Coley urges Reggae Boyz to find a way

FORMER REGGAE Boyz assistant coach Miguel Coley is urging Jamaica’s senior men’s team to seize a golden opportunity and create history when they face Curacao today at the National Stadium in their quest to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The highly anticipated game is scheduled to start at 8 p.m.

Coley, who served under former head coach Winfried Schäfer from 2014 to 2016, believes the moment presents a defining chapter in the players’ careers and in Jamaica’s football legacy.

“Mentally, they have to understand that they are on the cusp of history and they have the chance to write history, and everything is in their hands,” said Coley.

“It is within their grasp and they have to keep their hands close and take the three points. It is more than just being motivated; it is going out there being disciplined. It is all to play for us, going into the match with one idea in mind, and that is to win. Curacao did what they had to do when they were at home, and so we have to do what we have to do now.”

The Reggae Boyz, who last reached the global showpiece in 1998, enter today’s clash at the National Stadium sitting second in Group B on 10 points. Curacao lead the group with 11, and with only the group winners earning automatic qualification to next year’s World Cup, Jamaica must defeat the visitors to book their spot.

Coley, who led Jamaica College to five straight urban area Manning Cup and all-island Olivier Shield titles, stressed that the team must be composed, smart, and efficient over the 90 minutes.

“There is no doubt that we have the quality, and so we just have to be patient with the ball, and we have to keep it much more,” he said.

“We have to have much more quality up front. Transition without the ball is going to be very important because they need a draw, and so they [will] probably sit behind the ball a bit. So when we lose the ball, we have to ensure that we win back the ball as quickly as possible.”

“We have to play as fast as possible, and as slow as necessary, and just get the job done because it is not beyond our reach. It is not about the big performances, because it is about getting the job done and getting the three points and getting to the World Cup,” said Coley, who now holds a pro licence and serves as the reserve-team head coach at Umm Salal in Qatar. The coach declined to name specific players he believes should start, but praised the team’s attacking display against Bermuda at home when the Jamaicans won that match 4-0.

“I am not particular to say which player should play at this moment, it is up to the coach,” he said.

“The last game that we played at home, although against Bermuda, that attack looked very good. Good passing quality, good movements off the ball, which is going to be very important for us.”

Coley has singled out striker Shamar ‘Bowza’ Nicholson as a key figure for today’s encounter.

“For me, Bowza is our best striker and especially in front of his home crowd, he would want to do as well as possible. He is our leading goalscorer in the squad, so I would probably use him as much as possible.

“We need good chemistry in terms of when we have the ball, and we have to be very patient with the ball and play the game for 90 minutes. And if we can score early then that will be fantastic.”

With the country still reeling from the devastation caused by Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, Coley noted that a victory tonight would lift national spirits.

“The country needs, this because they need the football team to do well,” he stated.

“We need something to really smile about. This will bring the nation together in a great way by going to the World Cup after such massive destruction in the western end of our country. It is very important that the Reggae Boyz do what they have to do to get the job done.”