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Jamaica hit targets against Guatemala - McClaren calls for consistency
June 12, 2025
Reggae Boyz head coach Steve McClaren demanded goals from his team for their final second-round Concacaf World Cup qualifying football game against Guatemala at the National Stadium on Tuesday. And goals he got, as the team did not disappoint, scoring a resounding 3-0 win over their opponents to seal top spot in Group E on the way to the third and final round.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference on Monday, McClaren expressed how keen he was for an improved performance in front of goal, following their uninspiring 1-0 win over the British Virgin Islands (BVI) on Saturday.
Warner Brown, who scored the lone goal against the BVI, notched a brace at the 37th and 73rd minutes in the 3-0 victory. Jon Russell scored the other goal, at the 26th.
Even though he was pleased with the team's conversion on the night, McClaren still believes they could have been more prolific.
"We won at Sabina Park. But it was important to win here (National Stadium). That's what we said. That was number one on the agenda," McClaren declared.
"The goal that we wanted was to win in the National Stadium and to score goals, and the players have done that. So that was achieved and I was pleased about that
"We had 18 shots, nine on target. But we can be more clinical," he assessed.
"I think that was something we missed against the BVI when we had the opportunities. But to score three goals was excellent," he told the post-match press conference.
Brown has been the in-form striker under McClaren's reign as coach, with four goals in his last four competitive matches.
McClaren underlined the Arnett Gardens striker's importance to the team after another outstanding contribution.
"What I like about Warner is whenever the ball is in the box, he is on the box. He's in the middle of the goal, so he is always a threat," he said.
The performance on Tuesday is being described as the Reggae Boyz's best under McClaren, with key players like Leon Bailey, Renaldo Cephas and Demarai Gray all turning in big performances.
However, McClaren said the key is to be able to perform like this more consistently, both as individuals and as a collective.
"The last thing we need is to get complacent because this one's (game) gone. So now it's the next one," he said.
"I would say (give the team) six, seven (out of 10), and purely because of consistency. We haven't seen that yet. So the next game, can we repeat? Because the key to football is always consistency," he said.
"So that is a question we will ask the team. That's the next step (consistency). We have finished this one, and we know consistency is key in performance individually and collectively and that's the standard we need time and again."
Jamaica will play Guatemala again, in the group stage of the Gold Cup on Monday, and McClaren says he is expecting a tougher match.
"Guatemala made some changes. They came down from an emotional high from their last game, and they will be raging come Monday," McClaren stated.
"But this is just the standard that the players have set, and the key is the work rate, the discipline and the organisation. That is the simple recipe for being able to win games.
"We are going to have tougher games and certainly Monday (Gold Cup match) will be like that," he added.
