'It's my home field'

GORDON WILLIAMS, Contributor

Jamaica's Tyrone Marshall (centre) celebrating a goal in the friendly match against Trinidad and Tobago on March 26 at the National Stadium. The Reggae Boyz will face Canada at Marshall's home field in Toronto on August 20. - file

For the Reggae Boyz, Jamaica's World Cup qualifying football match against Canada next month will be a road trip. For everyone, that is, except Tyrone Marshall.

The defender will be right at home on August 20 at the BMO Field in Toronto, where he is in his second season with professional club Toronto FC of United States Major League Soccer (MLS). The arrangement, though not fulfilling all his wishes, still suits him just fine.

"At first I was hoping they would have the game in Montreal," he said yesterday. "The pitch is very good there. It's a gra** field. BMO is field turf, artificial."

But Marshall is not complaining.

"The (BMO) field has its good and bad," he argued. "It's my home field. I know the ins and outs of it."

The "good" is that the ball will roll smoothly, suiting the Boyz' passing game, and provide welcome relief after they suffered through the bumpy surface at the multi-purpose stadium in Trelawny during their last qualifier against The Bahamas on June 18.

The "bad" is that the surface can serve up a higher bounce than natural gra** and gets a bit slick and fast when wet. The players will also have to be careful that their cleats do snag the surface.

"You also have to watch the footing," said Marshall, who revealed that he cautiously avoids longer cleats when he practices on the field with his club, but uses them in games. "You can get caught in the rubber."

Yet Marshall insists that the BMO pitch at the 20,000 capacity stadium, the only one built specifically for football in Canada, is "decent to play on." Any negative, he added, is far outweighed by the positives the Boyz can expect in Toronto, where Marshall believes his team will be comfortable. The climate for the 6:30 p.m. (Jamaica time) kick-off should be balmy and nice - "just like Jamaica" - he said, "probably in the high 60s, low 70s".

"The weather should not be a big factor," Marshall said.

Neither should fan support. Toronto has a large Jamaican community. Those, added to the normal traveling band of loyal Reggae Boyz supporters, including those who plan to cross the border from the US, could bring a huge advantage for the visitors.

"The Jamaican turnout won't be a problem," Marshall said. "I'm kinda getting excited about it being here ... Jamaicans will bring their vibes and that's what gets the players going."