Boyz not overawed by Mexico test – Speid

Reggae Boyz coach Rudolph Speid believes Jamaica’s chances are just as good as those of Concacaf champions Mexico when the teams meet in a Nations League quarter-final on November 14 and 17.

The Reggae Boyz booked their date with the Concacaf kingpins after finishing second in Group B of League A, behind Guatemala. Both teams finished on seven points, but Guatemala topped the group and Jamaica advanced by virtue of a superior goal difference.

Jamaica will host Mexico at the National Stadium on November 14 before travelling for the return leg three days later.

Mexico are ranked number one in Concacaf and 10th in the world. Speid pointed to their rapid rise in the rankings over the past year and their performance at the recent World Cup as evidence of their pedigree and quality.

Nevertheless, he noted that, despite Jamaica entering the tie as underdogs, the outcome was far from a foregone conclusion.

“There is a reason why the games are played. If we never had a chance, the game wouldn’t be played. There is no denying how good they are. They are ranked 10th in the world. They are number one in Concacaf and they have just pulled away in terms of the ranking.

“Their performances in the World Cup show they have a lot of pedigree, but these are the types of games that everybody in Concacaf must want to play. These are the types of games that coaching staff in Concacaf must want to coach, against the best,” he said.

“Why are you in the game if you want to play the worst all the time? So, as far as I am concerned, it is a good thing that we are playing Mexico.”

The Reggae Boyz are now ranked 69th in the world, having moved up two places, and are seventh in Concacaf.

In 13 meetings between the teams, Mexico have won eight, Jamaica one, while four have ended in draws.

Though history favours Mexico, Speid believes Jamaica can offer something different that will give them a chance of victory.

“I am sure it will be a little bit different from what Mexico is used to. I am sure we will be. We will just put our best foot forward and that is all we can do and make our nation proud.

“I am not overawed because we are playing Mexico. We will sit down as a team, work out what their strengths and their weaknesses are, and then we will bring it,” he stated.

Speid, who is serving in the role on an interim basis, revealed that he has already selected a provisional 46-man squad for the November fixtures but said it remains subject to change.

“We picked 46 players as a preliminary squad last Friday. Of course, we will have to chop it to 23 or 24. We are looking at everybody’s performance and see how best we can pick a squad that will trouble Mexico.

“Sometimes you may wonder why we do not have this player or that player, but style matters. We have to keep that in mind.

“One of the players that everybody said I shouldn’t pick was (Javon) East (who was picked because of his Central America experience) and he came and gave us two quality goals in Central America. So that is one of the things we have to look towards. Horses for courses,” he said.