Waite wants European clubs to release U20 players early | Sport

UNDER-20 REGGAE Boyz head coach Jerome Waite wants European clubs to release overseas talent for a camp ahead of the Concacaf Under-20 Championship next month.

According to Waite, whose team has just returned from a trip to Mexico ahead of the championships in that country, there are difficulties in getting European clubs to release players, whom he would ideally play at least two weeks before the July 19 match. would like to have a camp. until August 4 tournament.

“We would like to bring in the guys from Europe. However, some clubs do not want to release them to go through our preparations because they are busy with pre-season preparations, which they do not want their players to do. to miss. We’re doing our best to see if they can work with us to get these guys together for at least two to three weeks leading up to the qualifiers,” said Waite.

The young Reggae Boyz returned on Tuesday from a two-match assignment in Mexico, where they lost 6-2 to the hosts and 2-0 to Guatemala.

According to Waite, while some players acquitted themselves well, it was difficult for the majority of the squad to play in the conditions.

“It was in spurts (good performances). Based on the high altitude, the concentration would not be continuous. The more you play the intensity increases, but I think some players have acquitted themselves quite well overall, and we’ve tried to encourage them to push themselves. It wasn’t easy and it was quite difficult.”

Despite losing both matches, the veteran coach said he took some positives from the assignment.

“There are many positives when it comes to the physical, technical and tactical areas. There is always room for improvement, and mental toughness should improve in the future. These were practice matches for the boys to showcase their talents and it was not the strongest under-20 national team,” said Waite.

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