CALIFORNIA, USA, CMC – Reggae Boys head coach Steve McClaren is urging his gamers to be extra aggressive and present extra combat after Guatemala claimed a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Jamaica of their 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup Group C matchup right here on Monday at Dignity Well being Sports activities Park.
The match noticed an early scare for Jamaica when Guatemala almost broke the impasse within the seventeenth minute. Darwin Lom battled via a number of defenders earlier than organising Óscar Santis for a volley, however the strike was disallowed for offside.
The Guatemalan duo wouldn’t be denied for lengthy, nonetheless. Within the thirty second minute, Lom delivered a intelligent backheel move to Santis, who slotted dwelling the decisive objective, sealing a vital three factors for his aspect.
Jamaica struggled to search out an equalizer as Guatemala’s disciplined protection held agency. After the match, McClaren emphasised the significance of mentality in match play.
“At the start, it’s important to have an aggressive mentality that overcomes every little thing. Whenever you’re the underdog, which Guatemala felt they have been after their first consequence, they performed like underdogs, and so they fought like mad. We’ve to do the identical. Folks speak quite a bit about techniques and formations, however it’s about gamers, about being aggressive, profitable duels, and getting the fundamentals proper.”
Jamaica will look to bounce again when it faces Guadeloupe on Friday in San Jose, California.
