The USA defeats Jamaica 2-1 to lift 2017 Gold Cup title
July 26, 2017
The United States defeated Jamaica 2-1 Wednesday night to lift the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup title. Jordan Morris scored the winning goal in the 88th minute to give the USA its sixth CONCACAF Gold Cup crown.

The Reggae Boyz had a setback in the 19th minute with an injury to Jamaica’s captain and star goalkeeper Andre Blake. Blake, who earned the Golden Glove award as the Gold Cup’s best goalkeeper, made a spectacular save on a swerving Jozy Altidore's right-footed shot. With the ball loose on the rebound he bravely closed down Kellyn Acosta but got badly hurt in the process.

Jozy Altidore put the U.S.ahead just before halftime on a beautifully taken free kick beating Dwayne Miller, Blake’s replacement in goal. The Half ended with the USA leading 1-0

Just after halftime, Je-Vaughn Watson found the equalizer for Jamaica from a corner as he skillfully slipped away from his marker Jordan Morris and hit a blistering header past the second post.

Sadly for Jamaica, in the 88th minute, Jermaine Taylor's failed to clear a Gyasi Zardes’s cross and in the confusion Morris's shot took a deflection on its way to the back of the net for the winner.
Jamaica – Andre Blake (Dwayne Miller 23rd), Damion Lowe, Ladale Richie (Kevon Lambert 87th), Alvas Powell, Oniel Fisher, Darren Mattocks (Cory Burke 90th+), Je-Vaughn Watson, Owayne Gordon, Kemar Lawrence, Jermaine Taylor, Romario Williams...Read more in the forum

Jamaica stuns Mexico to reach Gold Cup Final
July 23, 2017
PASADENA, California – Reggae Boyz defender Kemar Lawrence scored a brilliant free kick in the 88th minute to give Jamaica a 1-0 victory over defending champion Mexico in the CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinals at the Rose Bowl on Sunday night.

The win avenged the 3-1 defeat suffered by Reggae Boyz to Mexico in the 2015 Gold Cup final. The stage is now set for a Jamaica and United States showdown for the title on Wednesday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

Just like it was in their earlier group stage game when both teams met, Mexico dominated the possession play, moving forward unchallenged and forcing Jamaica to defend deep in their half. But, unlike the previous encounter, the Boyz seemed more confident in their play and the defense was up to the task of absorbing the pressure and relying on their speed for a few quick breakaway.

Jamaican goalkeeper, Andre Blake, was outstanding and kept the Boyz in the game by saving at least 7 shots, a number of them in spectacular fashion. Blake earned man of the match honors for the third time in the competition.

The U.S. earned their spot in the final by defeating Costa Rica, 2-0, in the first semifinal Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas ...Read more in the forum discussions

Jamaica stuns Chile 2-1 in their pre-Copa America Centenario friendly
May 28. 2016
Clayton Donaldson's 38th minute opener and Joel Grant's goal after the break sealed the win for the FIFA 55th ranked Reggae Boyz over their No. 3 ranked opponents at Chile’s Estadio Sausalito, Vina del Mar on Friday.  Nicolas Castilo scored Chile’s consolation goal in the 81st minute. Jamaica’s pre- Copa America win will add to their confidence going into their Group C clash against Venezuela on June 5.

The Reggae Boyz had the better of play for most of the first half and should have taken a third-minute lead when Garath McCleary ran at the Chile defense down the right before squaring for Giles Barnes who missed a glorious chance from the middle of the penalty area.

The Reggae Boyz missed a number of easy scoring chances, which mostly from attacks down the right flank. On one occasion Jamaica was perhaps unlucky not to win a penalty as Donaldson appeared to be brought down by goalkeeper Johnny Herrera, but no spot-kick was awarded.

Jamaica took the lead in the 36th minute when McLeary again dismissed his opponent down the right flank before cutting back a low cross inside for the Birmingham City striker to poke in from close range.
The Chileans were fired up by the goal and launched a number of attacks of their own.  Alexis Sanchez had a free-kick tipped over the goal and Gary Medel overhead kick was cleared off the line as Chile pushed for an equalizer.

Chile were dominant after the interval and almost got the equalizer but Mauricio Pinilla header was blocked by substitute keeper Duwayne Kerr before being cleared to safety. However, it was the Reggae Boyz who scored for a second time as they launched another attack down the right ending with a Barnes cross headed into the net by Grant in the 53rd minute,

The Jamaican defense came under severe assault as the Chileans pushed forward in numbers creating close scoring chances a number of times. Chile was a bit fortunate in getting their consolation goal as Kemar Lawrence clearing a ball that went straight into Castillo and into the back of the net.

Team Jamaia – Ryan Thompson (DuWayne Kerr 46th), Adrian Mariappa, Jermaine Taylor, Kemar Lawrence, Je-Vaughn Watson, Lee Williamson (Andrew Vanzie 82nd), Michael Hector (Joel McAnuff 46th), Dever Orgill (Joel Grant 46th), Garath McCleary, Giles Barnes (Michael Binns 86th), Clayton Donaldson (Allan Ottey 64th).
Subs not used: Rosario Harriott, Damano Solomon, Ricardo Morris.
Booked: Hector (28th), Lawrence (37th), Williamson (50th), McCleary (58th), Kerr (60th) Scheafer (ejected 79th)

Chile – Johnny Herrera, Mauricio Isla, Francisco Silva, Alexis Sanchez, Mauricio Pinilla (Nicolas Castillo 70th), Eduardo Vargas (Matias Fernandez 46th), Jean Beausejour (Jose Fuenzalido 64th), Gary Medel, Gonzalo Jara, Fabian Orellana (Edson Puch 64th), Charles Aranguiz
Subs nit used: Cristopher Toselli, Enzo Roco, Erick Pulgar, Adrian Cuadra, Ignacio Jara, Rene Melendez, Gabriel Suazo. Booked: Pinilla (28th), Medel (78th)
More in the Forum

Jamaica draw 1-1 with Costa Rica in CONCACAF World Cup Qualifer
March 26, 2016
In what can be considered a good performance against Group B leaders Costa Rica, Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz let a1-0 first-half lead slip to draw their CONCACAF World Cup qualifier 1-1 at home in the National Stadium. Playing without injured captain Rodolph Austin, head coach Winfried Schafer started with practically the same team that took a 1-0 win in their previous game with Haiti.

The first half was dominated by the home team who did not allow their Central American opponents to fully settle after surviving an early treat with Captain Bryan Ruiz left-sided corner kick ending up saved by the Boyz goalkeeper Andre Blake. A minute later the Reggae Boyz answered with a Jobi McAnuff shot from an acute angle at the back post sailing over the goal. The boy kept applying pressure to their opponents and had the home crowd roaring their appreciation to the strong early showing.

Jamaica struck in the 16 minute when an onrushing Je-Vaughn Watson put the home team ahead with a superb diving header unto a Kemar Lawrence long ball played from the left side of the field. The remainder of the half belonged to the more dangerous looking Boyz as they combined well in attack while defending strongly and keeping Costa Rica at bay. The opponents came close to scoring late in the half with a give-and-go inside the penalty area but Lawrence and Blake keeping the home ahead at the interval averted the danger.

Upon the resumption Costa Rica signaled their intent early as Blake was called upon to block Ruiz’s shot at the edge of his six-yard area. Jamaica then suffered a defensive collapse that was exploited with a skillful turn from Bryan Ruiz, who opened up space enroute to goal. His pass was deflected by Joel Campbell unto Christian Bolanos, who rolled a grounded shot at goal but Blake could do no more than parry the ball at the feet of the lurking Acosta to tap home. Jamaica pressed for the go-ahead goal but visitors stood firm defending and were more than happy to secure their point away from home.

After three matches apiece, Costa Rica stayed ahead of the four-team group with seven points, three more than Jamaica and Panama. All teams will meet again next Tuesday in return fixtures with Jamaica visiting Costa Rica and Haiti traveling to Panama. The top two will advance to the six-nation Hexagonal, which ultimately decides the three-and-a-half qualifiers from the Confederation for the 2018 World Cup Finals to be held in Russia.

Team Jamaica: Andre Blake, Westley Morgan, Adrian Mariappa, Kemar Lawrence, Michael Hector, Alvas Powell, Demar Phillips (Jermaine Taylor 77th), Je-Vaughn Watson, Joel McAnuff, Lee Williamson (Simon Dawkins 61st), Clayton Donaldson (Darren Mattocks 85th) Subs not used: Ryan Thompson, Shaven Sean-Paul, Garath McCleary, Andre Vanzie, Vishinul Harris, Allan Ottey, Andre Clennon, Dever Orgill. Full topic discussion in the forum

Mexico wins 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup title with 3-1 victory over Jamaica
July 27, 2015
Mexico captured the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup title with a 3-1 win over Jamaica on Sunday before a crowd of 68,930 at Lincoln Financial Field. Jamaica’s hopes of creating history by being the first Caribbean champions ended as Mexico’s Andres Guardado, Jesus Corona and Oribe Peralta secured Mexico’s victory. Darren Mattocks gave the Reggae Boyz their consolation goal of the game.

Jamaica had produced an outstanding run up to the final game, with an upset victory over the U.S. in the semis to reach the Gold Cup's championship for the first time.

In the first 15 minutes of play the Reggae Boyz looked promising as though they would pull another upset as they put Mexico on the defensive with several scoring opportunities. Jobi McAnuff, Simon Dawkins, Garath McCleary and Giles Barnes combining well by using their speed on the flanks to get behind the Mexico defense, but the Boyz were unable to take advantage of the early scoring chances.

Mexico took control in the 31st minute following a series sustained pressure on the Jamaican defenders. Captain Andres Guardado darted into the box to meet a searching right-side cross from Paul Aguilar and then hit a volley to the near post from 16 yards pass goalkeeper Ryan Thompson. Seemingly stunned by the goal, Jamaica, one the tournament’s top defensive teams, held on to halftime without conceding a another goal.

Jamaica saw their title chances dim just two minutes into the second half after a defensive slip by centerback Michael Hector turned the ball over to Corona giving him a straight path to goal that ended with a shot inside the back post. Substitute Darren Mattocks scored the lone Reggae Boyz goal in the 80th minute to put the Reggae Boyz on the scorecard in the 3-1 loss.

Mexico, in winning their seventh title, walked away with the Cup and the first prize of US$1 million, while Jamaica got US$500,000 and the Fairplay award. More on the Reggae Boyz in the FORUM

Purchase Official Jamaica Reggae Boyz Home and Away Jerseys

Jamaica books historic spot in CONCACAF Gold Cup final
July 23, 2015
Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz scored twice within a five-minute span in the first half to spank the USA 2-1 in their semi-final showdown of the CONCACAF Gold Cup at the Georgia Dome. The win gives Jamaica its first victory over the USA on their home soil, and a historic first Gold Cup final appearance.

The Reggae Boyz signaled their intention to upset the USA in the 30th minute from a left-sided throw-in by Kemar Lawrence that found Darren Mattocks whose header from 8 yards out hit the right post and over the line to give Jamaica a 1-0 lead.

Five minutes later Jamaica was awarded a free kick after goalkeeper Brad Guzan handled the ball outside the box. Jamaica’s Giles Barnes unleashed a brilliant free kick from the right edge of the penalty area that sailed over the wall and settled into the right side of the net.

Three minutes after the half time break the USA stormed back with a goal when goalkeeper Ryan Thompson failed to cleanly hold a shot from Aron Johannsson. Michael Bradley latched on to the loose ball and slotted it home from seven-yards out.

The Americans launched a series of attacked but the Reggae Boyz stood firm and kept them from adding to the scoreline and showing that they have one of the best defenses in the tournament. The Boyz countered with some slick passing and speedy attacks that slowly took the fight out of a shocked USA team as they pushed them out of the Gold Cup final.

Reggae Boyz head coach Winfried Schaefer praised his players saying that they went above and beyond the call of duty to register their historic 2-1 win over the host country.he Boyz will meet Mexico in the final.

Jamaica books semi-final spot with 1-0 win over Haiti
July 19,2015
Jamaica's Reggae Boyz booked a place in the CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinals with a 1-0 win over Haiti on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium. The win sets the stage for a match up with the defending champion United States who earlier cruised to a 6-0 win over Cuba.

The only goal of the game came in the seventh minute as Adrian Mariappa sent a short pass from the right side to Giles Barnes, who turned and sent a shot from three-yards out between the legs of Haiti’s goalkeeper Johny Placide.

Haiti pressed Jamaica for most of the game as the tired looking Reggae Boyz seemed contend to hunker down and defend their slim lead. Haiti came close in the 15th minute when James Marcelin's close-range shot was saved by Ryan Thompson and 10 minutes later when Duckens Nazon hit the left post from 19 yards out. Ryan Thompson was again called into action when he pushed a shot from Jean-Marc Alexandre over the crossbar in the 37th minute.

