Stepping stone

Reggae Boyz interim head coach Rudolph Speid says he is pleased with the team’s 2-0 win over India in the Unity Cup semi-final at The Valley in London on Wednesday, despite many expecting Jamaica to win by a wider margin.

English-born Courtney Clarke, who was handed his debut, opened the scoring in the eighth minute with a stunning strike at the edge of the 18-yard box.

The national senior men’s team had to toil before finding the second goal as the returning Kaheim Dixon, on his home ground at Charlton Athletic, fired home in the 78th minute.

Although not producing a convincing result against the 136th ranked team in the world, Speid says the team did enough given their lack of experience.

“It’s a very young team. A lot of these players would have been playing for the first time together [and] the average age is under 22, so getting the first goal was very important,” he said.

“After that, we were more trying to consolidate, not trying to just bomb away to win the game but also a part of our preparation for the next game.”

The 23-year-old Clarke, who plays for England fourth division club Walsall FC, says he feels at home with the Jamaican squad.

“[I’m] just over the moon, really. That meant a lot for me, my family, my friends, from where I’ve come from and I’ve got to thank the gaffer for giving me a chance to showcase myself on the international stage. I’m grateful,” he said.

“From the first day I came here, everybody’s welcomed me well — the staff, the players, and I feel like I’m more of a Jamaican than an English person. I’ve enjoyed every moment of it and just playing with all the players, it’s a dream come true, really.”

The result secured a second-consecutive final appearance for the Reggae Boyz, who will once again meet Nigeria on Sunday.

After losing 5-4 on penalties last year under former Head Coach Steve McClaren, Speid is hoping to improve that result this time around.

“It’s always exciting to play against Nigeria; they play exciting football. They’re one of the powerhouses in Africa so it’s always good. We always look forward to playing them. Last year was very exciting, this year, I hope we’ll have better results against them,” he said. “We saw them play [on Tuesday] so we’ll do some more analysis on what they will be doing and then we will decide if we need to change anything.”

Clarke and Everton defender Odin Samuels-Smith made their debuts while a number of Jamaica Premier League players registered minutes, including Mount Pleasant Football Academy’s Kyle Ming and Tivoli Gardens FC Nickalia Fuller, who started the game.

Starting XI: Coniah Boyce-Clarke, Odin Samuels-Smith, Damion Lowe, Kyle Ming, Courtney Clarke, Brandon Cover, Isaac Hayden, Tyrese Hall, Kaheim Dixon, Bailey Cadamarteri, Nickalia Fuller

Subbed on: Christopher Ainsworth, Jeovanni Laing, Dwight Merrick, Nickyle Ellis, Dejaune Brown

Jamaica Reggae Boy Kaheim Dixon (centre) shoots at goal during the 2-0 victory India in The Unity Cup semi-final football match at The Valley in London, England, on Wednesday.

English-born Jamaica player Courtney Clarke celebrates scoring on debut during the 2-0 win over India on Wednesday. (Photos: Unity Cup)

Winger Nickalia Fuller reacts during Jamaica’s 2-0 win over India in the Unity Cup semi-final on Wednesday, May 27, 2026 at The Valley in London.

SPEID… getting the first goal was very important (Photo: AFP)