Leon Bailey’s return to the Reggae Boyz squad has taken another blow as the winger was ruled out of selection due to injury. The Aston Villa winger will miss the upcoming games against Nicaragua on October 10 and Honduras on October 14. Head coach Steve McClaren says Bailey was disappointed to miss out on the squad and needs time to fully recover. He missed the September international window after picking up a hamstring injury during Aston Villa’s against Leicester on September 5. Bailey hasn’t played for Jamaica since last November due to suspension and a self-taken hiatus from the national team.
Another notable absence is striker Shamar Nicholson who requested time to get back to full fitness after missing out on a proper preseason with Russian club Spartak Moscow.
Notable Additions to the Reggae Boyz Squad
Notable selections in the squad include West Bromwich Albion defender Mason Holgate and former schoolboy standout Tyreek Magee. The 25-year-old former Jamaica College star has scored three goals in 13 appearances so far this season for the Switchbacks in the USL Championship and is in the Reggae Boyz squad for the first time since the first leg of the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Canada which the Reggae Boyz lost 2-1. He has made 10 appearances for the Reggae Boyz since his debut in 2019.
“I’ve always looked for a number 10, creative player out of the box, somebody who can change games and I asked Merron (Gordon) and he recommended Tyreek (Magee),” Reggae Boyz head coach Steve McLaren said at the squad announcement press conference held at the JFF headquarters in Kingston on Friday.
“I had a little loom at him and I liked him. This boy has ability, skill, can change a game and I said yeah, we’ll give him a chance. That’s what I aim to do,” he added.
Also returning to the Reggae Boyz squad for the upcoming games are New York City FC right back Tayvon Gray, Seattle Sounders defender Jon Bell and Indy Eleven forward Romario Williams.
Holgate Aims for Reggae Boyz Debut
“We’ve been chasing him since before I came in. I think, through the intervention of the President especially, trying to push through players with heritage wanting passports, I think we’re finally very, very close to getting a passport for him. He just needs clearance from FIFA,” McLaren said.
“He might not qualify for the first gams but we think by the second game he will definitely be available so I decided to bring him in and integrate him quickly,” he added.
Injury Concerns for Bailey and Nicholson
Aston Villa’s Leon Bailey misses out on a place in the squad after picking up an adductor injury against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. Spartak Moscow striker Shamar Nicholson has also been left out after telling coach McLaren he wasn’t happy with his fitness.
“After the last camp, we had some discussions. He never felt happy about his form and his condition,” McLaren said regarding Nicholson.
“He expressed that he felt he was way behind in terms of not having a pre-season and he wants to build his fitness up,” he added.
Others from the last camp that were left out included Michael Hector, Jamal Lowe, Adrian Reid Jr and Jonathan Russell.
Full Reggae Boyz Squad for Concacaf Nations League
The full squad is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Andre Blake (Philadelphia Union), Shaquan Davis (Mount Pleasant FA), Jahmali Waite (El Paso Locomotive)
Defenders: Dexter Lembikisa (Yverdon-Sport), Di’Shon Bernard (Sheffield Wednesday), Greg Leigh (Oxford United), Damion Lowe (Al-Okhdood), Jon Bell (Seattle Sounders), Richard King (Cavalier SC), Tayvon Gray (NYCFC), Ethan Pinnock (Brentford), Mason Holgate (West Brom)
Midfielders: Kasey Palmer (Hull City), Karoy Anderson (Charlton Athletic), Bobby Reid (Leicester City), Joel Latibeaudiere (Coventry City), Tyreek Magee (Colorado Springs Switchbacks)
Forwards: Renaldo Cephas (Ankaragucu), Norman Campbell (Randers FC), Michail Antonio (West Ham), Demarai Gray (Al-Ettifaq), Kaheim Dixon (Charlton Athletic), Romario Williams (Indy Eleven)
Colorado Springs Switchbacks Lose Key Players to International Duty
The Colorado Springs Switchbacks don't have a game this week but they'll be preparing for a challenge nonetheless. Tuesday, the club announced that four players received international call ups, including Colorado Springs' leading goal scorer in forward Ronaldo Damus. Damus will be joined by defender Markhus “Duke” Lacroix representing Haiti. Midfielder Steven Echevarria will join Puerto Rico and midfielder Jairo Henriquez will play for El Salvador.
The players are expected to be unavailable for USL Championship play Oct. 7-15, missing Colorado Springs' Oct. 9 contest at Orange County and the club's home finale against San Antonio FC Oct. 12.