The Caribbean champion soaked up the assault and did create a few chances to widen the scoreline. Kemar Lawrence's 18-yard free kick in the 69th minute was save   the Haitian keeper who made another a big save in the 83rd minute to deny Barnes.

Teams: Jamaica -- Ryan Thompson, Wes Morgan, Michael Hector, Kemar Lawrence, Adrian Mariappa, Rodolph Austin, Joel Grant (Lance Laing 54th), Jobi McAnuff, Garath McCleary, Simon Dawkins (Chris Humphrey 87th), Giles Barnes (Andre Clennon 90th).
More game discussion in the Forum

ReggaeBoyz top of Group B with a 1-0 victory over El Salvador

TORONTO, Canada — A 10 man Reggae Boyz team moved to the top of Group B with a 1-0 victory over El Salvador in the CONCACAF Gold Cup at the BMO Field here yesterday.

In a very physical and bruising game, Jamaica was forced to make two first-half substitutions. First in the eighth minute whern central defender Jermaine Taylor was replaced by Reading FC’s Michael Hector and thirteen minutes later when goalkeeper Dwayne Miller sustained an injury and was replaced by Ryan Thompson.

In what can be considered an ugly win, Jamaica was on the defensive for long periods during the game. During one of the onslaught, substitute goalkeeper Ryan Thompson came up with superb save to deny both Punyed and Flores within a span of seconds in the 58th minute.

Jamaica scored against the run of play in the 72nd minute when Darren Mattocks won possession on the right side of the box and squared to the advancing Jobi McAnuff whose shot was blocked by the goalkeeper and rebounded to Garath McCleary, who easily scored from close range.

The Reggae Boyz were forced to play the final nine minutes of the game with 10 men after Mattocks was sent off for a second bookable offense.

With that result, the Reggae Boyz (2-1-0, 7 points) ensured themselves the Group B title and will meet Group A runner up, Haiti, in the next round.

Late Austin strike gives Jamaica win over Canada
July 12, 2015
The Reggae Boyz surged to the top of the CONCACAF Gold Cup Group B after they snatched a late 1-0 win over Canada at the BBVA Compass Stadium in Texas.

Rodolph Austin scored in injury-time on a hot Texas night with the game heading for a stalemate.Both teams found the going tough in the hot conditions with Jamaica having the better ball possession and most of the scoring chances.

Although having the dominant play it was Canada that had the best chance early in the game.  In the 12th minute, Canada penetrated the Boyz backline with Tosaint Ricketts making a one on one run towards Dwayne Miller, but the Jamaican goalkeeper pulled off a critical block at point-blank range.

The game at times got scrappy with the players wilting in the stifling heat that necessitated a water break in the 38th minute.

Jamaica came close to scoring in the 60th minute when free kick just outside the box from forward Giles Barnes, smashed against the crossbar. The Canadian keeper was forced to palm away a volley, again from Barnes, in the 72nd minute.

The Reggae Boyz kept up their offensive assault on the Canadian goal through Barnes, McCleary and second half substitute Darren Mattocks who put a shot just wide with three minutes remaining in normal time.

In the 91st minute of play, with the match heading for a goalless draw, the Jamaican skipper headed Garath McCleary’s cross from the right wing past goalkeeper Stamatopolous to clinch the victory.

Jamaica will now head for Toronto for their showdown against El Salvador at the MBO Stadium on Tuesday.

Jamaica battles Costa Rica to 2-2 draw
July 9,2015
Jamaica's Reggae Boyz, fought back from being down 2-1 to a 2-2 draw with Costa Rica and rescued a vital point in their 2015 CONCACAF Group B Group B opener on Wednesday.

In a lively and an entertaining game, Jamaica drew first blood in the 13th minute with a goal from Garath McCleary. Costa Rica struck back in the 33rd minute with a goal from from Roy Miller and then surged ahead through David Ramirez four minutes later.

The Reggae Boyz rallied back three minutes into the second half when Jobi McAnuff collected the ball just inside his half, beat one defender and split two more, before slipping the ball past goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado. The goal was what the Reggae Boyz needed asthey came to life and went in hunt for the winner.

The Boyz came close to getting all three points late in the game when substitute Darren Mattocks demonstrated his skills by turning his man but with only the keeper to beat, the Vancouver Whitecaps player could not find the net with his shot.

Jamaica will meet Canada in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday while Costa Rica will face faces El Salvador after.
Read more in the forum

Argentina tops Group B with 1-0 win over Jamaica
June 21, 2015
A 1-0 win over Jamaica put Argentina on top of Group B with 7 points in the final first round game of their Copa America schedule. Paraguay finished second with 5 points, Uruguay on 4 and Jamaica at the bottom of the table with 0 points.

Although Argentina dominated the game, their efforts only produced a 1-0 score line thanks to an 11th-minute winner from Gonzalo Higuain. The Napoli forward broke through after receiving a pass from Angel Di Maria, turned and slipped his shot by three defenders into the back of the net. The Reggae Boyz endured wave after wave of Argentinean pressure but held on to trail only by a single goal at the half.

The second half saw a more confident Reggae Boyz team with some positive plays that caused some nervous moments for Argentina. The Boyz came close in the 67th minute, as Deshorn Brown turned his marker and hit a left-footer that went right to Sergio Romero for an easy save.

The Boyz pressed their highly rated opponents with some tricky plays forcing them into hurried clearances, much to the surprise of the crowd. The Reggae Boyz continued getting stronger with the crowd cheering them on singing "OlÈ! OlÈ! OlÈ!", as they pressed for the equalizer. In the end Argentina proved to strong for Jamaica who gave a good second half display. Jamaica lost each of their group games with a 1-0 score line.

Teams:
Jamaica - Dwayne Miller, Michael Hector (Jermaine Taylor 71st), Wes Morgan, Adrian Mariappa, Kemar Lawrence, Rodolph Austin, Je-Vaughn Watson, Joel McAnuff, Garath McCleary, Lance Laing (Simon Dawkins 71st), Deshorn Brown (Giles Barnes 78th)

Subs not used: DuWayne Kerr, Ryan Thompson, Daniel Gordon, Romeo Parkes, Hughan Gray, Darren Mattocks, Dino Williams, Allan Ottey, Joel Grant. Booked: Watson (31st), Hector (52nd), Austin (52nd)

Argentina -- Sergio Romero, Ezequiel Garay, Pablo Zabaleta, Lucas Biglia, Angel di Maria (Erik lamella 84th), Gonzalo Higuain (Carlos Tevez 72nd), Lionel Messi, Javier Mascherano, Martin Demichelis, Marcos Rojo, Javier Pastorei (Roberto Pereyra 59th).
Comments in the Forum

Uruguay gets narrow 1-0 win over Jamaica
June 14, 2015
Jamaica was defeated 1-0 by defending champion Uruguay in their Copa America opener on Saturday. The lone goal came from Cristian Rodriguez in the 52nd minute in their Group B match up.

Going into the game, the Reggae Boyz were not given much of a chance against the two-time World Cup champions Uruguay but stunned the crowd with a composed display that stamped their intention on upsetting their south American opponent.

With then Boyz sticking to their game plan they often created panic in the Uruguayan defense with their counter attacking plays and confidently taking the game to their opponent. The crowd showed their appreciation for Jamaica’s impressive first-half performance and cheered the team on as they were arguably the better of the two sides in the first half.

The Reggae Boyz best chance of the half came when Darren Mattocks forced a mistake from both captain Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez, by cutting between the two defenders to break into the penalty but did not make proper connection in trying to get off his shot on the volley.

Uruguay got the break they needed seven minutes into the second half thanks a free kick that was given just a few meters from the goal line, and just outside the 18-yard box on the left. Cristian Rodriguez scored a soft goal when Nicolas Lodeiro sent the ball into the crowded area where Jose Gimenez headed back to Rodriguez allowing as him to steered the ball with the inside of his left foot into the bottom corner of Jamaica’s net

Jamaica had a few chances after Rodriguez's goal with headers from both Barnes and Deshorn Brown that both flashed wide of the goal and a also free kick from Kemar Lawrence that sailed over the crossbar in the 85th minute.

Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez stated “It was a very hard match for us. My players were surprised, you could see that at the beginning that Jamaica’s team organization was good with the pressure they put on the ball,” he told reporters.

Jamaica next faces Paraguay on Tuesday and Argentina plays Uruguay. The top two teams from each of the three groups advance to the knockout stage, along with the two best third-placed teams.

Teams: Jamaica -- DuWayne Kerr, Michael Hector, Wes Morgan, Adrian Mariappa, Kemar Lawrence, Rodolph Austin, Joel McAnuff, Garath McCleary, Simon Dawkins (Lance Laing 54th), Giles Barnes, Darren Mattocks (Deshorn Brown 75th).

Uruguay -- Fernando Muslera, Jose Gimenez, Diego Godin, Carlos Sanchez (Christian Stuani 73rd), Alvaro Pereira, Cristian Rodriquez (Giogian de Arrascaeta 64th), Diego Rolan, Nicolas Lodeiro (Alvaro Gonzalez 86th), Maximiliano Pereira, Egidio Arevalo, Edinson Cavani.
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Jamaica crowned Caribbean Cup Champions
Montego Bay, Jamaica , November 18, 2014
Jamaica captured the Caribbean Cup title for a sixth time, outscoring Trinidad & Tobago 4-3 on penalty kicks on Tuesday at the Montego Bay Sports Complex.

After both teams failed to score during the 90 minutes of regulation plus 30 minutes of extra time, it was goalkeeper Andre Blake that gave Jamaica the ideal start in the shoot-out when he saved the penalty of Trinidad and Tobago captain Kenwyne Jones. The Soca Warriors’ Khaleem Hyland also missed on last attempt after Jermaine Taylor, Jobi McAnuff, Demar Phillips and captain Rodolph Austin were on target for the Reggae Boyz. Teenager Michael Seaton was the only Jamaican player to miss from the spot.

IT was a gutsy effort by the Boyz in tightly-contested encounter between a pair of evenly-matched teams with Jamaica creating the better scoring opportunities, but unable to find the target.

Jamaica’s Jobi McAnuff again had an outstanding game, and just missed the right post in the 19th minue after a follow-up on a Dane Richards attempt that goalkeeper Jan-Michael Williams did well to save. In a 56th minute captain Austin came close as he rocketed a shot from 35-yards out.

The Boyz again had a good chance in the 81st minute when forward Darren Mattocks, who scored in each of the first three games, made poor contact with an attempted header.

McAnuff missed a good scoring chance in the 93rd minute when with time to spare he hurriedly fired over the crossbar from just inside the box.

Along with qualifying for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the Boyz have now sealed a place in the special edition of the Copa America Centenario, which is the 100th anniversary of the South American Championships. Under a special arrangement, six teams from CONCACAF plus the 10 South American nations will participate.

It was Jamaica's first title win since lifting the trophy in 2010 and German coach Winfried Schaefer his first title since being appointed head coach.

Team Jamaica: Andre Blake; Alvas Powell, Jermaine Taylor, Hughan Gray, Jobi McAnuff, Dane Richards (Joel Grant 56’), Je-Vaughn Watson, Rodolph Austin, Simon Dawkins (Demar Phillips 72’), Kemar Lawrence, Darren Mattocks (Michael Seaton 91’), Head Coach: Winfried Schafer. More in the Forum

Jamaica defeat Haiti 2-0 to face T&T in Final
Montego Bay, Jamaica , November 16, 2014
Jamaica marched into the final of the 2014 Caribbean Cup with a solid 2-0 victory over Haiti on Sunday night at the Montego Bay Sport Complex. 

The Group B winning Reggae Boyz will meet rival Trinidad & Tobago on Tuesday in a battle for regional supremacy, while runner-up Haiti will face Cuba for the third place.

Jamaica went on the score sheet in the 13th minute with a Simon Dawkins goal off a pass from Darren Mattocks. Then seven minutes later Mattocks had his third goal in as many games when Rodolph Austin caught the Haiti defense out of position and Mattocks running on slotted home from the right to make it two.

The Boyz went on the defensive in the second half and soaked up a lot of pressure from the determined Haitians as the tried find the back of the net. Haiti almost pulled one back late in the match, but Jamaica goalkeeper Andre Blake saved a penalty kick in the 89th minute..More in the Foum

Jamaica blanks Antigua & Barbuda 3-0
Montego Bay, Jamaica , November 14, 2014
Two first half goals by Jamaica set the stage for their 3-0 win over Antigua & Barbuda in the 2014 Caribbean Cup Group B play on Friday at the Montego Bay Sport Complex.  The win puts the Reggae Boyz into a first-place tie with Haiti on four points each from two games. Martinique and Antigua have collected one point each.

Playing on a rain dampened pitch, Jamaica looked a different team from the one that drew 1-1 with Martinique in its tournament opener. The Boyz produced a mix of very good wing play with decent support from the middle while creating spaces and chances in the battle for dominance.

