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This post covers the Jamaica vs Nicaragua match played on September 4. For information on how to watch the second leg - Nicaragua vs Jamaica - on September 8, click here.
Are you a fan of the New York Red Bulls? Then this match is for you.
The past, present and future of the Jamaica national team is increasingly well represented on RBNY's roster. Dane Richards seems to have curtailed his international career by declining a call-up earlier this year in favor of settling back in with the Red Bulls. Unfortunately, he may also see his second stint at RBNY cut short soon: there is now a glut of players at his position in the squad, most of higher profile. Still, Richards is doing well on loan for NASL's Indy Eleven, and his presence - however brief - at RBNY this year may have been a contributing factor to the arrival of several of his fellow countrymen.
The Red Bulls have a young Jamaican - Devon "Speedy" Williams - on their USL roster. A younger Jamaican, Junior Flemmings, has been on trial for...what is starting to feel like an indefinite period. Both men may, with a little luck, one day be senior internationals for their country.
And, of course, RBNY has been blessed this season with the good fortune to have secured the services of Kemar "Taxi" Lawrence. Over the course of the last six months or so, he has become the undisputed starting left back for his club. He is the starting left back for his country. And some knowledgeable observers might support the claim that he is the best left back in CONCACAF.
Lawrence's development is only part of the reason the current Jamaica squad won through to the final of this summer's Gold Cup. And that achievement is some distance from the ultimate ambition of this team: to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
That journey continues with a home-and-away series against Nicaragua - starting with this match, in Kingston. The Reggae Boyz will want to show their hot summer was no fluke. They would be expected to beat Nicaragua under most circumstances, based purely on historic records and current form, but now they are expected to win convincingly.
If they do, they will cruise into the next round of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying. If they don't, there may be one or two Red Bulls who can step up to help retrieve the situation.
Jamaica vs. Nicaragua
When: 9:00 p.m. ET, Friday, September 4
Where: National Stadium ("The Office"), Kingston, Jamaica
TV: beIn Sports (highlights at 10:00 pm, it says here; but check in at 9:00 pm because there is suggestion the game will be screened live)
Online: beIn Sports connect; fubo.tv