McClaren Unveils Jamaica Squad for October CONCACAF Nations League Matches

Thoughts on Steve McClaren’s second Jamaica squad that has a chance to secure a place in the Nations League quarters.

After drawing with Cuba and picking up a vital win away to Hondruas last month, Jamaica return to action next Thursday away in Managua against a Nicaragua side that sit second in the table (and level on points) after a pair of similar results in their opening two games. As part of his second window in charge of the Reggae Boyz, Steve McClaren will also take charge of his second home match — the return fixture against Honduras — on 10/14 with a win in both likely to all but book a spot in the Nations League quarterfinal in November and the Gold Cup next summer. Let’s dive into the squad that McClaren picked — highlighting the new and returning faces that stand out most from his second list of call-ups.

Position by Position Breakdown:

Keepers & Defenders

GK: Andre Blake, Jahmali Waite, Shaquan Davis

In goal, McClaren, unsurprisingly, continues with Blake and Waite as his top two, but Davis is third choice after replacing Coniah Boyce-Clarke after the first fixture of the September window. I don’t anticipate that we’ll see Davis in goal at any point during these two games, but it’s good for the young Mount Pleasant keeper to be in and around the squad so early on in his career.

DEF: Dexter Lembikisa, Di’Shon Bernard, Greg Leigh, Damion Lowe, Jon Bell, Richard King, Tayvon Gray, Ethan Pinnock, Mason Holgate

In defense, there’s a couple of changes from the September list, but they’re largely enforced ones. Amari’i Bell has been dropped after missing Luton’s last few games through injury, and Michael Hector — despite registering as one of Jamaica’s most experienced players — isn’t a realistic choice as he’s currently without a club and hasn’t played since the Copa América. In their place are a pair of returnees from MLS in the form of Seattle’s Jon Bell (first call-up since the Copa) who replaces Amari’i as the multi-faceted left-sider and New York’s Tayvon Gray (last called in June) who usually plays from the right but is also comfortable centrally.

The surprising inclusion, then, is Mason Holgate who — after years of rumors and attempts to get a passport — finally gets to make his debut in Jamaica colors. Holgate is another who can play centrally or from right back, but he’ll probably serve McClaren best alongside Pinnock in central defense. We’ll see whether or not he instantly supplants Damion Lowe in the starting eleven, but I see him as a fixture in the backline in time. The other key selection question, at least for this window, will be who replaces the injured Bell at left back. Seattle’s Bell and Leigh shared the left back role at the Copa América, and it’s safe to say that neither made a hugely positive impression. Regardless, the competition figures to stay between that pair as none of the other defenders in the squad have ever played on the left with any degree of regularity. At the club level, Leigh has been the higher performing (and more involved) of the two. Meanwhile, Lembikisa will look to reclaim his right-sided spot with fresh competition from Gray after being dropped for Leigh (on his weak side) against Honduras. The only constant, then, is Pinnock as the anchor in front of Blake in goal.

Midfielders

Kasey Palmer, Karoy Anderson, Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Joel Latibeaudiere, Tyreek Magee

Gone from the September camp are Jon Russell (who hasn’t played for Barnsley since August) and Adrian Reid Jr. (who remains a regular for Cavalier). Latibeaudiere moves up to make way for Holgate on the list of defenders after clearly establishing himself as McClaren’s first-choice holding midfielder in September. Meanwhile, Magee’s return — in favor of either of Russell or Reid Jr. — only reinforces the confidence that McClaren has in Latibeaudiere at the base of the midfield. The former Harbour View man, who now plays with Colorado in the USL Championship, is a far more attack-minded option than either of the players he’s “replacing”, and that (at least for me) is a clear reflection that he’ll help supplement De Cordova-Reid and Palmer as attack-minded options in front of Latibeaudiere.

Magee’s last call-up was last November for the Nations League quarters against Canada, but he last appeared in a competitive match in June of 2022 against Suriname. Magee was a non-factor for much of Colorado’s early season, but he’s been in the team and in good form for the majority of the last two months — meaning he should represent an interesting change of pace off the bench. In any case, the overall message for this position group is clear: McClaren is confident in the trio he choseafter years of Jamaica struggling for high performance and consistency in the midfield.

Forwards

Renaldo Cephas, Norman Campbell, Michail Antonio, Demarai Gray, Kaheim Dixon, Romario Williams

McClaren makes two more changes from September here though both are, again, largely enforced by injury and lack of playing time at the club level. Shamar Nicholson, despite looking for a new club all summer, remains at Spartak Moscow where he’s played just 81 minutes all season. He made his first start of the season last week against Lokomotiv, but he’s a big miss for as long as McClaren can’t rely on his fitness. Leon Bailey, meanwhile, is out after picking up a knock in Wednesday’s Champions League game against Bayern Munich. It’s the second straight camp he misses due to injury after Jamal Lowe (who struggled mightily in September and also doesn’t return) replaced him after the initial squad submission last time. In their place are Williams (who last appeared in March) and Cephas (who was a surprising absentee after featuring at the Copa América).

Williams offers a useful veteran presence (his first call-up dates back to the days of Winfried Schäfer!) in Nicholson’s absence, but he’s hardly been a marksman at the club level this season (4 goals in 18 starts). Cephas hasn’t started the season on fire in Turkey either, but he showed some flashes of being a useful impact sub in the summer and was highly impressive in the two friendly matches he started in the lead up to that tournament. Unless Dixon (who’s gotten academy minutes but nothing with Charlton’s first team) is seen as ready for a full ninety in McClaren’s eyes, it’s hard to see anyone other than the trio of Campbell, Gray and Antonio starting up front.