Jamaica should have qualified for this year’s World Cup a long time ago, and now they have to do it the hard way.

With the hosts, the United States, Canada, and Mexico not having to go through qualifying, there is no better opportunity to return to the World Cup after their efforts in 1998.

The Reggae Boyz were disappointing against Trinidad & Tobago and Curacao and failed to get the job done.

Many criticised the then-head coach Steve McClaren and found his commitment to the national team tepid at best. He flew in for a couple of days before a game and was out. He opted not to live in Jamaica for the duration of his contract.

The Englishman favoured English players from the lower leagues and bowed out after the team secured only a draw against Curacao.

That meant having to defeat New Caledonia and the Democratic Republic of Congo to win their berth at the greatest show on earth this summer.

Cavalier maestro Rudolph Speid was appointed interim coach and set about going about things a different way. 

He is an accountant by profession and a good one at that. His approach favours discipline, detail and data. Players have to meet a criterion before they are selected in his book. 

Speid has come under criticism with his detractors quick to point out that he was closely aligned with Steve McClaren and that his approach lacks flair and is diametrically opposed to the “Jamaican way”. 

At the end of the day, you want to get to the World Cup and to do so, you have to log wins. There’s nothing wrong with “winning ugly”, as Brad Gilbert said. The goal is to make it to the next round.

The game on Thursday night was not attractive football, with Jamaica expected to win, and it did. The team was playing to a plan and kept its form and structure, not leaving gaps to be exploited.

New Caledonia launched a couple of long-range Scud missile strikes that had Andre Blake having to backpedal while keeping an eye on the ball.

The midfield was able to supply the frontline and join in the attack now and then. This was a solid performance in Guadalajara, and Rudolph Speid should be commended for guiding this crucial win.

It would be gracious if Craig Butler picked up the phone and congratulated him and offered words of encouragement for Tuesday’s sterner test against DR Congo.

Some say, high hopes with that. There is no love lost between the pair, with Butler of the opinion that he would do a far better job managing the national team.

The Phoenix Academy boss is upset that his protégés, Leon Bailey ( who was benched) and Dujuan ‘Whisper’ Richards, played no role in this game and were not given the opportunity to show what they can do. Butler finds it incredulous that an Aston Villa player and a Chelsea player are not the first names on the team sheet.

Butler claims Speid is being vindictive here.  The truth is, Leon Bailey is yet to turn it on for the national team during this campaign. 

There are those who demand that the Lisbie brothers make an appearance. Speid has set his own expectations for the players who will make the team and has been adamant about that.

He is halfway there, and the country has something to cheer about.

DR Congo, which last featured in the World Cup in Germany 1974, will be a stronger test, and many make the African team the favourite. DR Congo took down Nigeria last year and is a threat. It will take all  Speid’s strategic acumen and vast experience to come away with a victory on Tuesday night.

“You have to be able to play with the ball and without the ball, which means controlling the spaces,” said Speid and right there is what may very well determine this game. It is not beyond Jamaica to beat DR Congo if they remain in formation and stay resilient.

Discipline is vital if Jamaica is to celebrate on Tuesday night. Squad members cannot be partying into the wee small hours, drinking alcohol and smoking weed. They cannot be speaking disparagingly about senior executives of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF). They must take great care with their nutrition and sleep. They must attend team meetings with the coach and pay attention to tactics and formations. It’s not about you, it’s about Jamaica and getting to the World Cup.

Don’t be petulant, don’t challenge the coach, don’t beat your chest and pronounce that you have played in one of the best leagues in the world. Get an early night and don’t bring women into your hotel room; “ Women Weaken Legs!” 

Bond with your teammates. Listen to the coach and his technicians. 

You can party all you want after beating DR Congo and getting Jamaica to the World Cup. 

And don’t forget to thank Rudolph Speid!