‘This is why I left Manchester United’: Steve McClaren’s Jamaica on brink of World Cup spot
Steve McClaren has said the reason he left Manchester United was for the kind of winner-takes-all opportunity he now faces with Jamaica in their bid to reach the World Cup in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Jamaica are on the brink of qualifying for the tournament next summer, but must beat Curacao in Kingston on Tuesday to finish top of their qualifying group.
If the match finishes in a draw, Curacao would qualify, becoming the smallest nation in World Cup history to reach the finals. In that scenario, Jamaica might have a second chance via the intercontinental play-offs in Mexico in March.
McClaren, 64, took charge of Jamaica in July 2024, giving up his role as assistant at United under Erik ten Hag.
“This is why I took the job in the first place and left Manchester United to come here,” McClaren said at his pre-match press conference at the National Stadium. “I knew Jamaica from my work with FIFA. I knew the potential, and I knew that this was a great opportunity, this year to qualify for the World Cup.
“So from day one, for the last 18 months, that’s been the focus. And I remember saying to my staff the first day, and I said it when the group stages were drawn, this will always come to the last day.”
Curacao, a nation of around 185,000 people, have the chance to eclipse Iceland, who qualified in 2018 with 350,000 residents, as the least-populated country in World Cup history. They have leaned into their Dutch heritage by recruiting several players from the Netherlands.
McClaren will tap into his experience, having been an assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson for Manchester United’s Treble in 1999 and managed FC Twente to the Dutch title.
He also has international experience from his time with England, when he went to two World Cups as No 2 to Sven Goran Eriksson but failed to reach Euro 2008 as manager.
He is up against Dick Advocaat, who has had even longer in the game, having started coaching in 1980. The 78-year-old has managed Curacao since last year, but departed camp on Saturday after his team beat Bermuda 7-0 to attend an important family matter back in the Netherlands. He will stay in touch with his coaches throughout the game.
“The experience (I have) might be quite useful,” said McClaren. “But Curacao have got exactly the same. They’ve got Dick Advocaat. We must say, he’s had to go back home to, I think, his wife, who has fallen ill, so our prayers and our thoughts are with Dick at this time. But him and his staff, they’re more experienced than me!
“This is a game of what happens on the field. Picking the right team. It comes down to 11 players versus 11 players, always in the end, and a little bit of luck, and God willing, you get that luck.
“We’re at home in front of our fans, and if you’d have asked me 18 months ago that’s what will happen, I would go, ‘Oh, can we jump to that quickly?’. Because the 18 months have been really hard. But all that hard work has been worth it to get to this point, and an opportunity. That’s all it is, an opportunity to qualify. We must take it, grab it.”
It was put to McClaren that his composed demeanour on the touchline during games could be mistaken for complacency.
He replied: “This 18 months has been an unbelievable experience. That’s what I’ve gathered all the way through my career – experiences. Good and bad victories, losses, disappointments. I’ve had ridicule. I wouldn’t ever say complacency. You want to come into our hotel and our meeting rooms, there’s no complacency. We have to be calm, we have to be relaxed, then you make good decisions.
“Personally, for me, the goal has always been World Cup qualification, but since coming on the island, I love the people. Every day you wake up and the enthusiasm of the players, whether local players or from the UK, to push the energy has been brilliant.”