Embroiled in a heated battle for a top playoff spot in the league's Western Conference with just four games left in the regular season, the Switchbacks will surely miss the players who will compete in the CONCACAF Nations League Tournament. Lacroix is a usual starter for the club on defense and both Echevarria and Henriquez frequently rotate in the Switchbacks' lineup as needed. But it's Damus whose absence the club may feel most. The Haitian center forward has 12 goals on the season and is the club's primary striker for penalties.
A Brief Look at Other International Football News
Italy
Luciano Spalletti has handed four players their senior call-up to the Italy national team ahead of their Nations League fixtures next week. Italy take on Belgium and Israel in the next round of games, hoping to build on their impressive start in Group A2 after winning their opening two games which included a 3-1 win over France.
Milan defender Matteo Gabbia has been included after an impressive run of performances at centre-back under new head coach Paulo Fonseca. Gabbia is also the first player from the Rossoneri to be named in the Italy squad in almost 600 days, with Sandro Tonali, who joined Newcastle in 2023, the last Milan representative to feature for the Azzurri. There was also a place in the squad for Monza’s Daniel Maldini, who could follow in the footsteps of his father Paolo, and grandfather Cesare, both former Italy captains. Maldini has one goal and one assist in seven appearances in all competitions this season, and comes in for Lazio’s Matteo Zaccagni. Juventus goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio has also been given a first call-up to the senior side, replacing the injured Alex Meret of Napoli. Roma’s Niccolo Pisilli was also named in the squad, replacing Atlanta’s Marco Brescianini, who has also suffered a recent injury setback.
There were five Premier League representatives named in Spalletti’s 23-man squad on Friday, with Guglielmo Vicario, Riccardo Calafiori, Caleb Okoli, Destiny Udogie and Tonali also included. However, there was no space for Liverpool’s Federico Chiesa, who did not feature in the Reds’ Champions League win over Bologna in midweek.
Napoli
Antonio Conte is embracing Napoli’s recent run of form after they extended their lead at the Serie A summit to four points ahead of the international break. Conte is now the sixth manager to have won each of his first four home games as Napoli head coach in Serie A, after Paolo Iodice, Luis Vinicio, Alberto Bigon, Carlo Ancelotti and Luciano Spalletti. The Italian, however, started his Napoli reign with a shock 3-0 defeat to Hellas Verona on the opening day, but his team have since gone seven games unbeaten, scoring 19 goals during that run.
Conte acknowledged that his side may not deserve to be at the top of the table, but felt quietly optimistic about his players’ progression during the early stages of his tenure. “I don’t know if this is currently a Napoli that deserves to be in first place in the standings, but we are first and that is a fact,” Conte said to DAZN. “If someone had told me this three months ago, it would have been difficult to believe. We’re growing in terms of temperament, and in our ability to adapt—playing good football, but also willing to get our hands dirty when we need to. That’s a great sign, and we have to embrace it fully.”
Sunderland
Illan Meslier’s last-gasp error saw Sunderland snatch a point against Leeds at the Stadium of Light on Friday. The home supporters were sent into raptures by one of their own in the ninth minute when Chris Rigg opened the scoring, tucking home from close range after Meslier had produced a miraculous save to deny Dennis Cirkin’s previous effort. But Sunderland’s joy was short-lived when Joel Piroe headed Wilfried Gnonto’s inviting delivery beyond Anthony Patterson, though replays showed he may have wandered into an offside position. Both sides continued to push for a half-time lead, with Brenden Aaronson seeing his shot cleared off the line and Patrick Roberts seeing his effort saved to end a pulsating half of action. The hosts emerged from the tunnel in the ascendency but were met with a sucker punch in the 56th minute when Junior Firpo’s driving run from deep ended with the left-back sweeping the ball into the far corner.
But with the clock ticking into the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time, there was to be one final twist when Alan Browne’s flicked pass into the box somehow evaded the grasp of Meslier to preserve Sunderland’s unbeaten home record this season.
A Look at the Key Takeaways from the Match
Leeds were moments away from going level on points with Sunderland at the summit of the Championship, before a moment of madness sealed a gut-wrenching end to an enthralling encounter in the North East. The visitors ended the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.16 from their 15 shots compared to Sunderland’s 1.77, with Piroe contributing 0.72 xG to Leeds’ tally. But their display was overshadowed by Meslier’s blunder, with the Frenchman enjoying a strong performance up until that point, making three saves against the Black Cats.
