'We want to win'

Jermaine Lannaman, Gleaner Writer

According to Canada's head coach, Dale Mitchell, and his team's captain, Paul Stalteri, despite not having any chance to advance in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, their team will be playing hard to win against Jamaica's Reggae Boyz tomorrow.

Jamaica, third in the four-team group on seven points, are in a three-way tussle with Honduras (nine) and Mexico (10) - who will face-off in Honduras simultaneously - for two qualifying spots to the six-nation final round. Canada, with two points, are out of contention.

The Jamaicans not only need to win the match, but they would enhance their cause greatly by scoring heavily as they have an inferior goal difference to both their competitors. The Mexicans are +4, Honduras +3 and Jamaica -3.

"We cannot not give of our best," declared Mitchell at their training session at Tivoli Gardens' Edward Seaga Sports Complex yesterday. "If Jamaica go out, play well and win, credit to them; but we want to win and if we can, it would be great.

Tough when out

"It's always tough when you know that you are out, but we have a good group of youngsters who are excited to prove themselves and the hope is that they will deliver," added Mitchell.

"It's a World Cup qualifier and we owe it to the other teams in the group to give a good account of ourselves," said Stalteri, who represents Fulham in the English Premier League, and at 31, is the team's most experienced player.

"Against Mexico (in the last qualifying match) we were in a similar position of not having a chance to qualify and we turned in one of our best performances of the campaign," Stalteri added.

The Canadians have in their line-up a blend of youth and experience. At the top of the ladder will be defender Stalteri, goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld and forward Charles Gbeke, who are both 30, while at the other side of the spectrum are four players who are 21 or younger, including Jamaican-born forward Simeon Jackson, who plays for Gillingham in England.

"It's an opportunity for the young players to perform and learn from the experienced ones that are in the squad," remarked Stalteri.

Meanwhile, the Reggae Boyz held a practice session at the National Stadium - which began at 7 last night - with its full corps of players, including captain Ricardo Gardner, Ian Goodison, Marlon King, and Ricardo Fuller and Luton Shelton, who scored the vital goals that secured 1-0 wins over Mexico and Honduras at the National Stadium last month.