World Football

Simoes promises big Jamaica improvement

20:05 BST, Mon 8 Sep 2008
[-] Text [+]
 Email  |   Print  |   Digg This
 
Mexico's Fernando Arce (15) celebrates his first goal against Jamaica during their CONCACAF 2010 World Cup qualifier soccer match in Mexico City September 6, 2008. REUTERS/Daniel Aguilar (MEXICO)

By Brian Homewood

BUENOS AIRES, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Jamaica coach Rene Simoes has promised an improvement on Saturday's 3-0 capitulation against Mexico when his side visit Honduras for their World Cup qualifier on Wednesday.

The Reggae Boyz have taken one point from their first two games in Group Two of the CONCACAF zone's third round and defeat in San Pedro Sula could leave them all but eliminated.

"The performance of some of the players (against Mexico) was awful, but against Honduras it will be different," Brazilian Simoes, who was in charge when Jamaica became the first English-speaking Caribbean team to qualify for the World Cup in 1998, told the Jamaica Observer.

"I told the players to be cool, and let's learn from our mistakes and correct them against Honduras.

"When you don't do things right, everything works against you. At this level of football you have to get rest, be alert and be mentally prepared and we were not and we paid the price.

"We couldn't put three passes together, we were completely out of the game."

Honduras, 2-1 winners in Canada on Saturday, have three points.

PERFECT RECORDS

The United States, Mexico and Costa Rica are all expected to maintain their 100 percent records at the top of the three respective groups in other matches on the same evening.

The U.S. are at home to Trinidad & Tobago in Group One, Mexico host Canada in Tuxtla Gutierrez in Group Two and Costa Rica travel to Port-au-Prince to face Haiti in Group Three.

Trinidad, who have four points, will be missing captain Dwight Yorke, who has been ordered home by his English club Sunderland in apparent defiance of FIFA rules which obliges them to release him for World Cup matches.

"I am feeling caught between a rock and a hard place with my club and my country," Yorke told the Trinidad Express. "I want to play against the U.S. but I don't know if I will be allowed to."

Sven Goran-Eriksson's Mexico will be without captain Pavel Pardo, who has an injury to his right knee, and suspended defender Carlos Salcido against Canada who have taken only one point from two games, both at home.

Costa Rica faced a complicated journey to Port-au-Prince after Hurricane Ike disrupted flights in the Caribbean.

Costa Rican media said the team was forced to spend Sunday night in Miami, where they made a connection, and it was not certain they would be able to get on a flight on Monday.

Striker Froylan Ledesma, who picked up a second yellow card for a shirtless goal celebration in Saturday's 7-0 win over Suriname, is one of several suspension and injury worries for the Ticos, who are attempting to qualify for their third successive World Cup.

El Salvador, who have three points, visit outsiders Suriname in the other game. Haiti and Suriname have one point each.

The top two teams in each group qualify for the final stage of the CONCACAF qualifiers which will be played next year.

Any person accessing the football section of this website is prohibited from any unauthorised re-production of any photographs and or text content other than for the purposes of viewing the same as part of the web site.   
After five Premier League defeats this season are Liverpool out of the title race?
Yes
No - Rafa will take the title

Most Popular articles

advertisement