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Hallgrimsson credits Gray with giving Boyz dimension
June 26, 2023
Everton winger Demarai Gray made a fairly impressive debut for the Reggae Boyz in their opening Group A Gold Cup match against the USA at Soldier Field in Chicago on Saturday, when he provided the assist with a 13th-minute free kick in their 1-1 draw.
The 26-year-old, who had long been on the radar of Jamaica, gave a sterling effort before he was substituted at 90 minutes, and Jamaica's coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said Gray, who is very similar to Leon Bailey, met all expectations of him and added to the firepower of the Reggae Boyz.
"He gives us an extra dimension, kind of a similar player to Leon Bailey. So it just adds to our quality and the options," Hallgrimsson commented. "He knew what he wanted, and we know what kind of player he is."
According to Hallgrimsson, he never doubted starting the England-born Gray, although the player only joined the squad a few days before the Gold Cup began.
"We thought that if we put him in from the start, we could always take him off if he didn't fit in. We have watched him and talked to him from time to time. So in the end, there was no risk playing him, and everybody knows he will give us a lot," Hallgrimsson said.
Jamaica made their first substitution in the 65th minute, when Kemar Lawrence replaced Amari'i Bell, and then in the 75th when Cory Burke was put in for Michail Antonio.
Hallgrimsson stated that he had to strategically manage the players during the match, with Gray and Bailey being substituted in the 90th minute for Daniel Johnson and Shamar Nicholson, respectively.
"We knew we needed to change Amari'i, and Antonio needed to come off. It was always a risky thing to do the changes so early because there were some tired legs, and you didn't want to finish all the changes in the window with 10-15 minutes left and you have some tired legs on the pitch; and you do not want to play one man down against the US," Hallgrimsson explained.
"So we tried to be in constant communication with the players to see if they are okay and can play on. During the game, we talked about doing the changes, but it was risky to do the change too early.
"There were too many tired legs on the pitch, so we wanted to do a double or triple change when needed," he explained.
Jamaica will face Caribbean rivals Trinidad and Tobago in their next match on Wednesday at City Park Stadium in St Louis, Missouri, at 6:30 p.m.
