Michail Antonio and Kaheim Dixon didn't travel to St. Louis, won't feature against the USMNT after losing their passports
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2 Jamaica players unable to travel to U.S. after losing passportsToo late for Michail Antonio and Kaheim Dixon to get visasReggae Boyz trail USMNT, 1-0, after first legFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Jamaica's Michail Antonio and Kaheim Dixon did not travel to the United States for Monday night's Nations League match with the USMNT in St. Louis after losing their passports, manager Steve McClaren revealed at a news conference Sunday.
The Jamaican federation reportedly scrambled to get visas for the two players, but were told that it was too late. A third Jamaican player, Ethan Pinnock, also did not travel and will miss the match due to injury.
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None of the three appeared for the Reggae Boyz in the first leg of the tie last Thursday. Dixon was an unused substitute while Pinnock and Antonio were not named in the matchday squad. Jamaica currently trail the USMNT 1-0 ahead of the second leg, set to kick off at 8 pm ET Monday.
WHAT STEVE MCCLAREN SAID
The Jamaica manager explained the absences of Antonio and Dixon, blaming "lost passports. And it was too late to get new ones and to get visas to come over here, so they are missing."
In terms of the task ahead against the USMNT, McClaren addressed the challenge of playing in the U.S. after dropping leg one in Kingston.
“I think we were unfortunate to come away with a defeat, albeit by just one goal,” McLaren said. “We felt we did enough to draw the game. We didn’t in the end, but we are still in the tie. Away from home, we’ve been in good form recently. This will be a completely different game altogether. We know that USA on home soil is a totally different team, so we expect another very difficult game but come here with optimism and belief.”
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR JAMAICA?
The Reggae Boyz will face the U.S. tomorrow night with a slightly weakened squad. In addition to the three players who did not travel, Mason Holgate is suspended after being sent off in the first leg of the quarterfinals. Jamaica will welcome back Ravel Morrison, who has been absent from the national team for more than a year.