Jamaica made the important breakthrough in the 29th minute when Kemar Lawrence, with back to goal, controlled a low driven free-kick by captain Rodolph Austin, he then turned and calmly slide the ball wide of goalkeeper James Molvin. Jobi McAnuff, came close four minutes later when he launched a long-ranger stinger that forced Molvin into one of his many saves.

Jamaica's team play paid dividends in the 44th minute from a Richards-Mattocks partnership when Richards centered a ball in for Mattocks to tap home for goal number 2. It was also Mattocks second goal in two games.

The Boyz took charge from that point on as both Austin and McAnuff having outstanding games taking control of the middle and spraying quality passed.

Jamaica maintained their hunt for more goals and came very close in the 84th minute when a charging Hughan Gray made a run down the right side and unleashed a shot that rocked the woodwork before going outside. Finally the Boyz got the third goal in the 85th minute as team captain Rodolph Austin out jumped everyone else to head home a left-sided cross.

Group play will conclude on Sunday with an intriguing doubleheader as Antigua will face Martinique in the opener, followed by an encounter between Jamaica and Haiti. Only the winner of each of the two groups will progress to the final slated for Tuesday night.

Team Jamaica:
Jamaica -- Andre Blake, Alvas Powell, Jermaine Taylor, Hughan Gray, Kemar Lawrence, Rodolph Austin, Jobi McAnuff (Romario Campbell 83rd), Je-Vaughn Watson, Simon Dawkins (Michael Seaton 75th), Darren Mattocks (Joel Grant 64th) and Dane Richards.
Subs not used: Nyson Nosworthy, Craig Foster, Upston Edwards, Nicholy Finlayson, Demar Phillips, Ryan Thompson, Jamar Loza, Deshorn Brown, Duwayne Kerr

Jamaica play to 1-1 stalemate against Martinique
Montego Bay, Jamaica , November 12, 2014
Jamaica and Martinique played to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday n their opening Group B encounter of the 2014 CFU Caribbean Cup at the Montego Bay Sports Complex. Darren Mattocks gave the Reggae Boyz a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute, but Yoann Arquin used his strength to equalize a minute before the half-hour mark.
Jamaica looked the more organized team going forward, and had the better scoring opportunities, but failed to take advantage of their chances on goal. The Boyz first threatened in the third minute as Dane Richards used his pace down the right side, but his shot at an angle skimmed the crossbar.

Jamaica kept up the offensive and was rewarded in the 13th minute when Vancouver Whitecaps striker Mattocks buried a low shot after the ball bounced favorably for him from a corner.

The Reggae Boyz continued their the passing game and looked the better team to that point in the game. Then, in the 29th minute, Jamaica gave up what could be considered a soft goal as a ball floated into area found Martinique’s Arquin, and he easily shot the ball pass Andre Blake in goal. The half ended 1-1.

The start of the second half saw Jamaica looking the stronger team but was still unable to penetrate their retreating French-speaking Caribbean neighbour's defense.

The Jamaican supporters inside the stadium erupted into celebration in the 63rd minute, when second had substitute, Norwich City’s Jamar Loza, put the ball into the back of the net but only to have the referee’s assistant on the far side put his flag up for off-side.

Jamaica once again tested their opponents in the 71st minute with the on form McAnuff bursting into the 18-yard box, but his final shot rolled harmlessly to the Martinique goalkeeper Kevin Olimpa.

The Boyz struck again in the 76th minute, as Mattocks hit home a goalkeeping spill from a Rodolph Austin 25-yard free kick but it was again ruled off-side by the officials. Martinique suffered the same fate with the last kick of the game by Dominique Pandor ending the game in a stalemate.

Jamaica will next face Antigua and Barbuda on Friday in the feature of a double-header at 8:00 pm, while Martinique and Haiti do battle in the curtain-raiser at 5:30 pm. In the first game of the group, Haiti and Antigua and Barbuda drew 2-2

Team Jamaica: Andre Blake, Nyron Nosworthy, Jermaine Taylor, Alvas Powell (Hughan Gray 82nd), Demar Phillips, Rodolph Austin, Je-Vaughn Watson, Joel McAnuff, Dane Richards (Kemar Lawrence 70th), Darren Mattocks and Deshorn Brown (Jamar Loza 45th). Subs not used: Craig Foster, Upston Edwards, Nicholy Finlayson, Michael Seaton, Ryan Thompson, Jamar Loza, Joel Grant, Romario Campbell, Duwayne Kerr....Read More in the FORUM

Jamaica go down 0-1 against Japan
NIIGATA, October 10, 2014
Japan The Reggae Boyz fell 1-0 to Japan in their friendly international match in at Big Swan Stadium in Japan. Jamaican's goalkeeper Ryan Thompson must be credited for keeping the contest close as his brilliance between the sticks helped to prevent a much wider score line.

Japan was easily the better side and wasted many opportunities against a 100th ranked Jamaican team. The crowd of 39,628 saw Japan dominated the jet lagged Reggae Boyz which was far from threatening and guilty of poor defending from the outset.

A 16th-minute raid on the Jamaican defense ended with an own goal by Nyron Nosworthy. Jamaica could have easily conceded a second goal in the 33rd minute after a series of poor passing in getting the ball out of their defensive third, which ended with the ball falling for a lurking Keisuke Honda who should have added a couple by himself to Jamaica’s own goal. His 20-meter free kick in the first five minutes of the game came close and then from a one-on-one with goalkeeper Ryan Thompson in the 33rd minute, when his chip shaved the top of the bar.

Jamaica midfield was missing and this will give head coach Winfried Schaefer something to think about as this was Jamaica's final warm-up match ahead of the Caribbean Cup. The Boyz are pressed to win the Caribbean Cup at home as a victory would see them earn automatic berths to the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2015 and the CONMEBOL Copa America Centennial Cup in 2016.

The performance of Jamaica does not look good going into the Caribbean Cup tornament commented forum member Carter. "We had no midfield, no service to the forwards, defense slow and ball watching, no shots on goal it was hard to believe it was JA football". See Carter's comment here.

Another member Alan24 shared the same opinion. A freaking horrible performance by Jamaica. Japan is clearly the better team. Our biggest weakness,-midfield play, is still staring us in damn the face. As soon as we get across midfield we seem to quickly run out of ideas so we slow the ball down or launch it in the air. And who was the forward who failed to score on that bad back pass by Japan. I honestly though we would be seeing more improvement by now. See his comments here

Jamaica team: Ryan Thompson (GK); Wes Morgan, Nyron Nosworthy, Jermaine Taylor, Alvas Powell, Kemar Lawrence; Nicholy Finlayson (64th min. Hughan Grey), Joel Grant, Je-Vaughn Watson, Dane Richards (Michael Seaton 46th), Jamar Loza (Darren Mattocks 46th). Read more in the forum

Jamaica go down 3-1 against Canada
TORONTO, Canada, September 10, 2014
A disjointed looking Reggae Boyz team went down 3-1 to Canada in their friendly football international on Tuesday. The poor showing will now place Jamaica's coach Winfried Schäfer under pressure to find a mix of players that will better represent Jamaica in preparation for the upcoming Caribbean Cup.

Although Jamaica never looked like a quality team, they were able to take the lead in the 29th minute with a beautifully take free kick by Kemar Lawrence that curled enough to beat an out stretched Milan Borjan in Canada's goal. Immediately, the Canadians equalized in the 31st minute from a set piece when Patrice Bernier's long corner was met with a powerful David Edgar volley, giving goalkeeper André Blake no chance. Jamaica hardly created any credible chances for the remainder of the half and the few efforts made going forward ended in poor passing or bad decisions in front of goal.

Second half substitute Jamar Loza, who replaced an ineffective Jermaine "Tuffy" Anderson brought a few moments of hope to the Boyz game but failed to convert any of the opportunities into goals.

The better-organized Canadians took the lead in the 67th minute with a Marcel De Jong a free kick into the top corner of the Boyz goal. They sealed the game when Jamaica's keeper spilled a simple shot into the path of Tosaint Ricketts giving them a 3-1 victory. The Reggae Boyz will next face Japan in Niigata City on October 10.

Disappointed Reggae Boyz supporters voiced their opinions about the game and what is needed or lacking in the development of the team. Read it all or join the discussion in the forum

Also see A Review of the Canada Match - What's Next?

Reggae Boyz fringe players to get chance against Canada
September 9, 2014
Football action heats up for the Reggae Boyz as they take on CONCACAF rival Canada at the BMO Field in Canada at 7:30 pm (6:30 pm Jamaica time) today. It is Jamaica's first action since a tough four-game tour between May and June, when the Reggae Boyz lost to Serbia (2-1) and Switzerland (1-0), drew 2-2 with Egypt, before being trounced by World Cup-bound France 8-0.

Coach Winfried Schaefer is hoping that his players can continue to progress, as he uses the opportunity to see what a few new players have to offer in today's contest against the FIFA Coca-Cola 122nd ranked Canadians. A few players, including regular captain Rodolph Austin, Adrian Mariappa, Joel Grant, Lloyd Doyley and Michael Seaton may be forced to sit out today's contest due to injuries and or other problems.

Today’s game will give the coach a chance to assess Upston Edwards, who naturally plays on the left side of central defense, an area where Schafer’s options are scarce, Evan Taylor in central midfield, and attacking player Jamar Loza of Norwich City. Also in line for a senior international debut is 2011 Under-17 World Cup captain Omar Holness, of the University of North Carolina, to see how well he has matured for senior international football. "He was the captain (in Mexico)," said Schäfer. "He was a good player ... I want this player back in the team." Kenardo Forbes, Keithy and goalkeeper Ryan Thompson will also be available to take the field.

The Boyz are also specially invited guests for next year's Copa America in Chile where they could rub shoulders with the likes of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, etc, and also the possibility of participating in the CONCACAF Gold Cup next year.

Jamaica 2, Egypt 2
Winfried Schaefer and the Reggae Boyz continued on their path of growth when they played to a 2-2 tie with Egypt's Pharaohs at the Matchroom Stadium. Jamaica’s earlier engagements against Serbia and Switzerland saw them suffer 1-2 and 0-1 losses respectively.

With both teams seeking a morale boosting win in a stadium that was about half-empty, Egypt opened the scoring in the fourth minute of play with a well taken header from a corner that caught a poorly organized Jamaican team.

After the early goal, the Boyz fought back by playing the better game, and were rewarded as Jamaica’s Simon Dawkins scoring his first international goal to equalize in the 27th minute. It was beautiful attacking football coming from Romario Campbell, Chris Humphrey and Dawkins finishing with the goal. Some 10 minutes later the Reggae Boyz Joel Grant showed some nice skills on the ball and scored to give Jamaica a 2-1 lead at the half.

The second half saw Jamaica losing possession of the ball much too easily and Egypt playing the better game at that point, drew level in the 71st minute. Egypt continued to have the better second half until the game ended with the draw. Jamaica will next face France in Lille on June 8 in the last of their four-match friendly international series. 

Jamaica starting lineup
GK Jacomeno Barrett, RB Lloyd Doyley,  CB Wes Morgan, CB Adrian Mariappa, LB Kemar Lawrence, LM Joel Grant, CM Romario Campbell, CM Rudi Austin, RB Chris Humphrey, FW Micheal Seaton, FW Simon Dawkins

Read more in the forum

Boyz give spirited display in 1-0 loss to Switzerland
The Reggae Boyz continues to show improvement as they put in a spirtied display against Switzerland, falling to an 84th minute goal in an international friendly at the Swisspoarena Luzern. A capacity crowd that included a number black, green and gold supporter watched the game

It was good performance from the Boyz against one of the better teams in the world as both teams utilized the full field to their advantage. Jamaican goalkeeper Andre Blake gave a good account of himself as he was kept active all night. Jamaica also showed their intent when Rudolph Austin unleashed a left-footed shot that took a wicked deflection past the left upright. The game proved to be a good building block after their 2-1 loss to Serbia last Monday night.

The Swiss took the lead when Josip Drmic's 84th minute strike with the outside of his right foot got pass Blake from close range to give Switzerland the 1-0 edge.  Although the better team won, Reggae Boyz Head coach Winfried Schaefer was not surprised and was very pleased at the performance of his team.

He was quoted in the Jamaican observer saying he believes they are beginning to regain respect in the football world. “I’m not surprised because I know my players have good character and good spirit, but we have to find one player who can keep the ball in front as a striker,” he said at game’s end. “I saw yesterday (Thursday) they had a very good training, the spirit was very good and we have good leaders in the team now,” he continued. He added: “It was not a friendly match, it was for our image, for Jamaica. He also said Ottmar Hitzfeld, the coach of Switzerland “was happy with our play, and he was surprised at our ability to play football” .

