MIAMI, Florida, CMC-Jamaica men’s national team head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson said his side had difficulty recovering after conceding a goal in the second minute against Mexico in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Wednesday in the United States.
The Jamaicans failed to reach the final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup for a third time, crashing out after the Mexicans blanked them 3-0 at the Allegiant Stadium in the American city of Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Reggae Boyz were rocked when Henry Martin set the tone with the early goal, Luis Chavez followed up with a strike on the half-hour, and Roberto Alvarado put the match away with an item in the third minute of second-half stoppage time.
“I think they were much fresher than us,” Hallgrímsson said during the post-match news conference. “It was always difficult to concede a goal in the (second) minute. It was kind of a slap in the face, and it came after our set piece. They broke forward and scored. It took us some time to grow into the game because it was such a blow and was not according to the game plan.
“You don’t plan to concede in the first minute. But I think we grew into the game. What we did poorly was stopping the crosses, and when they had free crosses, it was difficult to stop them, especially when you don’t take the time factor out of the crosses, then it’s complicated.
Hallgrímsson said Mexico were the better side in the match and congratulated them on reaching the final, but he admitted his side had work to do.
“They (Mexico) succeeded in what we were trying to do,” he said. “I think we were a little bit too individualistic when attacking. Why? That is a resounding answer.
“We didn’t move the ball well in the first half. Collective defending was not as quick and aggressive as we have shown. But we changed it in the second half, so we were more aggressive and matched them at least.
“We came strong, and we showed a lot of character. We got some chances, and we put up more fights against them. We respected them a little too much in the first half.”
With no consolation final at this year’s Gold Cup, the team has already departed the United States, with many players reportedly returning to their clubs for pre-season training in Europe. At the same time, the Jamaica-based delegation was expected back early on Friday.
Hallgrímsson said there were many positive things about the Gold Cup experience upon which he and the side could build, and he was looking to the future with great expectations.
“We are trying to focus on ourselves,” he said. “It is the beginning of, hopefully, a successful journey for Jamaica for 2026. We wanted to win it. We wanted to win this competition, but we are thinking long term, not short term.
“We know more about each other both on and off the pitch. It was a good experience for us to have spent almost five weeks together, including ten days in pre-camp, so that they would know about my strengths and weaknesses, and we learned about the players. And then partnerships within the team have grown.
“It is hard to say after a loss like this that we have improved as a team. But I am going to say it anyway. I think the future for Jamaica is bright if we continue to do it the correct way.”
El Tricolor, as Mexico is known, will face Panama in the final on Sunday at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood in the western U.S. state of California.
The Panamanians beat hosts United States 5-4 in a penalty kick shoot-out earlier on Wednesday in the other semifinal.
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