Antigua & Barbuda's Benna Boys

ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Benna Boys have gotten past Friday’s performance against giants United States of America (USA) and are concentrating on getting three points when they take on Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz at Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Grounds today.

This is the message that manager of the senior national team, Fernando “Nando” Abraham, had for players on their return from Florida on Saturday afternoon where they lost 3-1 to the USA in their CONCACAF Group A World Cup Qualifying match at the Raymond James Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

“We were concentrating fully on the USA. That’s over now and we have to concentrate on Jamaica. There are six games that we need to play in this round in order to move on, and on Tuesday we will play our second game. But we still have four more games so preparation will continue on and on until we get there,” Abraham said.

“We had a good performance on Friday, but we didn’t come away with any points so it is very important on Tuesday that we need to get some points. Jamaica has three points, USA has three points, and if we are going to be one of the two that moves forward, we have to get some points on Tuesday. That would be our aim, to go out there on Tuesday and give another big performance; but this time, with a win,” Abraham added.

Today’s match is slated to commence at 7 pm, and with Jamaica already off the mark following their 2-1 victory over Guatemala on Friday. The fixture is a must-win for the home team.

Head coach Tom Curtis is however confident following the team’s feisty performance against the USA, saying that it is an indication of how far the country has come as a football nation.

“We have had a lot of comments and support saying how proud they are of the boys’ performance and I myself am real proud of the boys’ performance. I think it’s an indication as to how far we have come as a football team. The fact that some people were a little disappointed in terms of losing 3-1 to the United States, that is a huge indication of how far Antigua & Barbuda has come,” Curtis said.

“We were playing against a big nation – 315 million people against 88,000 – and for some players to come off the pitch feeling a little disappointed in losing 3-1 and getting real close to the United States is a real positive for me,” Curtis added.

Tickets for today’s game cost $75 per adult and $40 per child. Tickets can be purchased at the ABFA’s head office located in the Vendors’ Mall at Heritage Quay. Tickets can also be bought at Cool & Smooth, Kennedy’s Liquor World and Super Power Electronics.