NIIGATA, Japan — Senior Reggae Boy Jermaine Taylor holds the view that for Jamaica‘s football to move to the next level a philosophy of identifying a core group of players and developing them over time will have to be the way forward.
The 29-year-old Houston Dynamo defender also believes that the constant changing of personnel will not lend to team chemistry and further won’t help in any attempt at building a system of play.
“I think our football is progressing a little, but not at the rate it should be. I think there is a lot of improvement that needs to be made on and off the field,” said Taylor, who figured in a three-pronged defence in Jamaica‘s 0-1 loss to Japan at the Denka Big Swan Stadium here on Friday night.
Taylor’s view echoes a long-espoused one by some football thinkers on the island.
“Part of our problem is that we don’t have enough time together as a team to build, we keep having different teams for different games. I think we need to have a group of players and try to get the chemistry going and that’s the only way I see how it’s going to build,” said the former Harbour View man.
“When you talk about the team progressing, that’s one of the things that has to be fixed.”
Taylor, who last represented the country in the failed Brazil 2014 campaign, said he relishes his recall to head coach Winfried Schaefer’s team, which is gearing up for the Caribbean Cup to be hosted in Montego Bay, November 10-18.
“It is always good to be back playing for Jamaica, as we are like a family; it’s like happy times when we come together for our country…it is always happy times off the field, but we need to have happy times on the field as well, and that’s the thing that’s killing us right now,” said Taylor, making reference to Jamaica‘s string of defeats in friendlies, including an 8-0 demolition away to France on June 8.
The former St Georges SC player, who has represented the country at every level, said he never turns down an opportunity to play for his country as it represents a particular source of pride for him.
“I never normally turn down a call for the national team and I am always going to grab it with both hands and play with my heart and give all for my country, family, friends and everybody back home,” noted Taylor.
Taylor, capped 73 times for the senior Boyz, said he is enjoying life at US Major League outfit Houston Dynamo, and now in his fourth year at the Texas club, he is still looking to go on as he feels at home there.
“It’s been pretty good at Houston and we have had a lot of successes; we have been at the finals twice during that time; we reached the Eastern Conference finals twice, so there is a lot that has happened for the club since I have been there,” he said.
“Everybody there is like a family on and off the field and that is one of the things that helps us as a team. So it’s really just about me working hard, training hard, and trying to hold my spot in the team and keep my job,” Taylor went on.
This season has not been the best for Houston, but they still fancy their chances of making the play-offs with two regular season games against DC United on Sunday and New England Revolution on Thursday.
“This year has been a little bit up and down, but we are still hopeful that we have a chance to make it to the play-offs to give ourselves a chance at the cup… at Houston it’s about good mental and physical work and a good attitude off the field, and that is what makes us successful,” Taylor ended.
– Sean Williams
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Taylor calls for stability
