Finishing the job

St Vincent and the Grenadines has been matched versus the Caribbean’s top ranked team on the FIFA list, Jamaica, in the Concacaf Gold Cup preliminaries for next March.

The pairings were attained following the respective teams’ placings in the Concacaf Nations League (CNL).

St Vincent and the Grenadines ended as one of the two best runners-up in the group stage of League B, whilst Jamaica was a losing quarter finalist to the USA in League A.

St Vincent and the Grenadines tallied 13 points from their six matches, gained from 4 wins and a draw. The Vincentians’ lone blemish was a defeat to El Salvador here at the Arnos Vale Playing Field.

They did bounce back in their second match on October 13, to reverse their fortunes against the Salvadorians.

Putting things into context, it was St Vincent and the Grenadines’ best showing in the CNL, bettering the 2019 showing, when the team stitched together 11 points from their six matches.

The second place in Group A afforded St Vincent and the Grenadines a back door entry to the Gold Cup.

Heavily weighted on the top ranked Concacaf teams, the preliminaries of the Gold Cup pitted seven League A outfits that did not make the semi-finals of the CNL, as well as the lower ranked teams from League A, against those that emerged from League B.

As such, Costa Rica will face Belize, Jamaica takes on St Vincent and the Grenadines, Honduras will go up against Bermuda, Guatemala plays Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago battles Cuba, Martinique will meet Suriname, and Nicaragua faces off against Guadeloupe.

For St Vincent and the Grenadines, it is one shot away from heading to the prestigious event in the USA in 2025.

However, the proposition for the Vincentians is huge, given the comparisons when matched against Jamaica.

At present, St Vincent and the Grenadines occupies position 174 on the FIFA list, whereas Jamaica is 61.

Additionally, Jamaica is loaded with international players who ply their trade across the globe in various professional leagues, whilst St Vincent and the Grenadines has one or two professionals, and some semi-pros.

More so, Jamaica is accustomed to competing at a higher level than their opponents, hence, possesses greater pedigree.

These are the contrasting facts of both teams, but over the home and away legs, much can happen.

Jamaica will have the benefit of hosting the first leg, with the dates yet to be announced.

Despite the obvious disparities, as a nation, St Vincent and the Grenadines has to prepare well for the two encounters, ensuring that they get something from the first match.

Therefore, the best must be done to ensure that the Senior Men’s National Football Team, Vincy Heat as they have been christened, gets the support all-round.

It may also require current Head Coach, Ezra Hendrickson to dig deeper into the eligibility pool and get personnel who can fit the areas of deficiencies.

Likewise, the locally based players will have to up the training as they get themselves ready for the battle ahead.

All in all, these are exciting times for St Vincent and the Grenadines’ football, as for good measure, the success of Vincy Heat is engendering that sense of national pride.

It is for all stakeholders to use that wave to good effect, not only for football purposes, but for the overall social cohesion that the country needs at this juncture.

Getting that rare opportunity to reach the Gold Cup, whilst seemingly loaded with high probability- impossibility is not the forgone conclusion.

So, for the next three months or so, the executive committee of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football

Federation has to give the team its best chance to topple Jamaica and book a ticket to the coveted Gold Cup.