Andre Blake – 7

Did most things well, fielded largely easy shots and came up with important saves. Wasn’t the most difficult night for Jamaica’s captain but he was made to work to secure only his second clean sheet of this campaign. His best moment of the game came against Alberth Ellis when he gathered a close-range header before it crossed the line to keep the game at 1 – 0 at the time.

Adrian Mariappa – 7

Realistically, he would have probably gotten a fractional 6 score, but of course as you know, we don’t do half points so Mariappa’s score is slightly inflated but not without its merits. Tappa seemed to employ a hybrid defense that shifted between a back three and a back four at will. Invariably he was stationed on the right side of the defence and when defending at least he looked decent enough. Didn’t face too much opposition from Honduras’ left sided attackers but wasn’t nearly as effective going forward. 

Je-Vaughn Watson – 6

Certainly a better showing than any of his previous in this campaign. Watson moved into defence in the latter parts of his career and he proved more useful to the team as a centre back partner to Damion Lowe. He almost gave away a penalty in the death but was saved by routinely lenient refereeing. He however managed to deal with most things thrown at him despite not always looking so comfortable doing it. This military grade performance meant his partial score was rounded down to six.

Damion Lowe – 7 

Was in place to handle most things and even stepped out of the defence a few times to make a tackle or clearance. Not that he was perfect but he was certainly more positive than he was negative. There were a few errant headers and decisions, but none were overly costly. On the other hand, he made more clearances than anyone else and even tallied 6 accurate long passes for the game. He was certainly needed in this game having made his return from suspension for this one.

Oniel Fisher – 8 

What a day for the LA Galaxy man! Fisher benefitted from a rare bit of genius by Tappa to play him in an advanced position with license to go and stay forward. His last game started off shakily but got better as time progressed. This game was the same but the peak in this one was so much higher. Operating in his wide role he was a constant nuisance for the Honduras defenders, he regularly picked up good positions and did well to maintain possession. His first ever goal for Jamaica was as important as it was technically beautiful and secured the victory.

Kemar Lawrence – 6 

His set piece deliveries were subpar by his standards (or indeed most people’s) and he couldn’t quite connect with the forwards up front. He did, however play his part on the defensive side of the game. Whether his tracking back was as a result of managerial instructions or his own recognition that it wasn’t happening for him on the other end, the result was he could answer most of what Alberth Ellis asked of him. Had he been on form Jamaica could potentially have had two real outlets going forward out wide. Instead there was (perhaps) one extra defender in place to complete the shut out.

Anthony Grant – 7

Yet another dominant display in the middle of the park for the 34 year old. Grant broke up play, as always, came up with better passes than is normal for him, and even made a few dribbles. He combined well with Junior Flemmings, in particular he played on the outside of him and was far more progressive with his passing. Not much to be said beyond that, he was a solid seven out of ten on the night.

Devon Williams – 7

No doubt by now all these rolling sevens would maybe look like this was a lucky result for the Reggae Boyz but in fact this performance was built on basically everyone having a solid game for themselves. Speedy is a player that often puts in a solid performance, and against Honduras was just another one. He’s probably one of the first names on the team sheet and he proves why with tidy, metronomic passing, good defensive cover and the occasional key contribution in the attacking half. He had the chance to slip Roofe in for an opening goal but elected to shoot instead which forced a save, and while that might not have been the best decision, most of his others during the game were good ones.

Junior Flemmings – 7

Another player to put in a decent performance for the team, Flemmings followed suit in doing most things well. Where he didn’t excel, he wasn’t involved which usually saw him not tracking back enough to help Lawrence or absent from a position he would have expected to be in to contribute to Jamaica’s moves. He had two fierce shots on target, unfortunately both were comfortable stops for Luis Lopezl. He perhaps could have done more to link with the front two but he wasn’t a hindrance by any means, often proving a useful out ball for the team when they were in a tight spot, and in that role he moved the ball or himself well or won a freekick to relieve that pressure.

Shamar Nicholson – 7

One member of the front two was clearly better than the other but leaving it at that would be doing a disservice to the shift put in by Boza. He competed well for the high passes and was a regular annoyance for the Honduras backline. He didn’t really put up anything that made you think “he was unlucky there”. On the few occasions an opportunity presented itself to him, he was unable to take full advantage. His technique remains his biggest weakness as he often gets into place to miss – which as counterintuitive (if not slightly comical) as it sounds, is actually a talent within itself. Missed headers and scuffed shots aside, it was his shot, coming from picking up the loose ball inside the box, that was the catalyst for Roofe to bag his and Jamaica’s first goal. 

Kemar Roofe – 8 

There was talk of players struggling with the heat in Kingston against Panama, and while we can’t be sure how much truth there is to that, it’s worth noting the stark difference in performances since. Roofe has featured in every game in this international break and started the last two. It’s worth mentioning that the last two were the better games. He looked so much sharper in this game; he challenged for headers, he dueled for the ball on the ground, he made good runs, he even held it up for his teammates in good moments as well. It was an all action performance that merited a rest on 58 minutes. But more to the point, for all his effort, when he got his goal in the 38th minute, it was well worth the wait and surely deserved. 

Substitutes:

Bobby Decordova-Reid (58’) – 6

Came on to replace Roofe but given that the game plan clearly did not change to reflect the difference in profile of the two players, he was virtually ineffective on the field for his entire showing.

Andre Gray (77’) – 7

Ordinarily, being brought on with just 13 minutes of regular time left would have resulted in a score of “n/a”, as they are not applicable with so little time. This is of course unless a play has a significant impact on the outcome of the game, which Gray did, laying on the assist for Fisher’s goal within two minutes of being on the field. His score was rounded up though based on his workrate thereafter; definitely needs a look into for a start soon.

Javain Brown  – n/a 

Came on for Nicholson, and is a perfect example of the above. While he had 10+ minutes to play, his inclusion was essentially a footnote to the game with the defence already locked up; he just added to that on the right side. 

Javon East – n/a

Replaced Grant; not on long enough for a rating.