TheReggaeBoyz forum was also abuzz with positive comments on the good performance against one of the better teams in the world. It was an unfortunate late goal, but a lot of positives were said about the team. Terminator commented that "Blake would continue to improve as he's young. Solid defense but in need of a killer striker as the team continue to grow". Though we looked better defensively the cohesiveness and chemistry is still lacking .We still need to create more chances hence the goals will come" said .chito2k10

The Boyz will depart Switzerland today for London, where they are scheduled to face Egypt in another friendly international on Wednesday, before closing out their tour against France in Lille on June 8. The tour is part of Schafers building his team for upcoming competitions; the Caribbean Cup, the Gold Cup and the Copa America.

Switzerland opens their Group E programme against Ecuador on June 15 in Brasilia, then plays France and Honduras.

Jamaica — Andre Blake, Lloyd Doyley, Wes Morgan, Michael Seaton (Romario Campbell 74th), Darren Mattocks (Christopher Humphrey 54th), Demar Phillips (Nicholas Beckett 78th), Joel Grant, Rodolph Austin, Simon Dawkins (Keithy Simpson 90th), Adrian Mariappa, Kemar Lawrence. Subs not used: Dwayne Miller, Jacomeno Barrett, Upstan Edwards, Nicholy Finlayson, Hughan Gray, John-Ross Campbell Booked: None. Join in the discussion

Jamaica fall 2-1 to Serbia
Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz went down 2-1 to Serbia in an entertaining game at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, USA..

Playing without a few of their key players, the makeshift Jamaican team conceded two first half goals as Dusan Tadic scored the opening goal in the 13th minute. They followed up 10 minutes later with a will driven low shot from Manchester City’s left back Aleksander Kolorov to make it 2-0 . The Jamaican team stood their ground and battled back with a few efforts of their own but could not find the Serbian goal.

Second half changes which saw 18 year old Striker Michael Seaton replacing Darren Mattocks seem to put more spark in the Boyz attack and at times dominated the Serbians. In the 53 minute Jamaica struck back when a well played Kemar Lawrence’s cross from the left side found the head of the rising Michael Seaton who headed beautifully past Stojkovic in the Serbian goal.

The Reggae Boyz continued their hunt for the equalized and Simon Dawkins came very close as his long range shot whistle just pass the Serbian goal in the 76th minute. Serbia launched a few attacks of their own but Goalkeeper Andre Blake made a number of brilliant saves including stopping a penalty in the 87th minute. The match ended 2-1.

Many members on theReggaeBoyz.com forum were equally pleased with the strong effort of the Boyz. BICTOR said” Overall a solid game. Came with a weakened squad and put in a respectable performance against a talented Serbia team and we won the second half “. CARTER commented “very well played in the second half. Decent game beside the defensive lapses on the two goals the boys played good football after”. See more comments here

Jamaica will next face Switzerland on Friday, May 30th, in Luvern, Switzerland

Jamaica’s starting 11 as follows:
Andre Blake (GK), Alvas Powell (D), Upston Edwards (D), Lloyd Doyley (D), Kemar Lawrence (D), Chris Humphrey (M), Rudolph Austin (M), John Ross Edwards (M), Joel Grant (M), Simon Dawkins (F), Darren Mattocks (F)
Substitutes: Michael Seaton for Mattocks 46?, Nicholas Beckett for J. Edwards 46?, Hughan Gray for Humphrey 71?, Nicholy Finlayson for Lawrence 75?, Romario Campbell for Grant 78?, Deshorn Brown for Dawkins 83?.
Read More in the Forum

Jamaica defeats St. Lucia 5-0
Jamaica's Reggae Boyz rolled over St Lucia 5-0 in a friendly international at at the Beausejour Cricket Ground. Goals from Darren Mattocks in the 18th and 69th minutes, Michael Seaton in the 16th minute, Garath McCleary (35th) and substitute Deshorn Brown (82nd) secured the easy victory.

Teenage forward Michael Seaton of DC United opened the scoring after a build up between Romario Campbell and McCleary, who then released a pass to Seaton for him to rammed into an empty net. Two minutes later, the speedy Mattocks rose high to head home from a Romario Campbell's corner kick to make it 2-0.

Seaton returned the favor to McCleary in the 35 minute when he broke free down the right side and sent a cross for McCleary to nod home. Jamaica were up by three goals at the half time break.

Jamaica continue to show their superiority as Mattocks, in what can be considered the goal of the match, picked up a through pass from Rodolph Austin and cut inside his marker before curling past the goalkeeper into the upper left corner of the goal. Deshorn Brown added his name to the score sheet when he raced onto a pass from John Ross Campbell then rounded the 'keeper before blasting into the goal.

Jamaica's head coach Winfried Schaefer was pleased with the victory and the way his team played pressing St Lucia.

Jamaica starting XI -- Andre Blake, Adrian Mariappa, Westley Morgan, Alvas Powell, Kemar Lawrence, Rodolph Austin, Je-Vaughn Watson, Romario Campbell, Garath McCleary, Darren Mattocks, Michael Seaton.

The Reggae Boyz's next scheduled friendly game is against Serbia in New Jersey on May 26.
....More in the forum

Jamaica scores 2-0 victory over Barbados
Jamaica's Reggae Boyz football team defeated Barbados 2-0 in Bridgetown Sunday night as they kicked off the first in a series of friendly internationals. Late goals from Darren Mattocks (76th) and Deshorn Brown (82nd) propelled Jamaica to victory over their hosts.

Patience and perseverance paid off for the Jamaican senior mens team after a frustrating and goalless first half much of which was largely blamed on a sandy and uneven playing surface. Thirty minutes into the second half, Barbados lost their centre back Rommel Burgess who was stretchered off the field with a shoulder injury. Jamaica immediately capitalized as US MLS Vancouver Whitecaps striker Mattocks opened the scoring in the 76th minute with a goal from close range. This was followed  six minutes later as Deshorn Brown, formerly of St. Elizabeth Technical, headed in from a Romario Campbell corner to seal the victory.  

Jamaica's head coach Winfried Schaefer said his players found it hard to settle on an uneven surface but played better after the goal and that was the key.. The Boyz will next face St. Lucia on Wednesday, March 5.
Jamaica -- Andre Blake, Upston Edwards, Alvas Powell (Hughan Gray 85th), Nicholas Beckett (John Ross Edwards 69th), Kemar Lawrence, Ricardo Morris (Romario Campbell 46th), Renae Lloyd (Michael Seaton 46th), Nicholi Finlayson (Dicoy Williams 89th), Je-Vaughn Watson, Deshorn Brown, Darren Mattocks.

Jamaica unveils roster for March friendlies
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica head coach Winfried Schafer announced Wednesday a 22-man roster for away friendlies against Barbados on March 2 and St. Lucia three days later.

The side is split down the middle as 11 players come from teams in the Jamaican Premier League and the others based abroad.

Leeds United midfielder Rodolph Austin is the most experienced player in the squad with 61 caps.

JAMAICA ROSTER

(International Friendlies: March 2, 2014, at Barbados; March 5, 2014, at St. Lucia)

GOALKEEPERS: Andre Blake (Philadelphia Union/USA), Gariece McPherson (Cavalier SC)

DEFENDERS: Upston Edwards (Portmore United), Kemar Lawrence (Harbour View), Adrian Mariappa (Crystal Palace/England), Wes Morgan (Leicester City/England), Alvas Powell (Portland Timbers/USA), Dicoy Williams (Harbour View)

MIDFIELDERS: Rodolph Austin (Leeds United/England), Nicholas Beckett (Harbour View), Romario Campbell (Waterhouse), John Ross Edwards (Harbour View), Nicholy Finlayson (Waterhouse), Hughan Gray (Waterhouse), Jobi McAnuff (Reading/England), Garath McCleary (Reading/England), Ricardo Morris (Portmore United), Je-Vaughn Watson (FC Dallas/USA)

FORWARDS: Deshorn Brown (Colorado Rapids/USA), Renae Lloyd (Arnett Gardens), Darren Mattocks (Vancouver Whitecaps/Canada), Michael Seaton (D.C. United/USA)
Read more in the forum

The next generation of offensive players
Dec. 28, 2013
I don't have to remind anyone around here about the woeful display of offensive play or lack thereof in the recently concluded world cup qualifiers.

Mr JFF it cannot be business as usual if we plan to participate in the 2018 world cup campaign. The not so distant future could be bright if the JFF capitalize on some of the good 15 - 19 year old talents I see emerging.

Special attention should be paid now to guys like Seaton, Leon, Flemming, Rambo, Dixon and Hall....Read more in the forum

Tracking Young Jamaicans in the NCAA
We have a thread tracking English-Jamaicans, but many of the stalwarts in our future player pool are in the NCAA right now. With that in mind I thought it would be good to have a thread for the purpose of tracking these young players in the NCAA, many of whom will be in MLS soon.

I've compiled a list of all of players I've found and their teams here. I've only focused on players in NCAA Division One, so no Junior college, NAIA, D2 or D3 players are mentioned. I acknowledge that I may have missed a few names. If you know of a Jamaican D1 player that I haven't included, feel free to note it in this thread.....Read more in the forum

Jamaican midfielder Jermaine Hue suspended for 9 months by FIFA
Sept. 30, 2013
Jermaine Hue, the Jamaican international midfielder who plays locally for Harbour View FC, was given a nine months ban by the FIFA Disciplinary Panel following an anti-doping rule violation. FIFA announced that Hue had failed a drug test following Jamaica's 2-0 loss to Honduras in their CONCACAF FIFA World Cup Qualifier in Tegucigalpa on June 11.

In a statement from the Jamaica Football Federation, the ban will end on May 6, 2014 and during the period Hue is forbidden from participating in any competition which covers all types of matches, including domestic international friendly and official or other sport related activity. Team doctor Carlton Fraser, who administered the banned substance Dexamethasone to Hue, was given a four-year ban from all domestic, international, friendly and official matches.

It has been reported that the player is shocked and devastated and very disappointed in the nine-month ban.

TheReggaeBoyz.com is in agreement with other supporters of Hue in the forum discussion that Hue is a victim in this matter and is being unfairly punished.

As Jamaicans we should not sit silently and let the nine-month ban on Jermaine Hue just slide. If Hue is an unknowing victim, then the JFF should step up and seek a date with FIFA to bring some clarity as to why Hue was unjustly punished. Read this editorial in full here and follow or join in the discussion.

Schafer names final 25 players to face Panama
September 05, 2013
Jamaica's Reggae Boyz head coach Winfried Schafer has named a 25-man squad to face Panama in a must-win CONCACAF World Cup on Friday. The match isscheduled for 9:00 pm inside the Romel Fernandez Stadium.

After two days of training the players selected are goalkeepers -- Donovan Ricketts, Richard McCallum, Gariece McPherson; Defenders -- Wes Morgan, Lloyd Doyley, Daniel Gordon, Alvas Powell, Shaun Cummings, Jermaine Taylor, O'Brian Woodbine, Adrian Mariappa and Kemar Lawrence; Midfielders -- Rudolph Austin, Marvin Elliott, Jermaine Johnson, Joel McAnuff, Garath McCleary and Chris Humphrey; Forwards -- Theo Robinson, Luton Shelton, Jermaine Beckford, Darren Mattocks, Ryan Johnson, Marlon King and Jermaine Anderson. Injured goalkeeper Dwayne Miller, who is suspected to have picked up a strain was replaced by Richard McCallum

The coach said that he was building a system that the players can play. One of the coaches philosophy is that the players must have confidence, fight for each other and have a heart to win. "We have to be a team, not 11 players, but a team, with a strong bench, strong 11 on the field" Schafer stated as he spoke with journalists earlier in the week

Jamaica's Reggae Boyz's Rio 2016 campaign is precariously poised as the USA lead the hexagonal play-offs on 13 points, followed by Costa Rica on 11, Mexico eight, Honduras seven, Panama six, and Jamaica lying at the bottom on two points.

Schafer eyes local players
July 19, 2013
The Reggae Boyz new head coach Winfried Schafer was on hand to watch 24 local based players for the first time since taking charge of the national team. The German oversaw a squad match featuring the local players at the at the JFF Training Centre at the UWI field.

Since taking charge, the 63-year-old Schafer has been busy scouting and talking to several key overseas-based players including the skipper of Leicester City Westley Morgan. Morgan is regarded as the best centre back in the Championship and may be a replacement for the injured Nyron Nosworthy. Schafer confirmed that he saw some new players while in England, but refused to name the players are on the list.

Following yesterday's squad match at the JFF Training Centre which saw the Yellow team defeating the Green team 2-1, Schafer said he saw good things and he was not surprised as he knows the football in Jamaica. He also stated that two players caught his eyes but it was not fair to the players to call names at this time.

When asked by the local media if an invitation had been sent to former Birmingham City Marlon King Schafer smiled and said that he spoke to king and he expressed a desire to play for Jamaica.

Coach Schafer did admit that he would love to see more of the local players as the one off game was inadequate. The list of players would be made available on Monday and the overseas contingent is expected to start arriving on September 2.

The Reggae Boyz are currently at the bottom of the six-team group on two points behind Panama (six), Honduras (seven), Mexico (eight), Costa Rica (11), and the United States of America (13) with only four games remaining.

