KINGSTON, Jamaica – No. 1 goalkeeper and captain Andre Blake said the current Jamaica Reggae Boyz squad for the group stage of the Concacaf Gold Cup in the United States was one of the most talented assembled.
Blake said his side will still have to prove it on the field when they start their campaign in the tournament against defending champions and hosts United States on Saturday at Soldier Field in the city of Chicago in the state of Illinois.
The Reggaze Boyz have a squad that includes English Premier League regulars such as Leon Bailey, Michail Antonio, Demarai Gray, Ethon Pinnock, and Bobby Reid, and they will be hunting their first win in seven matches under head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson.
“The players are very motivated,” Blake told the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper. “I don’t have any concerns. It is not all about winning, but don’t mistake that for not wanting to win. But if you focus on doing the right things consistently, everything will take care of itself.
“We have a very talented group. I have been to a few of these tournaments before. I have been to two finals, and I can confidently say this is the most talented group we are going to have going into the Gold Cup.”
Bailey and Reid each had two goals in the Concacaf Nations League that act as a qualifier for the Gold Cup, while Antonio proved he was a threat from anywhere on the field, having scored a world-class goal in World Cup qualifying for Qatar 2022 against the Americans.
“I am also experienced enough to know that talent or names on paper do not win this tournament,” Blake added. “This is Concacaf, and it takes a lot of running, fighting, commitment, so if we can get all the players to do the dirty work without the ball, I have no doubt because we have the talent to be really good with the ball.
“So it is going to come down to how much are we willing to suffer without the ball because this is a tournament, and it’s about surviving and advancing.
“It doesn’t need to be pretty if at the end of the 90 minutes you are moving forward or you win the trophy, nobody will ever care how you played.”
Jamaica, the No. 2 side in the Caribbean Football Union and the Concacaf No. 7, will also face CFU No. 3 and Concacaf No. 11 Trinidad & Tobago Soca Warriors on June 28 at City Park in St Louis, Missouri in the group stage of the Gold Cup.
The Reggae Boyz will close the group stage against the CFU No. 12 and Concacaf No. 21 St Kitts & Nevis Sugar Boyz on July 2 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
