Steve McClaren has spoken of a determination to put “a smile on people’s faces” in Jamaica as the Reggae Boyz stand on the cusp of qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1998, just weeks after Hurricane Melissa devastated the island.
The category 5 storm, which made landfall on 28 October, has killed at least 45 people and displaced tens of thousands, with damage estimated at a third of the country’s GDP. McClaren, who watched “in horror” from the UK, arrived in Jamaica a week after the hurricane and is now focused on guiding the team through their final two qualifiers in the Concacaf section.
Jamaica lead the group by a point from Curaçao, four ahead of Trinidad and Tobago. A win against Dwight Yorke’s Trinidad in Port of Spain on Thursday could seal qualification, but the likelier scenario is that victory over Dick Advocaat’s Curaçao in Kingston on 14 November will be required to secure an automatic berth. McClaren has called that fixture “the biggest game in Jamaica for many, many years”.
Despite the devastation, the National Stadium survived with only minor disruption, and the match is going ahead as planned. The squad includes several players of Jamaican heritage from the UK, such as Charlton midfielder Karoy Anderson, who says it is “heartbreaking” to see homes washed away. Anderson and teammates Kaheim Dixon, Harvey Knibbs and Miles Leaburn have donated to relief efforts.
McClaren has continued a recruitment drive tapping into the Jamaican diaspora, handing debuts to Mason Holgate and Isaac Hayden, and hoping for clearance for Brentford’s Rico Henry. Mason Greenwood has yet to decide on switching allegiance from England. “We’ve got the added pressure of the people of Jamaica who are suffering,” said McClaren. “We will try to put some positivity and a smile on people’s faces.”