The local squad consisted of Andre Clennon, Daemion Benjamin, Renae Lloyd, Gariece McPherson, Montrose Phinn, Dicoy Williams, John-Ross Edwards, Wolry Wolfe, Allan Ottey, Jacomeno Barrett, Adrian Reid, Rosario Harriott, Ewan Grandison, Levaughn Williams, Linval Lewis, Francois Swaby, Jameel Thompson, Keammar Daley, Richard McCallum, Hughan Gray, Jermaine Anderson and Marvin Morgan. Read more on "local ballers try to impress Schafer" in the forum

New coach for the Reggae Boyz
July 19, 2013
The head of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), president Captain Horace Burrell, recently announced the appointment of German Winfried 'Winnie' Schafer as head coach of the Reggae Boyz, effective immediately. The national senior team has been without a coach since Theordore Whitmore was asked to resign after the disappointing loss to Honduras in their World Cup game in June. Vin Blaine, head of the Jamaica women’s program, was named to assist Schafer for the remainder of the campaign.

The 63-year-old Schafer is highly respected for his achievements in German club football and brings a wealth of experience to the ReggaeBoyz. In 2002, he led Cameroon to African Cup of Nations title as well as the World Cup finals. He was also instrumental in Cameroon’s runners-up spot in the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2003. As a player, Schafer represented Borussia Msnchengladbach and Karlsruher SC in the German Bundesliga.

Although faced with a daunting task, Schafer said that he is ready to revive Jamaica's 2014 World Cup campaign and took the job as he believes in the Jamaican players and their chances of qualifying. “With the right attitude, team chemistry and national spirit, the sky is the limit” Schafer added. Known for meticulous preparation, Schafer has made it clear that he was not in Jamaica to change the style of play, but more to change the mentality of the players.

The Reggae Boyz, who are still searching for their first win in their final round World Cup Qualifiers, sit at the bottom of the six-team table on two points from six matches. Captain Burrell said that efforts are already underway to secure a game on the FIFA date in August possibly against a South American opponent. Schafer's first qualifying game will be against Panama in Panama City on September 6.
Read more in the forum.

Whitmore steps down as Jamaica coach
KINGSTON, Jamaica -- After his team dropped three World Cup qualifiers during an eight-day span, Theodore Whitmore has resigned Wednesday as Jamaica head coach. Jamaica Football Federation President Horace Burrell said that a new coach would be hired within a few days.

After opening the final qualifying round with a pair of ties, including an impressive 0-0 result against Mexico at the Estadio Azteca, Jamaica has lost four consecutive matches. Burrell said that a "coach's tenure depends on the results" and the team's performance under Whitmore has "not been good."

Jamaica failed to qualify for the Gold Cup for the first time since 2007, falling in the Caribbean Cup last year after winning it in 2010. "Following a string of poor performances by our national team, where we've played six matches so far - we have two points, we have two goals - and stemming from the last performance ... another result which could've been considered poor," Burrell shared at a press conference held in Honduras prior to the contingent's departure. "I requested a meeting with coach Whitmore. The meeting was called at 0100 hours and following that meeting, coach Whitmore took the decision to tender his resignation. Having tendered that resignation, I accepted."

Whitmore, 40, a former Jamaican international who starred for the Reggae Boyz in their sole World Cup appearance at France 1998, became the second Jamaica coach to lose his job in Honduras. Brazilian Rene Simoes was sacked by Burrell after a loss virtually eliminated the side from World Cup contention in 2008.

He scored two goals in Jamaica's lone win of the 1998 World Cup in a 2-1 win over Japan, talling 24 times in 104 international appearances. The Jamaicans, who reached the hexagonal for the first time since 2001, won't play another qualifier until a Sept. 6 encounter at Panama. They will host Costa Rica four days later. More in the forum.

Reggae Boyz go down 0-1 to Mexico
June 5, 2013
Jamaica's Reggae Boyz World Cup campaign hit the back-pedal as they went down 0-1 to Mexico at the National Stadium last night. Jesus Aldo de Nigris scored the lone goal in the 48th minute to give the Mexicans a crucial win.
Jamaica made a brisk start as they confidently knocked the ball around taking the game to the Mexicans and to the surprise of many in attendance.

It was Mexico's that first came close to scoring when Zavala Jesus's header took a deflection off a Jamaican defender narrowly missing Jamaica's goal

The Boyz had several looks at the Mexican goal and almost found a way through with a quick give and go between Ryan Johnson and Jhevaughn Watson but an outstretched Mexican defender broke it up to the disappointment of the Jamaican supporters.

Late in the half the visitors just missed getting on the scoreboard when a strike from Mexico's Javier Hernandez just grazed Donovan Ricketts' fingers and crashed off the post. Both teams ended the first half scoreless

On the resumption, it was Mexico that got the advantage in the 48th minute with a left sided cross from Hernandez finding the head of an unmarked de Nigris who put it in the back of the Jamaican net.

Jamaica missed a glorious opportunity to level the score midway in the half as Jermaine Beckford found himself unmarked but his header bounced into the ground and went wide of the post.

With the win, Mexico now moves to the top of the six-team standing on six points one more than Panama with Costa Rica, USA and Honduras on four points each and Jamaica at the bottom of the table on two points.

Jamaica will next play the United States inside the National Stadium on Friday.

Boyz hold Tottenham Hotspur to 0-0 draw
May 24
Jamaica's Reggae Boyz and English Primer League team Tottenham Hotspur played to 0-0 draw in an exhibition game at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium In the Bahamas. The game was the first ever played at the new venue.

Tottenham got in to their stride as early as the eight minute when the skillful England forward Jermaine Defoe got by the Jamaica defense but his shot from a difficult angle ended in the side netting. The Reggae Boyz remained composed and unfazed by their more celebrated opponents and used the counter-attack to their advantage. Jermaine Hue, wearing the captain’s armband, and former Preseton North End man Keammar Daley looked good in midfield as they supported Jeremie Lynch and Vancouver Whitecap’s Darren Mattocks up front.

Mattocks was the first to test Tottenham’s Brad Friedel in goal when he blasted a 20-yard scorcher that was blocked by the experienced keeper. The Boyz again threatened in the 32nd minute as Hue played a nice ball wide to Daley who charged down the left side cutting inside of Kyle Walker before releasing a low drive that beat Friedel but unfortunately it was stopped by the post. Spurs again found themselves on the defensive in the 35th minute when Evan Taylor played a scoop shot goalward with Lynch chasing only to be beaten to the final touch as Friedel came to the rescue.

Hue again showed some magic just before the end of the half playing a ball to Mattocks down the right side who in turn was brought down by Totteham’s Michael Dawson as he made his run towards the goal.

The second half saw Jamaica in a defensive posture for long periods as Tottenham’s Gylfi Sigurdsson, Emmanuel Adebayor took the attack to them. Against the run of play the Boyz produced another opportunity in the 75th minute when Mattocks forced a block from substitute goalkeeper Hugo Lloris but Hue following up on the rebound failed to find the net. Minutes later Lloris was called to action again as he tipped a Lynch shot from distance over the crossbar. Tottenham found the back of Jamaica’s net late in the game but it was ruled an offside by the referee.

Jamaica will end their 12-day pre-World Cup camp with another match against the Bahamas national team on May 31.

Jamaica --- Richard McCallum (Andre Blake 45th), Daniel Gordon, Alvas Powell, Xavian Virgo, Obrian Woodbine, Damion Williams, Jermaine Hue (Montrose Phinn 71st), Keammar Daley (Jermaine Johnson 66th), Evan Taylor, Darren Mattocks, Jeremie Lynch. Subs not used: Rodolph Austin.

Tottenham Hotspur --- Brad Friedel (Hugo Lloris 45th), Jake Livermore, Steven Caulker, Michael Dawson, Kyle Naughton (Benoit Assou-Ekotto 40th), Kyle Walker, Mousa Dembele (Gareth Bale (60th), Gylfi Sigurdsson, Ryan Mason, Lewis Holtby, Jermaine Defoe (Emmanuel Adebayor 45th).
Read more and join the discussion in the forum

Costa Rica blanks Jamaica 2-0
March 27
A goal in each half by Costa Rica pushed Jamaica to the bottom of the six-team table in its World Cup Qualifying campaign at the Estadio Nacional in Costa Rica. The win was the first for Costa Rica in three games lifting it out of last place on four points while Jamaica sits on two points after ties with Mexico, Panama and the loss to Costa Rica.

Playing in front of a capacity crowd, it was the Reggae Boyz who looked the better team when they created a chance in the third minute, forcing a save from Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas. Costa Rica responded to the early wake-up call as both teams battled in an evenly matched game swinging from end to end.

But it was the home team that went ahead in the 22nd minute when Alvaro Saborio released Michael Umaña who fired a shot past Jamaican goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts. The Reggae Boyz had a chance to level the score in the 43rd minute when Luton Shelton worked his way past three defenders in the penalty area but his point-blank shot was saved by Navas.

On the resumption of the second half Jamaica push for the equalizer and came close in the 57th minutes when Marvin Elliott's shot from 25-yards out drifted just wide. Costa Rica maintained a slight edge over the Boyz with their close marking and strong challenges on the slowing Jamaican team. The Reggae Boyz survived a scare in 77th minute when Joel Campbell provided a well placed pass to  Saborio, who failed to connect from close range.

Cost Rica sealed the game with eight minutes left on the clock as second-half substitute Diego Calvo dribbled into the left side of the Jamaican box, eluded three defenders and curled a beautiful shot inside the far post to give his team a 2-0 lead.

With the poor showing against Panama and now the loss to Costa Rica, some Reggae Boyz supporters are calling for the sacking of coach Theodore Whitmore while others blame the influx of English based players as the cause of the uninspired  performances. Jamaica returns to qualifying action on June 4 hosting Mexico, while Costa Rica will visit Honduras three days later. Read more the fan opinions in the forum.

Jamaica and Panama play to 1-1 draw
March 23, 2013
Jamaica's Reggae Boyz played to a 1-1 draw with the visiting Panama on Friday in a CONCACAF World Cup qualifier at the National Stadium.

Jamaica took the lead in the 22nd minute when Marvin Elliott headed a well placed Demar Phillips' right-sided corner kick inside the far post. It was the first-ever goal for the 28-year-old Elliott wearing the Jamaican colors.

Panama came close to scoring three minutes before the break, when a lunging Blas Perez just failed to connect on a low cross from Leonel Parris.

Panama fought back and found the equalizer in the 66th minute when Luis Henriquez fired a shot from distance that took a deflection and bounced past a diving Donovan Ricketts in goal. Late in the game Jamaica almost found the winner when Garath McCleary's shot from 18-yards out drifted just beyond the left post.

Both sides have two points from their opening two Hexagonal games and sit two points behind first-place Honduras. Jamaica will next travels to Costa Rica while Panama will welcome Honduras next Tuesday

In other games the United States defeated Costa Rica 1-0 and Honduras scored twice late in the second half to rally for a 2-2 draw with Mexico

pHoQrY from the half line - Jamaica v Panama 2013-3-22
pHoQry (Forum Member)
At first I thought the boys were playing a wait and see posture, as I have alluded to before, the tactics of mistakes, pulling Panama in so they expose their weaknesses. It seemed true to form when we mounted our first attack, and had Panama panicky.
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Jamaica to face Panama and Costa Rica in upcoming CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers
Jamaica's Reggae Boyz will play host to Panama on Friday at the national stadium before traveling to Costa Rica the following Tuesday in their upcoming CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers. The Boyz are looking to build on an impressive 0-0 draw against Mexico that took place inside the Estadio Azteca on February 6. Jamaica is currently in joint second place, with one point, in the hexagonal, alongside Panama, Costa Rica and Mexico and two points behind early leaders Honduras, who defeated the pointless USA 2-1.

Named in the 24-man Reggae Boyz squad is newcomer, HUDDERSFIELD Town's Jermaine Beckford, who told Jamaican football fans to “expect the unexpected” after he arrived in the island along with Town teammate Theo Robinson on Sunday. Other UK-based players arriving for the game includeed new invitee Lloyd Doyley, recalled Omar Daley, Jermaine Johnson, Rodolph Austin, Nyron Nosworthy and Jobi McAnuff .

Beckford, who has notched four goals in 15 appearances for Town, said it is an amazing opportunity to represent Jamaica in the qualifying tournament. Defender Lloyd Doyley, is also getting his first international cap and is a strong player capable of playing in any position in defense. Also named in the 24-man squad is Jamaica's all-time leading goalscorer Luton Shelton who missed the game against Mexico due to an injury.

With regard to the 24-man squad called for the next two games, head coach Theodore Whitmore said all the players have a chance to be included in the starting line-up and it is up to the coaching staff to come up with the best possible 11 from the group selected. Assistant head coach Alfredo Montesso is also confident of the players called, hinting that he is expecting a good game against Panama since they are playing at home and with the with the quality of players now at their disposal.

