Dominica Fall to Puerto Rico as Kurt Herd Calls for Improved Performance

Dominica's senior men's national football team suffered a 2-0 defeat to Puerto Rico in the CONCACAF Nations League on Sunday, September 27, despite a much-improved second-half performance from the Bouyon Boyz.

Head coach Kurt Herd admitted that his team failed to execute its game plan in

the first half, allowing Puerto Rico to take control of the encounter and

capitalise on Dominica's mistakes.

"We didn't start the game as we wanted to, but the structure and things that

we set up in, we didn't follow the plan in the first half. We didn't problem-solve

again, and it caused us problems," Herd said in his post-match assessment.

The coach acknowledged that Dominica struggled to create opportunities in

the opening half, spending much of the time defending against a Puerto Rican

side that took advantage of the team's technical errors.

"We didn't create enough chances, we weren't dangerous enough going

forward. We had to defend a lot in the first half, and that was very, very tough,"

he explained.

However, Herd was encouraged by his team's response after the break,

following tactical adjustments that allowed Dominica to enjoy more possession

and adopt a more attacking approach.

"We switched up in the second half, we got a lot more of the ball, we tried to

be more proactive," the coach noted.

Dominica showed greater attacking intent after the interval, creating several

opportunities but failing to find the back of the net. Herd was pleased with the

improvement, particularly the team's defensive organisation, as the Bouyon

Boyz kept Puerto Rico from scoring in the second half.

Despite the defeat, Herd remains committed to an attacking philosophy,

insisting that Dominica will not abandon its style of play against stronger

opposition.

Looking ahead, Dominica faces another difficult challenge against Guyana, with

Herd indicating that tactical adjustments and possible changes to the starting

eleven will be considered ahead of the encounter.

He noted that the coaching staff will assess the fitness and condition of the

players before deciding on the team's approach.

Dominica will now turn its attention to the upcoming fixtures against Guyana to

be played in Puerto Rico later this week.

Match Results

Date Match Result

September 24 Dominica vs Cayman Islands 0-0

September 24 Puerto Rico vs Guyana 0-1

September 27 Guyana vs Cayman Islands 2-0

September 27 Dominica vs Puerto Rico 0-2

by;Garvin Richards

Dominica Team Media Officer