With the Reggae Boyz set to compete in the FIFA intercontinental playoffs at the end of the month, interim head coach Rudolph Speid has explained the selection process for his 27-man squad ahead of the playoffs.
Jamaica will face New Caledonia on March 26 at the Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico, and should they win, will take on DR Congo on March 31 for a spot in the World Cup.
Speaking at a Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) press conference yesterday, Speid announced his squad for the upcoming fixtures and detailed his selection policies.
He explained he wanted to ensure the selection process was as transparent as possible, and said all players and stakeholders were made aware of the selection policy at the start of the year.
One of the key requirements in his selection process was for players to be competing in one of the top 20 leagues in the world, a top-flight league or have played for Jamaica beforehand.
Only players who meet these requirements would have been up for selection.
“I think this is the most transparent selection policy we have ever had,” Speid said. “These were made known to all the players and all the stakeholders in early January.”
He continued, “We were adamant that for selection, players must have a contract with a club in the top 20 leagues in the world. If you are not playing in the top 20 leagues in the world, then you must be playing in the top league in that country.”
He explained the second part of his selection process meant players would have to be playing regular minutes with their club to be selected.
Speid said it is not only enough to be in one of the top leagues in the world, but each player must show they are match ready as the Boyz are only guaranteed one game at the playoffs.
“The selection criteria is one, because lots of players made the selection criteria. But of course, there’s also some requirements that are a must,” the Reggae Boyz boss confirmed.
“Players must be fit. Players must be playing regular minutes at their clubs and players must exhibit a high standard of performance,” he continued.
“We know that these two games, the opposition will be high intensity. They’ll play in transition and counterattack. And for every position, these are some of the stats that drive the selection process.”
DATA-DRIVEN
Speid explained the protocols are there to ensure the pool of players up for the selection are the best players at hand.
He said with this data-driven approach, it removes the risk of the technical staff selecting players based on bias and emotional attachments.
“It was not an emotional pick,” Speid explained. “They were all data driven. And we tried our best to select the right persons.
“These games are high-intensity games and they are not for development. They are win-or-die games. So as you know, we have our coming on assignment March 26.”
With the selection process, a number of fan favourites and regular players have been omitted from the squad.
Three of the key absentees include Shamar Nicholson, Dujuan ‘Whisper’ Richards, and Kaheim Dixon.
While the players would have qualified for the national squad through their competitive level and history as Jamaican internationals, they fell out of contention due to their current minutes at their clubs.
Nicholson currently plays for Belarusian club Maxline Vitebsk on loan from Liga MC club Tijuana.
The striker, who is Jamaica’s topscoring active player with 21 goals in 62 appearances, has only played twice this year, and has not started a club game since September last year.
For Dixon, the winger has only made one senior appearance this year for Crawley Town, before he was recalled to his parent club Charlton Athletic where he currently plays in their U21 set-up.
Richards, who is currently on loan at Leicester from Premier League outfit Chelsea, has made three appearances for the Foxes this year, which included a 33-minute appearance in the FA Cup.
Speid explained his approach is not a criticism of how his predecessors selected their squads, but rather, he wanted to ensure the players who are performing well are rewarded for their hard work.
“Every coach is different. That doesn’t mean what that coach [before] was doing was wrong. It’s just the way we see with this new team, that’s the way we need to operate,” he explained.
“So what we have done is to take out a lot of the subjectivity out of who gets picked, and actually go with the raw data and the people who are performing.”
The overseas-based players are due to arrive here tomorrow with the squad set to leave the island for Mexico on Monday, March 23.
Full Squad:
Goalkeepers: Andre Blake, Jahmali Waite, Amal Knight
Defenders: Ronaldo Webster, Amari’i Bell, Richard King, Damion Lowe, Ethan Pinnock, Joel Latibeaudiere, Ian Fray, Kyle Ming
Midfielders: Isaac Hayden, Kevon Lambert, Karoy Anderson, Tyrese Hall, Kasey Palmer, Andre Brooks, Leon Bailey, Bobby Reid, Dwight Merrick
Forwards: Bailey Cadamarteri, Jamal Lowe, Demarai Gray, Ephron Mason-Clark, Renaldo Cephas, Norman Campbell, Tyreece Campbell