The full squad is: Donovan Ricketts, Dwayne Miller, Duwayne Kerr, Jermaine Taylor, Nyron Nosworthy, Adrian Mariappa, Omar Daley, Demar Phillips, Rodolph Austin, Marvin Elliott, Lloyd Doyley, Dane Richards, Joel McAnuff, Jermaine Johnson, Garath McCleary, Theo Robinson, Je-Vaughn Watson, Tramaine Stewart, Ryan Johnson, Jermaine Beckford, Luton Shelton. Alvas Powell, André Lewis and Jermaine Hue. Read more in the forum

Historic point for Jamaica in Mexico
MEXICO CITY -- Jamaica achieved one of the most impressive results in its footballing history on Wednesday, drawing 0-0 with Mexico in the opening match for each in the final round of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying for Brazil 2014.

After seven straight losses to the CONCACAF powerhouse in Mexico City, the Reggae Boyz captured its first-ever point at the renowned Estadio Azteca on the strength of outstanding play from goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts and a well-implemented game plan that kept Mexico largely at bay.

The result should not come as a complete surprise. In their last World Cup Qualifying encounter on October 11, 2008, the Jamaicans defeated visiting Mexico 1-0 in Kingston thanks to a first-half goal by Ricardo Fuller.

Arguably, the best chance of the game fell to Jamaica in only the 8th minute. Garath McCleary delivered a cross from the right that his Reading teammate Jobi McAnuff managed to direct towards the goal and off the post. The rebound came back to McAnuff, who ---with the goal at his mercy - took a shot that Mexico goalkeeper José de Jesús Corona raced back across the goal mouth to save.

The host started to assert itself more in the following minutes with Giovani Dos Santos coercing a stop from Ricketts and Andres Guardado spraying a speculative attempt over the crossbar from 25-yards out.

Just before the half hour mark, Jamaica's Rodolph Austin intercepted a poor throw-in and sprinted into the left side of the Mexican box. The Leeds United midfielder took a left-footed shot that Corona nonchalantly tipped over the crossbar for a corner kick.

Before the break, Mexico's Jorge Torres Nilo sprung a 30-yard effort that glided past the right post.

El Tri came out flying to open the second half, with Oribe Peralta setting up Hector Herrera and then the Santos star went wide himself just seconds later.

In the 64th minute, Javier Hernandez forced a tremendous save from Ricketts. Carlos Salcido followed-up swiftly, but he blazed high.

Jamaica could have won the game in the 68th off a miscue from Guardado. Ryan Johnson gained possession of the ball in the middle of the field and easily beat Salcido, before his weak shot rolled harmlessly into the waiting hands of Corona.

Hernandez had opportunities in the 89th minute and in stoppage time, but headed wide and then saw Ricketts come up big once again.

The result leaves both teams on one point, two behind group leader Honduras, which beat the United States 2-1 earlier in the day.

In their next qualifiers, Mexico heads to Honduras for a March 22 encounter, while Jamaica - which did not qualify for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup -- hosts Panama the same day. Read more in the forum

Whitmore Rallies Troops Ahead of Final Round of Qualification
Jan 29, 2013: Jarkko Heleniu
Theodore Whitmore, the head coach of Reggae Boyz,, was in a determined mood at the press launch of St. James Football Associations Sandals/ATL Senior League at Sandals Caribbean, where he was a keynote speaker. Talking of lack of funding and disappointment at last year’s Caribbean Football Union’s (CFU) Championships, he was convinced they wouldn’t stand in the way of progress in the coming final stage of CONCACAF World Cup qualification.

“Have these challenges dimmed my expectation and anticipation? Absolutely not. They have only served to strengthen my resolve and so it should all of us”, Whitmore stated. “We have created history in all parts of the world. We have done so not only in sports, but also in academia, commerce, science and technology, music and culture.”

It won’t be easy for Jamaica to repeat the heroics of 1998 and qualify for the World Cup for second time, though. Still, Whitmore was full of belief.

“We can qualify for Brazil 2014; it is within us to do so. We are 10 official games and nine months away. History beckons, let us all embrace this opportunity by joining hands and rallying around a common cause”, Whitmore said, before adding: “In life we oftentimes have small windows to create history. Let’s not lose this time. Let’s not miss this opportunity by focusing on our differences; the time to embrace a common goal is now.”

The Reggae Boyz are in more dire need of qualification than they’ve ever been. In a country struggling to develop a proper football culture, a qualification for World Cup could provide momentum for growth and, according to Whitmore, be “the turning point towards a more sustainable growth of our football programme.”

USA and Mexico are the biggest favorites of the Hexagonal series to reach two of the three spots straight to the World Cup, meanwhile Reggae Boyz will likely be grappling with Honduras and Costa Rica for the 3rd spot - or for 4th place that would give them a chance in the inter-continental playoff. Whitmore knows reaching World Cup is hard: “it is extremely difficult for small and developing countries. When we qualified in 1998 all these countries did not take us seriously; they all let their guards down… All that has changed, however. We are no longer seen as a country without football substance. In fact, countries are no longer leaving anything to chance where Jamaica is concerned.”

Finally Whitmore raised the point against lack of funding that the Reggae Boyz have to co-exist with. Notably he pointed out to the last two meetings against USA - where USA players were flown immediately straight back to Ohio for return leg, as opposed to Jamaican team having to endure almost 20 hours of travel. “All this proved very detrimental to our pre-game preparation, physically, tactically and psychologically.”

Should funding situation improve, Whitmore has faith that Jamaica could compete on similar level to CONCACAF giants Mexico and USA. As things stand, it’s the biggest difference between the countries. “It will continue to be so until greater support is secured for our campaign,” Whitmore proclaimed, before adding that level playing field is achievable. “However, at a minimum, we need to ensure all the basics covered for our preparation and participation.”

Jamaica will start their final stage of the qualification on February 6th against Mexico at Estadio Azteca. Next two matches will be in March, 22nd and 26th, with Jamaica hosting first Panama and then travelling to Estadio Nacional to face Costa Rica. It will be a start of a thrilling year for Reggae Boyz - here’s to hoping it won’t end in a disappointment.

What's the next step for the Reggae Boyz?
Jan 1, 2013
With the horrible performance at the recent CFU Championship, where the defending champions Jamaica was eliminated at the preliminary stage of the competition, The Reggae Boyz will open their Hexagonal round of the Brazil 2014 play-offs against Mexico on February 6 with very little preparations for the final round of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying play-offs.

All the teams including Jamaica, will play a total of 10 matches, to be concluded in October 2013, when the three automatic qualifiers from CONCACAF will be decided. With Jamaica's early elimination from the CFU Championship they have also failed to qualify for the CONCACAF Gold Cup in the USA next summer. The Gold Cup was regarded as a great game opportunity and very important part of the team's planned practice games.

With Jamaica having matches in February, March, three in June (over the course of eight days), September and October, going into these game with little or no quality practice match a will be a hard pill to swallow but it must be swallowed indeed and they must learn from it's bitter taste.

Another major hurdle is the coaching/technical staff. In response to the fiasco, JFF President Captain Horace Burrell's has asked for a review from the technical committee. In doing so, the JFF president will be able to determine if there is need for any form of re-enforcement for the technical staff, or to see if the technical staff is competent in taking the team forward.

Although Burrell has publicly stated that the job of head coach Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore was safe, Whitmore it seems has hit a wall as he hasn't been able to motivate the team to play above the sub-par standards that they are displaying. This has happen too often, and mostly with the same group of players which failed time and time again. Many supporters debate that basically no matter how many times some of these players have failed it is likely we'll will see these out of form performers in the squad in February.

Since the Jamaica Football Federation has the overall responsibility for the country's football it is ultimately their responsibility to do what needs to be done to have Jamaica moving forward, meeting the world's competitive standards, and to avoid the entire WC campaign turning out into a monumental waste of time, money and an emotional deflation of the Reggae Boyz supporters.

Reggae Boyz stunned by 2-1 loss in their opening CFU Caribbean Championship game
Dec 9, 2012
Defending champion Jamaica went down to a surprising 2-1 loss to French Guiana in their opening CFU Caribbean Championship Group B game at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium Saturday night. The result places the Reggae Boyz at the bottom of Group B alongside Cuba as they lost 0-1 to Martinique in the other game.

Although Jamaica looked the dominant team early in the game, they fell behind in the 19th minute by virtue of an own goal. Against the run of play, Jean Claude Darchville picked up a long ball and made a run goal wards before crossing to Gary Pigree whose shot on goal was touched by a Jamaican defender to give French Guiana the lead. Jamaica rallied quickly and three minutes later Tramaine Stewart found the equalizer with a shot that gave goalkeeper Laurent Pecthy no chance.
The half ended 1-1

French Guiana made a brisk second half start and regained the lead in the 48th minute when Rudy Evens' took a low shot that deflectied pass Miller in goal. Jamaica pressed but their opponents stood firm defending their 2-1 lead.

One of the bright sparks for Jamaica was the veteran Ricardo "Bibi" Gardner who was excellent on the ball tonight. He played like a real veteran calm and composed when in possession. Unfortunately it seems that again poor team selection cost Jamaica the game.

The Boyz will next face Martinique in a must-win game, while French Guiana will go against Cuba at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium.

Jamaica: Dwayne Miller, Shavar Thomas, Montrose Phinn, Andrae Campbell (Ricardo Gardner 57th), Xavian Virgo, Demar Phillips, Jason Morrison, Keammar Daley, Jermaine Hue (Darren Mattocks 52nd), Ryan Johnson (Omar Cummings 52nd), Tramaine Stewart.Subs not used: Duwayne Kerr, Jacomeno Barrett, Dicoy Williams, Alvas Powell, Roahn Reid, Lamar Nelson, Lovel Palmer, Lamar Nelson, Jermaine Anderson, Ewan Grandison. Booked: Thomas (54th)
Read or join the discussion in the forum

Reggae Boyz Looking into English-Based Reinforcements
Jarkko Helenius - Sports Writer
October 29, 2012
The scouting team of Jamaican Football Federation (JFF) is heading to UK for a 12-day scouting mission, where they will be watching five matches to take a closer look - and possibly approach - nine different English-based players with eligibility to represent Jamaica. The aim of the mission is clear: to bolster Jamaica's squad as much as possibly for their World Cup Qualification.

Looking to Get The Best Eleven For Qualifiers
While taking a look at new players, the trio of JFF president Captain Horace Burell, head coach Theodore Whitmore and assistant Alfredo Montesso will also hold discussions with current players of the Reggae Boyz set-up. "One of the things we'll be doing when we go to the United Kingdom is sit with the clubs and players and have a fulsome discussion on all the issues and unite the family, because the best 11 is going to be on that field — no two ways about that," said Burrell. "We have a player in David Hoilett who was in Jamaica and watched one of the games. We have another player who was so excited he even had his wife speak with me. That player is Jermaine Beckford."

The list of possible players to be looked at is as follows:
Jermaine Beckford, 29, Huddersfield Town
Jobi McAnuff, 31, Reading
Nathan Dyer, 24, Swansea
Shaun Cummings, 23, Reading
Gareth McCleary, 25, Reading
David Hoilett, 22, QPR
Theo Robinson, 23, Derby County
Danny Simpson, 25, Newcastle United
James Perch, 27, Newcastle United
Liverpool Wonderkid for Jamaica?

The JFF trio will also be enquiring of Liverpool's wonderkid Raheem Sterling about his willingness to pull on the national colors of Jamaica. Sterling has already received England call-up, but as he has not yet represented them in an international match, according to FIFA regulations he is still eligible to play of Jamaica. Although hopeful, it is unlikely, that Sterling would opt for Jamaica despite being of a Jamaican descent.

"We'll"l not assume anything, but to ascertain the facts. The policy of the JFF... the player has to be wanting to wear the Jamaican colors. We're not interested in any players who have no interest. That's not what this trip is about,"Burrell commented on the matter.

Regardless, it will be interesting times for the Reggae Boyz fans as the team could see much needed reinforcements joining before the final round of qualifying begins...More in the forum

Jamaica advance with 4-1 victory over Antigua and Barbuda
October 17, 2012
Jamaica's Reggae Boyz advanced into the final round of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying following a 4-1 win over Antigua and Barbuda at the National Stadium last night.

The result leaves Jamaica as the only Caribbean team in the six-team "hexagonal" round and second in their group behind the United States' on 13 points with Jamaica and Guatemala ending on 10 point. Jamaica advances because of their plus-three goal differential.

Demar Phillips opened the scoring from a Jermaine Hue pass in the 16th minute when he struck a left-footed drive that skipped once in front of the net and past Antigua keeper Molvin James. Two minutes later Nyron Nosworthy headed home from a Rodolph Austin left-sided corner scoring his first goal for Jamaica. The Boyz continued their push for goals and came close with Hue having a chance cleared off the line and Stewart's effort saved by goalkeeper Molvin James.

