Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz in a huddle during training in Texas, United States, ahead of the start of the Copa America in June 2024. (Photos: @jff_football)
Despite struggling in previous editions of the Copa America, Reggae Boyz forward Demarai Gray believes this year’s staging is an ideal opportunity for them to showcase their abilities on the global stage.
The national senior men’s team will compete in the traditional South American showpiece for the third time in their history after qualifying through the Concacaf Nations League last November.
However, Jamaica found it difficult in the 2015 and 2016 editions of the tournament under then Head Coach Winfried Schafer, as they finished bottom of the group and went winless over the six games while also failing to score.
However, as they set to open their campaign against Mexico on Saturday, Gray says this crop of players are keen to prove their worth.
“I’m very excited. It’s one I’ve been looking forward to. If you look at the history of this tournament, you see how many good players that have played in it and it’s a very competitive tournament. It’s a testing tournament and I want to be tested at the highest levels and the best competitions and I’m happy we’re in this and got an opportunity to showcase what we’re about. It’s going to be a tough tournament because it’s very high quality but without these tests, we’re not going to push ourselves; so I’m very excited, I can’t wait for the first game,” he said.
The 27-year-old, who plays for Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, missed the Reggae Boyz’s recent Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers against the Dominican Republic and Dominica through injury but says he’s ready to make his mark on the tournament.
“It’s good to be back. [I was] disappointed to miss the World Cup Qualifiers but I’m happy the boys got the six points. It was a difficult end to the season with the injury, I had about six weeks out but over the last few weeks, I’ve been working trying to get as fit as possible for Copa so we got a few more days for me to build so hopefully I can get a good start against Mexico,” he said.
The United Kingdom-born Gray made his debut for Jamaica almost 12 months ago in the Gold Cup and has proven to be a vital member of the team with five goals and three assists in just 11 appearances.
The former Leicester and Everton winger says it’s been a pleasure representing the island.
“I’ve seen a lot playing for Jamaica, playing back in Jamaica and being at the Gold Cup and now this competition so it’s been good, it’s been exciting. The fans have shown me a lot of love and respect, the boys have been good, so yeah it’s been a good experience. These tournaments and the World cup qualifiers that we’ve got ahead, there’s a lot of exciting things to look forward to and I’m just taking it each game at a time and trying to achieve and contribute as much as I can for the country,” he said.
Though Jamaica might be an underdog to win the Copa America, Gray says he’s hungry to bring more success for himself and the country.
“Throughout my career, I want to get as many medals as I can, win as many things as I can and I think we’re a nation that’s slowly building, I think you can see the talent and potential that we’ve got,” he said.
“Things don’t happen overnight so we have to be a bit patient but there’s a lot to look forward to. Just qualifying and making different competitions is good for us as players, the young players coming through, the fans, the whole nation. That’ll be the main objective; just trying to be as successful as we can in competitions and just building.”
The Reggae Boyz first Group B match against Mexico is to kick off on Saturday at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, at 8:00 pm Jamaica time.
They are to then take on Ecuador on Wednesday, June 26 and end the group stage against Venezuela on Sunday, June 30.
Only the top two from the group will advance to the knockout stages.
Source link : https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2024/06/20/gray-excited-jamaicas-chances-south-america-showpiece/
Author :
Publish date : 2024-06-20 01:02:50
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.