Between the 2011 Gold Cup and their recent win over the United States, Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz have gotten pretty scary. They’ve firmly reclaimed the threat they posed while qualifying for the 1998 World Cup, and with today’s news coming from the north, the Jamaicans might be ready to get a whole lot scarier (at the expense of a CONCACAF competitor).
According to TSN’s Luke Wileman, the Jamaican federation is hoping to add two Premier League players for their Hexagonal push:
De Guzman, a midfielder for Swansea, has been a source of frustration for Canadian fans, with a will-he won’t-he vibe from the younger brother of Julian leaving some wishing he’d just go away. Eligible to play for four countries (Canada, the Netherlands, Jamaica, the Phillipines), odds are he will.
Hoillett, a 22-year-old attacker for Queens Park Rangers, hasn’t been as overt flirtatious, though he did play for Canada at youth levels. That he could turn around and play for Jamaica (after previously saying he would consider playing for England) is potentially Hargreavesian.
If one or both of these players join Jamaica, it would have a major impact on CONCACAF’s final round of qualifying. Jamaica would go from an underdog to make the World Cup to a slight favorite to finish in the top three (along with Mexico and the United States). Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama — the three nations that seemed set to tussle with Jamaica for a spot behind the big two — could be left fighting for the fourth place playoff spot.
That’s all on paper, of course. Who knows how any of these teams will play (except Mexico)? Jamaica could have trouble assimilating their new players and be left scrapping in the Hex’s bottom half. They could also get a bigger boost than anticipated and make like very interesting (and scary) for the United States.
This will definitely be a story to watch over the next two-to-three months.
