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Whitmore. - File
Despite the national team suffering a fifth straight defeat following a 2-1 loss to Honduras on Tuesday night, Reggae Boyz head coach Theodore Whitmore believes the team did put in a creditable performance based on what was expected from the coaching staff.
"It was an excellent performance overall based on what we are looking for and what we got from the guys," Whitmore told Star Sports.
"They gave a good account of themselves despite the fact that we lost the game, but it is how we lost the game and I think we are on the right track going forward," he added.
The 1998 World Cup hero is cognisant that there are number of areas that the team needs to strengthen, but believes that the practice matches that are being played against quality opposition will go a far way in helping the coaching staff to identify the weaknesses.
Whitmore had his first look at possible reinforcements in the Honduras game when three overseas-based players, Marvin Conrad Elliot, Marcus Bean and Nathan Smith made their debuts.
"They have played their first game for the national team, but it is still early days and we want to see them in more than one game," Whitmore said.
"We will then do a proper assessment, because everyone who wants to play for a team will try to make an impression in their first game," he added.
The coach expects to have the core of the national squad to be selected by June just ahead of the semi-final round of the CONCACAF qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.
Jamaica have been drawn in Group A with the United States for the North, Central America and Caribbean region qualifiers for the tournament to be staged in Brazil.
The US and Jamaica will be joined in the group by the winners of a preliminary group consisting of Belize, Grenada, Guatemala, and St Vincent and the Grenadines, and another consisting of Antigua and Barbuda, Haiti, Curaçao and the US Virgin Islands.
Jamaica are likely to play two international friendlies before qualifiers commence, on February 29 and between June 1-5, which are the next two scheduled FIFA dates.
"Hopefully we have two FIFA dates coming up and we want to use both of them to look at players and then we will come to the final squad for World Cup qualification," Whitmore said.
"After the two FIFA dates, we should see a base that we are going to work on going forward; that is why everybody is going to get a chance now," he added.
Whitmore has paid the price for looking at different players since the Gold Cup, which has resulted in the team losing all four international friendlies since the tournament, which was played in June of this year. The defeats have come against China (1-0), Ecuador (5-2), Colombia (2-0).
