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Hallgrimsson looks to Gold Cup for win
June 20, 2023
Jamaica's Reggae Boyz will have to wait on the Concacaf Gold Cup tournament to give Heimir Hallgrimsson his first win as coach after they went down 2-1 to Jordan in their international friendly in Austria yesterday.
Cory Burke put the Boyz ahead from the penalty spot in the 39th minute, but second-half goals from Mahmoud Al-Mardi and Ali Olwan guided Jordan to victory.
The Boyz had lost by an identical score to Qatar on Thursday at the same venue, but Hallgrimsson's outlook and belief remain positive, going into their first match of the Concacaf Gold Cup on Saturday against hosts the United States of America (USA).
"From my past experience at this level, I think I know what it takes to get results. I know how to work on those things (faults). As an organisation, we need to improve as well, so we can implement our work a little bit better, but this is a formula that I have used not only once or twice, but three times and I think it suits the team," he said.
Jamaica conceded both goals from counter-attacks, and the Icelandic coach said the concentration level must improve to defend correctly.
"If we judge from these games, the focus would not have been good. So that is a red flag for me. We need to up the focus. We need quicker thinking and (to be) more alert, especially in defending and balancing, so we are not hit on the counter when we lose possession," he pointed out.
He is, nevertheless, looking to shake the winless tag when they play their opening game in the Gold Cup.
"It is often said that winning is a habit, but sadly losing can be that as well. It is something that we do not want to carry on doing, but the mindset for the Gold Cup will be a lot different than for these games. I hope we go forward and get good results in the Gold Cup," he said.
