered without its European stars at the recent Caribbean Cup, finishing last in a group including Martinique, Cuba, and French Guyana.

Those ups and downs suggest that the Reggae Boys are probably the weakest team in this year’s Hexagonal. When things are going well, Whitmore's squad looks organized and confident. But too often they panic, especially in the back, and resort to athleticism. That was enough in the early rounds but it won't be going forward. The Americans had never lost to Jamaica until that September night; don’t look for it to happen again in 2013.