Antigua's Quinton Griffith pulled one back when he scored in the 61st minute Griffith with a right-footed free kick from 27 meters out.

Jamaica continued their rampage with some hard work from Rodolph Austin who created the third goal in the 78th minute. After a series of interplays, he evaded the Antigua and Barbuda defence and going wide inside the penalty box he pulled the ball back for Richards to slot home and put the Boyz further ahead.

Richards sealed the issue in the 78th minute after receiving a pin point accurate diagonal pass from Jerry Hue, to tap home pass the advancing keeper. More in the forum | Player Game Ratings

Reggae Boyz World Cup hopes dims with loss against Guatemala
October 12, 2012
A 85th minute goal from Carlos Ruiz sunk Jamaica in a 2-1 loss in their crucial world cup qualifying game tonight against Guatemala at the Estadio Nacional Mateo Flores. The victory places Guatemala on the verge of advancing to the final round of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.

Guatemala took the lead in the 16th minute when Carlos Figueroa got past the Jamaican defenders and then chipped a ball over Dwayne Miller from nine meters out. Showing some determination, the Boyz fought back and were able to mount some quality attacks with near misses on goal from Luton Shelton and Ryan Johnson.

Jamaica was able to pull level with a Luton Shelton penalty after Dane Richards was fouled by Contreras with a scissors-like tackle just inside the box. The goal was Shelton's second in three games during qualifying, adding to the winner he had in a 2-1 victory over the United States in September.

With five minutes left in the game Guatemala pressed for the winner with a long range shot from substitute Gregory Ruiz that slipped through Miller’s hands for a corner. Contreras' in-swinging corner kick led to a glancing header by Ruiz to send Jamaica home with a loss.The result now forces The Reggae Boyz in a must win against Antigua and Barbuda at ‘The Office’ next Tuesday.

Teams: Jamaica - Dwayne Miller, Nyron Nosworthy, Shavar Thomas, Demar Phillips, Lovell Palmer, Jermaine Taylor, Jason Morrison, Jermaine Hue (Tramaine Stewart 83rd), Je-Vaughn Watson (Dane Richards 42nd), Ryan Johnson (Omar Cummings 77th), Luton Shelton.
Subs not used: Jacomeno Barrett, DuWayne Kerr, Dicoy Williiams, Andrae Campbell, Rodolph Austin, Ewan Grandison, Adrian Mariappa, Joel Senior
Booked: Nosworthy (53rd), Morrison (76th)...follow the game discussion in the forum

Boyz fall 1-0 to USA in World Cup Qualifer
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Sept. 12, 2012
A well taken freekick by Herculez Gomez in the 55th minute gave the United States a 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Jamaica on Tuesday night at the Columbus Crew Stadium - Columbus, Ohio. Jamaica won the first encounter against the USA 2-1 at Jamaica on Friday.The win takes Americans (2-1-1, seven points) into the CONCACAF Group A lead over Guatemala (2-1-1) and Jamaica third (2-1-1) trails by goal difference.

Playing in front of a capacity crowd, the USA totally dominated the Reggae Boyz and were unlucky not to have won by a wider margin. The US had three shots rattle the Reggae Boyz woodwork in the first half. Dwayne Miller in goal for the Jamaica kept like a champion and made some impressive saves to keep Jamaica alive in the game.

Gomez gave the USA the goal they needed off a free kick 9 minutes into the second half. The Reggae Boyz midfielder, Rodolph Austin, one of Jamaica's heroes in its win on Friday, committed a foul on Clint Dempsey some 20 meters out. Gomez then curled a right-footed shot toward the upper right corner that deflected off Goalkeeper Dwayne Miller hand into the net for Gomez's fifth international goal.

The U.S. will complete the semifinal round at Antigua on Oct. 12 before hosting Guatemala at home on Oct. 16.The Reggae Boyz will visit Guatemala on Oct. 12 and host Antigua four days later. Join the game discussion in the forum.

Jamaica carves out historic win over the USA
Sept. 8, 2012
Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz defeated the United States 2 to 1 in their World Cup qualifier at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. The historic win puts Jamaica in the lead of Group A with 7 points in the semifinal round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying..

The USA struck early to open the score 38 seconds in the first half when Maurice Edu sent a ball down the right side to Herculez Gomez, who turned inside Adrian Mariappa and fired from close range. Goalkeeper Dwayne Miller parried the first shot, and defender Nyron Nosworthy blocked a second with his chest but Clint Dempsey collected the rebound just outside the six, and easily converted in an empty goal.

Jamaica then settled and constantly pushed forward threatening the US goal. Midfielder Rodolph Austin, who had an outstanding game, was constantly fouled on runs toward the top of the box. The Boyz were rewarded in the 24th minute after Austin was fouled 28 meters from goal. Austin's resulting free kick took a deflection off the inside of Beckerman's right foot and it slipped past Tim Howard in goal. The goal energize the Reggae Boyz who were quicker to balls, and had the better of passion but neither side were able to generate many goal scoring chances for the remainder of the first half.

Jamaica maintained their positive play in the second half and in the 62minute created the historic moment. The dangerous Austin again dribbled toward the box and a lunging Beckerman forced him inside where Jermaine Jones tripped Austin to give up another free kick. Shelton’s brilliant right footed free kick curled just over the wall and deflected in off the left post past a diving Howard to the delight of the a near capacity and jubilant crowd.

From then on Jamaica maintained possession moving the ball around and defending firmly at times as the Americans did everything to get back into the game.

The victory is the first for Jamaica in 21 games between the two countries with the USA on 11 victories with nine matches drawn.

Jamaica and the USA will renew rivalry in the return leg next Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio. At the end of this semi-final round, the top two teams from each of the three groups will advance to the final round with the top-three advancing automatically to the Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup Finals. Join the discussions in the forum

Whitmore names squad for USA World Cup qualifers
Sept. 2, 2012
Head coach of Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz, Theodore Whitmore, named a squad of 24 players for their home-and-away games against the United States in Group A World Cup qualifiers in Kingston, Jamaica on Friday, September 7 and four days later in Columbus, Ohio. The list features nine players from the United States Major League Soccer.

Among the US based players is the on form and exciting rookie Darren Mattocks who is strongly tipped as a candidate for the rookie of the year award this season. Mattocks, know for his ability to score goals, had an impressive 39 goals from 47 appearances playing for Akron University. Drafted into the MLS by the Vancouver Whitecaps in January the speedy player leads his team scoring with seven goals in 13 games for a conversion rate of 50 per cent. The 22 year old player debuted for the Reggae Boyz on August 15 in a friendly international against El Salvador, coming on as second half substitute in Jamaica's 2-0 win.

Also included in the squad is defensive duo of Adrian Mariappa and Nyron Nosworthy. Since making their national debut in a 1-0 win over Guyana both players have put a lock on the central defense and will now mark their fifth game together for the Reggae Boyz. The enforcer, Rodolph Austin, who was recently signed for Leeds United and striker Luton Shelton are also back in the lineup.

Missing from the list are left sided defender Demar Phillips, out due to injury, Ricardo Fuller and Keeper Donovan Ricketts. Dwayne Miller of Swedish club Syrianska, is expected to start in goal against the United States.

The Full Squad:
GOALKEEPERS: Dwayne Miller (Syrianska, Sweden), Jacomeno Barrett (Montego Bay United), Duwayne Kerr (Strommen, Norway)
DEFENDERS: Shavar Thomas (Montreal Impact), Dicoy Williams (Toronto FC), Adrian Mariappa (Reading, England), O’Brian Woodbine (VPS, Finland), Jermaine Taylor (Houston Dynamo), Andrae Campbelll (Notodden, Norway), Nyron Nosworthy (Watford, England), Lovel Palmer (Portland Timbers).
MIDFIELDERS: Dane Richards (Vancouver Whitecaps), JeVaughn Watson (Houston Dynamo), Errol Stevens (Arnett Gardens, Jamaica), Rodolph Austin (Leeds United, England), Jason Morrison (Aaelsund, Norway), Ewan Grandison (Portmore United), Joel Senior (Harbour View)
FORWARDS: Darren Mattocks (Vancouver Whitecaps), Omar Cummings (Colorado Rapids), Kavin Bryan (Vicem Hai Phong, Vietnam), Ryan Johnson (Toronto FC), Luton Shelton (Karabukspor, Turkey), Tramaine Stewart (Aalesund, Norway). Follow the full discussion in the forum

Jamaica 2, El Salvador 0
August 16, 2012
Luton Shelton scored a goal in each half to give the Reggae Boyz its third straight win over El Salvador. Shelton scored in the 16th and 66th minutes as Jamaica extended its unbeaten streak against "Los Cuscatlecos" to nine straight. El Salvador's last victory was a 2-0 win in San Salvador in a World Cup qualifier in 2000.

In the 16th minute Shelton put the Reggae Boyz ahead he picked up a pass from Ryan Johnson and evaded his marker on the left of the penalty box and skillyfully hit a firm left footer inside Dagoberto Portillo’s right hand post.

Jamaica extended their lead in the 66th when Johnson again provided Shelton after teasing his marker all the way down the left flank then sending a looping cross from the goal line for Shelton to head home.

The result sent El Salvador home with a win and a loss in their two-game tour to the United States, having beaten Guatemala 1-0 on Saturday in Los Angeles.

Jamaica's next game will be against the African side Kenya in Hartford, Connecticut on August 25. It is expected that mainly locally-based players will be in action as that date is not a FIFA-sanctioned date for international matches.

Boyz to square off against Kenya in friendly
July 30, 2012
Jamaica's Reggae Boyz and the Kenyan National soccer team will square off for an international Friendly at Rentschler field, Connecticut, on Saturday, August 25, 2012 at 7pm.

This game follows another friendly for Jamaica on August 15 against Central American outfit El Salvador at the RFK Stadium in Washington. The Boyz will be using both August games to prepare for their back-to-back CONCACAF World Cup qualifying matches against the USA on September 7 in Kingston and four days later in Ohio. Jamaica and the USA are tied on four points apiece to top the group with Guatemala and Antigua and Barbuda trailing on one point each.

The match also kicks off the first leg of Kenya's National soccer team U. S tour, with additional stops scheduled for Minnesota and else where as part of their preparation for the Brazilian world cup finals qualifier which starts against Nigeria on March 22, 2013.

Each national team will feature their European and MLS star players. Jamaica football Federation's President, Captain Horace Burrell, has given his blessings to his national team players for this match and promise to be present at the match, while Kenyan Football federation's President Mr. Sam Nyamweya has confirmed his European player/s presence for the match also.

In this public manner, we want to extend our words of condolence and sympathy to Mr. Sam Nyamweya, for the death of his brother. Please remember that in the night of death, hope sees a star, and listening love can hear the rustle of a wing. May his soul rest in peace with the lord, Amen!

Kenya's squad led by team captain and forward Dennis Oliech, Who spend the last 7 years with France top professional league AJ Auxerre, now plays forward for Kas?mpa?a S.K in Turkey. Other noticable players include forwards Taiwo Atieno, Patrick Oboya , and the well travel midfielder McDonald Mariga Wanyama, who played for Italian Serie A club Parma, Inter Milan, and, Real Sociedad in Spain, alone with central defender Pascal Ochieng.

Jamaica's Reggae Boyz roster will include national team central defender Jermaine Taylor, who currently plays for Houston Dynamo in the Major League Soccer, and midfielder, Je-Vaughn Watson also with the Houston Dynamo. Nigel Neita of the English Premier league club Arsenal' whose international call-up for Jamaica's friendly against Costa Rica in March will also be present.

Tickets for this first-ever matchup between these two soccer giants go on sale on Monday, August 30, 2012 at 10:00 am. Tickets range from $40, $50 and $60, with majority of seats listed at $50 or less. FOR TICKETS CALL 1-800 745-3000 OR VISIT TICKETMASTER.COM.
Read more and join the discussion in the Fotum

Antigua hold Boyz to 0-0 stalemate
June 13, 2012
Jamaica's Reggae Boyz displayed an uninspiring performance in their 0-0 stalemate against a robust Antigua and Barbuda team in their Group A CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying football match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Tuesday night.The tie now puts Jamaica on four points in Group A of the semi-final phase of the play-offs, the same as the USA whose game against Guatemala also ended in a tie.

The Antiguans showed no respect for The Reggae Boyz and at times out hustled their much-fancied opponents. Jamaica, although having the better of play and dominant possession, were unable to penetrate the strong Antiguan backline. At times the Reggae Boyz seemed at a lost for ideas in breaking down the Antiguans and resorted to playing long balls over the top with the aim for the speedy forwards out run their opponents. The lack of creative play from midfield was evident. 

