Jamaica's YoungReggae Boyz Ready
Jamaica NationalU20 Squad: Alien Whittaker, Richard McCallum, Maurice Evans, LeonWilliams, Alex Thomas, Kieron Bernard, Delano Francis, LovellPalmer, Demar Stewart, Sean Fraser, Ezual Lewis, Ryan Maxwell,Oneil Thompson, Kemar Petrokin, Akeem Priestly, Lenworth Hyde,Richard West, Kemeel Wolfe, Craig Gordon, Leon Irving.
When the qualifying roundsof the CFU Under 20 football kicks off in Grand Cayman, Jamaicamust be one of the favourites to finish on top. Boasting fiveplayers who played in the last World Youth tournament in Argentina,they have the base of what should be a high quality aggregationcapable of tackling the best.
Jamaica advanced from CONCACAFto the World Youth Championship for the first time last year,along with the United States and Costa Rica, and every memberof the management staff and players, are very confident that thissquad will be equally successful.
The five veterans from the2001 World Youth Championship squad are: Goalkeeper Alien Whittaker,who performed creditably in Argentina and was voted by the FIFATechnical Committee to the FIFA All-Stars team. The youngsteris one of the leading goaltenders in Jamaica and will be hopingto use this tournament to sharpen his skills for the upcomingWray and Nephew Premier League in Jamaica. He plays for RavioliUnited.
Alex Thomas was the captainof Jamaica's Under -17 team, which qualified for World Under -17Championships in New Zealand in 1999. He also played on the Under-20team last year.
Sean Fraser of Hazard Unitedis a talented midfielder who has been representing Jamaica atall levels since 1998. He too went to New Zealand and Argentinaand has the distinction of representing the senior national teamon three occasions.
Craig Gordon of Reno FCis a live wire forward who keeps defenders on their toes. He toois very experienced after playing in both New Zealand and Argentina.
Defender Sheldon Battisteof Hazard United is the most experienced of the lot. He also playedin both World Championships and is the starting central defenderfor one of the leading clubs in Jamaica, Hazard United.
The squad has been preparingassiduously for the past four months, and for the last two, havebeen sparring on a regular basis with the senior national teamwith whom they share facilities and coaches. Some of the moreadvanced members of the squad, including Battiste, have been trainingwith the senior team and have held their own in recent Internationalgames.
But the talent does notstop with the five players named above. Striker Richard West isarguably the most sought after teenage player in the country,scoring at will in all the competitions which his club, Santos,participates. He should be the point man and the player most defenderswill fear. His possible striking partners, Kemar Petrekin andGordon are no less dangerous and should be approached with caution.
Midfielders Dane Richardsand Oneil Thompson should be the pair spreading passes to theforwards while they hunt goals for themselves. The classy pairwere major stars for their Championship-winning high schools lastyear, Cornwall College and Bridgeport respectively. Both wenton to play pivotal roles in the success of their teams at theclub level.
Now that all the 'Reggae'teams have learnt the art of winning and advancing, it would takea brave man to bet against Jamaica. The Reggae Boyz started thebandwagon in 1998 with their historic participation in the WorldCup Finals in France and the two age-group teams followed. Justlast week the National Women's Team qualified for the CONCACAFGold Cup, the highest achievement ever for Jamaica's lady footballers.It's now time for the Under-20s to show their worth. Look outCayman - here they come!