KINGSTON, Jamaica — Head coach Steve McClaren has ripped up Saturday’s script, injecting pace and Premier-League pedigree into Jamaica’s XI for tonight’s CONCACAF World Cup Qualifier against group-co-leaders Guatemala at the National Stadium.
Gone is the conservative look that laboured to a 1-0 escape against the British Virgin Islands; in come Aston Villa flyer Leon Bailey and former Newcastle United anchorman Isaac Hayden, two of four fresh faces tasked with seizing outright control of Zone E.
A bolder starting blend
McClaren’s revised line-up leans on versatility at the back and vertical thrust up front:
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| GK | Andre Blake | Philadelphia Union |
| RB | Joel Latibeaudiere | Coventry City |
| CB | Damion Lowe | Philadelphia Union |
| CB | Amari’i Bell | Luton Town |
| LB | Mason Holgate | Southampton |
| DM | Jon Russell | Barnsley |
| DM | Isaac Hayden | Standard Liège |
| RW | Leon Bailey | Aston Villa |
| AM | Demarai Gray | Al-Ettifaq |
| LW | Warner Brown | Arnett Gardens |
| ST | Renaldo Cephas | İstanbul Başakşehir |
Dexter Lembikisa, Richard King, Kaheim Dixon and Greg Leigh drop to the bench, providing cover should the tempo sag late on.
Group calculus
Both Jamaica and Guatemala sit on nine points from three matches, but the Reggae Boyz hold a razor-thin edge on goal difference. With third-round tickets already punched, tonight’s fixture decides top seeding before the two nations square off again in the CONCACAF group phase on Monday, 16 June. A home win would hand Jamaica pole position and preserve their perfect Stadium record this cycle. jamaicaobserver.com
Why the overhaul?
McClaren hinted post-BVI that his side “lacked switch-speed.” Bailey’s ability to stretch back lines and Hayden’s ball-winning guile address that diagnosis, while the recall of Bell and Latibeaudiere restores the athletic full-back pairing that pressed Honduras into submission earlier in the campaign.
Kick-off details
- Venue: National Stadium, Kingston
- Time: 7:00 p.m. local (8:00 p.m. EST)
- Stakes: Zone E supremacy; psychological edge ahead of June 16 rematch
Guatemala have not beaten Jamaica on Jamaican soil in 14 years; McClaren’s remodelled XI will be eager to keep that streak alive—and silence any lingering doubts after Saturday’s stumble.
