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McClaren wants goals in World Cup Qualifying game against Guatemala
June 10, 2025
When the Reggae Boyz take the field against Guatemala today at the National Stadium for their final game of the second round of the Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers, head coach Steve McClaren will be looking for goals.
Jamaica will face Guatemala at 6 p.m. in a top-of-the-table clash.
Jamaica currently sit second in the group on nine points, tied with Guatemala who lead the standings with a better goal difference.
Speaking in a pre-match press conference yesterday, McClaren said he will be hoping for a better performance in front of goal, following their 1-0 win over the British Virgin Islands (BVI) on Saturday through Warner Brown's goal.
"The thing that I'm grappling with is that we're creating a lot more chances but we're not scoring the goals. I think Saturday was a difficult game, if you see the field," he said.
"That's our problem, I don't think we're converting our chances as often as possible in the games and certainly here, we have not scored the goals here."
Jamaica tallied 15 shots against the BVI on Saturday, with only five attempts on target.
McClaren said the responsibility is on the attackers to convert chances when the opportunity arrives.
"Sometimes you have 15 shots and some other games, like against St Vincent, we had over 20 efforts at goal and we only scored one away from home and three at home, with two in injury time.
"I think we need now to see the goals from them (attackers), from our wider players and from our midfield players."
With the match set to decide who will top the group, Jamaica and Guatemala have already punched their tickets to the third round of the World Cup Qualifiers.
Despite having already achieved his main objective, McClaren said closing out the second round with a win is important as they will be playing in front of their home crowd.
"Every game is important for us. It is important to win the games, however, you do that. You just need to find a way to win," he said.
"We've got to do that against a very good Guatemalan team who we'll face again in the Gold Cup, so it's going to be an intriguing two games.
"We're focused and we want to finish top of the group," he continued.
"I think both teams are delighted just to qualify for the final stages and we look forward to that. It's more about our pride tomorrow and I'm looking forward to getting back to play in Jamaica in front of the National Stadium."
This will be the first meeting between the two nations since 2023, when Jamaica defeated Guatemala 1-0 at the Concacaf Gold Cup, and draw 0-0 in an international friendly.
