KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC) – Jamaica’s head coach Theodore Whitmore has been explaining his decision to drop the country’s all-time leading goalscorer from the squad ahead of a trio of crucial final-round CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers.

Luton Shelton was dropped as the Reggae Boyz intensified training for qualifiers against Mexico and the United States Tuesday and Friday at the national stadium.
Shelton, with 35 goals, is the country’s leading goal-getter and one of the team’s most threatening options in attack.
“It’s a tough job and that was a tough decision (dropping Shelton), but we have four strikers in the team,” Whitmore said after a training session at the Jamaica Football Federation Academy on the campus of the University of West Indies, Mona.
“Luton Shelton wasn’t called for this game, but that doesn’t mean that he is out of the programme, it was just a part of the decision-making”.
Shelton’s omission means Whitmore will be relying on Ryan Johnson, with eight goals to his name; Jermaine Beckford, Darren Mattocks and Theo Robinson – who are yet to score a goal for the country – to lead the lines.
“We have four strikers and hopefully with these three important games, we need to find a way to get the ball in the back of the net,” Whitmore stated.
“We just need to put the ball in the back of the net; we have been creating chances during the games, we just need to convert them.”
Jamaica have scored one goal in three games and as a result have found themselves languishing at the bottom of the six-team round on two points.
“We are in a difficult spot right now, but we have to remain positive,” said the Jamaican coach.
“The preparation is not the sort that we would want, going into three big games like this, but we just have to remain positive.”
Jamaica are also scheduled to play an away game against Honduras on June 11.
Panama lead the group with five points, one more than Costa Rica, USA and Honduras, with Mexico in fifth place on three points.