Head coach Michael Findlay has urged the island to recognise the achievements of the national team after Bermuda’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup were ended in Jamaica on Tuesday night.

Bermuda are bottom of their group with no points after four games following two heavy defeats by Jamaica, a 3-0 loss to Trinidad & Tobago and a 3-2 loss to Curaçao.

But Findlay insists that the progress and ability of the Bermuda squad to reach this stage should be acknowledged despite the disappointing results.

“People have to realise that this isn’t easy,” he said. “They have to get an understanding of exactly what we’re dealing with and how difficult it is to play at this level given the circumstances and environments in which a lot of our players play.

“You only had to look at the Jamaica teamsheet to get a good idea of what sort of standard we are entering and aspiring to be at on more regular occasions.

“You don’t get many opportunities in international football at this level and it’s about critical ability in critical places and at critical times. That is the difference between being in the top half of Concacaf on a regular basis and being in the bottom half.

“Right now, we’re walking with the top half and we are making sure that whatever lessons we have learnt from this will help us to remain in the top half. But there should be an element of real joy that we are even in this group and that we’ve done what we needed to do to get there.”

The four goals conceded against Jamaica brought Bermuda’s goals against total to 14 in their four games but Findlay rejects the assertion that he should be playing more defensively, citing Bermudian football culture as a reason for trying to play expansively.

“My position is that Bermudian football should not be a low-block, defensive scenario,” Findlay said.

“That is not in their make-up, not in their repertoire and not in their personality. We need to find a balance between enhancing the abilities of these players and the culture.

“We said to them after the Jamaica game and in matches before, that one of the ways we are going to be successful against teams that may be more physical than us is to have the ball more so we don’t have to deal with them, they have to deal with us.

“Nobody likes to be losing goals but you look at the goals we are losing and I am unsure that going to a low block is going to change that. That’s for discussion and we feel we have shown in small spurts that we can implement a tactical plan, but breakdowns can be devastating and cost us.”

Bermuda’s World Cup may be over but Findlay’s focus is already turning to the final two group games at home to Curaçao and away to Trinidad next month.

With nothing to play for but pride, some in Findlay’s position could be tempted to blood some youngsters in the quest to hand out valuable experience against top-level opposition.

However, you get the feeling there will not be wholesale changes just yet to a squad that contains a core he trusts.

“First of all, we will respect the integrity of the competition,” Findlay said.

“We’re not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater and field a youth team in a World Cup qualifier as that doesn’t benefit the programme or the players.

“But we will sit down as a staff and look at our long list. When I first got here in August 2023, there was not a lot of choice, but now we do and that is what you want as an international coach.

“Expanding that list is an opportunity to potentially bring some players in to have a look at the way we work in the senior men’s national team. We do have certain players that slowly but surely will be integrated into our process and others who will be extricated, but that is just the natural evolution of football.

“There can be no doubt that this Bermuda squad is nearing a time of transition. One of the goals and one of the things it takes to be a successful team in Concacaf as a smaller member association is to try to avoid the valleys between cycles.”

Findlay concedes that he hoped Bermuda would still have positions to fight for in this group with a couple of games to go but he promises that he will be going all out to spoil potential World Cup qualification parties for his remaining two opponents.

“It’s been disappointing but we have to take great satisfaction that we have provided the players with an opportunity to play at this level,” he said.

“Are we disappointed that we have not got anything out of it so far? Yes, absolutely. Could we have? Potentially.

“Now that we are not able to live the ultimate dream of going to the World Cup, we are going to reassess and reposition our focus. Our dream might have ended, but our new objective is to ruin everybody else’s dream.”