Jamaica best chance came in the second half just after the hour mark, when Watson weave his way into the area and slipped a pass to Luton Shelton whose shot struck the right post and rebounded to the feet of Johnson who was unable to take advantage of the loose ball. In the end Jamaica should be happy with one point from this sub par performance as Antigua pressed them all the way. Both will return to World Cup qualifying in September, when Jamaica plays the United States at home and then away, and Antigua will travel first to Guatemala. Follow this discussion in the forum

Reggae Boyz victorious over Guatemala in World Cup qualifer
KINGSTON, Jamaica - Goals by Demar Phillips and Ryan Johnson propelled Jamaica to a 2-1 victory over Guatemala on Friday to open its bid for a berth in the 2014 World Cup. Jamaica is one of six seeded countries entering at the semi-finals phase of the CONCACAF play-offs. The top two teams from each group will advance to the six-team final phase playoff where the top three will qualify directly for Brazil.

After a nervous start from both teams Guatemala looked more determined early in the game as it launched a series of attacks but they were easily snuffed out by Jamaica. Reggae Boyz Luton Shelton , Demar Phillips and Dane Richards were the first to turn up the heat on their opponents by leading the charge with some good forward passes and runs that forced Guatemala into a defensive game. Jamaica should have taken the lead after 11 minutes as a tricky Shelton striker hustled his way through three Guatemalan defenders but was unable to pull the trigger at the crucial moment in the penalty box.

Jamaica suffered an early setback in the 17th minute as goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts somehow hurt himself and had to be replaced by Dwayne Miller. With the team starting to gel, Dane Richards was the next Jamaican coming close to scoring. After a series of passes between the Boyz, the speedy Richards received a clinical pass from Shelton at the top of the box and fired a shot that went inches over the crossbar.

The Reggae Boyz continued to turn up the heat as more players gained their confidence. It paid off in the 40th minute. The ever hustling Phillips put Jamaica ahead when he unleashed a tricky left footed shot that bounced awkwardly in front of goalkeeper Ricardo Jerez before settling in the back of the net to give Jamaica a well deserved lead just before the end of the first half.

The Boyz struck again within seconds at the start of the second half. A series of passes involving Shelton and Watson found Johnson alone with the ball and the goalkeeper at his mercy. Johnson made no mistake with the eventual winner scoring a composed shot from the top of the six-yard box.

Jamaica again came close to scoring with Austin hitting the cross bar with a vicious thirty yard shot in the 58th minute and again two minutes later from a 22 yard free kick which was again saved by the bar. With the team now fully confident of victory, they put on a display of slick pass and total domination of their opponents delighting the Jamaican supporters. Guatemala was able to pull a goal back as Dwight Pezzarossi scored two minutes into second-half injury time.

Jamaica will next travel to face Caribbean rival Antigua, which has beaten the Reggae Boyz only once in five meetings and Guatemala will return home to face the United States which beat Antigua and Barbuda 3-1 in their Group A opener. More in the Forum

Marlon King and Chris Humphrey released from squad
J une 3, 2012
News Release from the JFF
Jamaica Football Federation wishes to advise that Head Coach of the National Senior team, Theodore ‘Tappa’ Whitmore has taken the decision to drop Marlon King and Chris Humphrey from the squad for the first two World Cup Qualifying games for breaking curfew rules.

This decision is consistent with the head’s Coach’s zero tolerance approach for acts of indiscipline and indiscretion.

The team has returned to its training base at Braco and will continue preparations for the opening World Cup Qualifier on Friday, June 8 at 8:30 pm at the National Stadium. Read more in the Forum

Reggae Boyz lose again to Panama
June 2, 2012
Jamaica's Reggae Boyz were again on the wrong end of the result as they went down 1-2 in the second leg of two practice games against Panama at the Rommel Fernandez Stadium last night. Panama won the first encounter 1-0 five days earlier in Jamaica. The goals came in the 33rd minute from Blas Perez, in the 75th minute from Luis Renteria and Jamaica's lone goal from Dane Richard in 42nd minute.

With a lot of pressure on Jamaica to improve their performance over the previous game, the Reggae Boyz almost fell behind early from a breakaway by Yairo Glaize down the right side but his shot was held in check by goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts. Just as in the first encounter, Jamaica's midfield seemed non-existent and could not contain the attacking Panamanians.

Jamaica was able to launch a few attacks but could not capitalize on any scoring chances that fell their way. The Boyz finally succumbed in the 33rd minute when a defense splitting pass from midfield sent Blas Perez between both central defenders, and he easily lobbed it over the advancing Ricketts in goal.

The Reggae Boyz tried hard to fight their way back into the game and it was with true fight and determination in the 42nd minute that Dane Richards was able to chased a long ball up field and get the final touch allowing it to trickle into the opponent goal.

At the start of the second half of the game, the strike pair of Marlon King and Luton Shelton replaced Ricardo Fuller and Ryan Johnson. The change did not make much of a difference as Panama continued to outplay the Reggae Boyz by dominating the midfield area. This dominance was again evident in the 75th minute when Renteria received a nicely fed ball from midfielder Armando and slotted a low shot from the edge of the area under Ricketts into the goal.

Late into the game Jamaica almost fell further behind but was saved by an on the line block by substitute Adrian Mariappa after Ricketts was beaten by a close range shot from Armando Cooper.

With just one-week before Jamaica kicks-off their crucial CONCACAF World Cup qualifying campaign against Guatemala, coach Whitmore and his technical staff willneed to find a way to fix the problems that were evident in both games against Panama in order to make the Reggae Boyz a winning team.

Jamaica --- Donovan Ricketts, Claude Davis, Damion Stewart, Demar Phillips, Xavian Virgo (Chris Humphrey 85th), Rohan Reid, Rodolph Austin,  Jevaughn Watson (, Keammar Daley 85th), Dane Richards (Adrian Mariappa 85th), Ricardo Fuller (Marlon King 45th) and Ryan Johnson (Luton Shelton 45th). Subs not used: Dwayne Miller, Joel Senior, Ewan Grandison , Nyron Nosworthy. Booked: Phillips (38th), Watson (68th), Davis (71st). Share your views and read more in the forum

Reggae Boyz Booed in loss to Panama
May 28, 2012
Jamaica's Reggae Boyz went down to a miserable 1-0 defeat against Panama inside the National Stadium in the first of their two-game friendly series Sunday evening. An unmarked Luis Renteria scored for the Central Americans with a powerful header in the 17th minute.

This was the Boyz first loss of the year and the first defeat inside the National Stadium since 2007. Their performance left a lot to be desired as many fans booed the team at half-time and again at the end of the game.

The Reggae Boyz seemed unbalanced and lacked chemistry as they faced one of their final test ahead of the team's opening CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying (WCQ) semi-final round match against Guatemala on June 8

The Panamanian team, which was missing six of their regular starters, took control early as Renteria got off a shot from inside the area but it went went harmlessly wide. The Jamaicans tried in vain to get something going but lacked cohesiveness and look unsure in their play.

Seventeen minutes in Jamaica were made to pay as poor marking form the Boyz left Renteria unchallenged and his header went past Dwayne Miller and hit the back of the net to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

Jamaica tried unsuccessfully to gain an equalizer and was unlucky as Ricardo Fuller, one of the few bright sparks for the team, hit the frame with a curling effort from the right side of the area. The half ended with boos from the crowd.

Whitmore made a number of changes in the second half with the introduction of a number of offensive players, including the long awaited debut of Chris Humphery. The Motherwell player looked a good addition to the team in the 63rd minute when he released a 35-yard drive that cannoned off the right post. Unfortunately Xavian Virgo who had a below par game on the right did not link up well with Humphrey.

Other positive were the introduction of Errol Stevens and Marlon King and an exchange between them at the top of the area allowed Stevens a curling shot which the Panamanian keeper Jaime Penedo saved easily.

The Reggae Boyz came close again in the 85th minute as a goalmouth scramble provided Jamaica with another goal scoring opportunity. Penedo parried a header by Claude Davis back into play and efforts by Fuller and Rohan Reid to put it in the goal failed.

Jamaica's assistant coach, Alfredo Montesso said they were disappointed with the result as it showed lapse in concentration and poor chemistry within the team.

Forum member pHoQrY game gave his assessment with the popular pHoQrY from the Half Line. Another member mrexperience also gave his game analysis here. Other members just vented their frustration in the FIRE TAPPA NOW posts.

The teams are scheduled to meet again on Friday in Panama City. For the full game discussion or to share your views join the Jamaica vs. Panama thread.

More firepower for Boyz against Panama
May 25, 2012
Jamaica is looking to strengthen it’s attack with the calling of striker Marlon King of Birmingham City, Chris Humphrey of Motherwell and Stoke City's Ricardo Fuller in a friendly international against Panama on Sunday at the National Stadium. This will be the first of two friendly games against Panama ahead of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers that begin next month.

The 24-year-old Humphrey is an attacking winger whose speed, power and accurate crossing into the box should bring an added dimension to the Reggae Boyz attack. He was previously called to the Boyz about 11 months ago for Jamaica’s Gold Cup Campaign but due to illness within his family at the time he declined the offer. Humphrey is excited at the opportunity and intends to impress coach Whitmore, his staff and the Jamaican fans.

Marlon King is a proven goal scorer at the highest level and a fan favorite that last represented Jamaica in 2009. The temperamental King has scored 12 times in 19 international appearances for Jamaica and with his current form will add some needed potency to Reggae Boyz firepower.

Ricardo “Wiley Boo” Fuller last played for Jamaica in October 2010 vs Trinidad at the Office and is eager to again wear the national colors. The 32-year-old striker has played 54 times for Jamaica and has the ability to penetrate any opponent with his skill and fancy footwork. Fuller is a living legend at Stoke City Stoke as he was instrumental in Stoke’s promotion to the Premier League in 2007-2008.

Other invitees that are expected to feature against Panama are the Watford defensive duo of Nyron Nosworthy and Adrian Mariappa and striker Luton Shelton of Turkish club Karabukspor. All three players featured recently in Jamaica’s 1-0 win over Guyana.

Tickets for Jamaica’s last home match before World cup Qualifiers are now on sale at Petcom, Portmore: Jamaica Pegasus: All Captains Bakery outlets island wide: Western Sports, Twin Gates and Baywest Plaza: Texaco Service station, Stanton Terrace and Liguanea; Megamart, Montego Bay. Patrons are asked to get tickets early, as tickets will not be on sale at the National Stadium. Ticket prices are: GRANSDTAND $2,500 AND $2,000 and BLEACHERS $800. Join the Panama v Jamaica discussion in the forum

Reggae Boyz deafeat Guyana 1-0 in mediocre game
May 18, 2012
Jamaica's Reggae Boyz defeated Guyana 1-0 in an international friendly at the Catherine Hall Stadium in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The second half goal was scoredby center forward Jeremie Lynch on his debut game for the Reggae Boyz.

The Reggae Boyz started the game with a lineup of predominantly local based players along the introduction of England based Adrian Mariappa and Nyron Nosworthy of Watford FC. Both Jamaica and Guyana used the game as preparation for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

The game began with Jamaica playing the ball around, while Guyana, chased to gain control. Jamaica looked comfortable, except they were going nowhere as the midfield was flat footed, and the forwards were playing wide apart. Although Jamaica was the dominant team they found it hard to penetrate the defense of Guyana.

The very slow paced and somewhat boring game saw Guyana sitting back and waiting to counter attack on the limited chances they had to do so. Jamaica created a number of scoring chances but weak finishing by the forwards robbed them of any first half goals.

The introduction of Errol Stevens for Joel Senior changed the game and in the 61st minute he slipped a ball through to Lynch who scored the only goal of the game.The new reggae Boyz, Mariappa and Nosworthy worked well within the team with both showing excellent aerial ability.

Forum member MBU Fan was very upset with the team posting that "this is the worst performance I've seen from a JA team". Forum General pHoQrY also posted his colorful and balanced summary from The Half Line. Read and respond to his game views here .

Jamaica is drawn alongside Guatemala, the USA and Antigua & Barbuda, will play Guatemala at home in their first World Cup qualifier on June 8. Read more on the Jamaica v Guyana game discussion in the forum

Strong Reggae Boyz squad called for Guyana game
May 14, 2012
Jamaica’s senior Reggae Boyz will face off against Guyana’s National Men’s team, the Golden Jaguars on Friday May 18 (8 pm) at the Catherine Hall Stadium, Jamaica. The last time the two teams met was in the 2010 Digicel Caribbean Cup where Jamaica won 4-0.

The game will signal the final phase of Jamaica’s World Cup qualifying preparation that includes a home-and-away game against Panama on May 27 and June 1 and a major training camp expected to begin mid May.

Jamaica is expected to field a strong team as 14 overseas-based players have been called up by the JFF for the game. Included are two new faces in Nyron Nosworthy and Adrian Mariappa who both represent Watford F.C. in the UK. Mariappa, regarded as one of the senior professionals, recently won the Watford Player of the Season Award for 2011-2012. 31-year-old Byron Nosworthy, who was born in England to a Jamaican father and a Guyanese, has express delight at the call up as he has long dreamed of joining the Reggae Boyz once he realized that he could represent for Jamaica. Both Nosworthy and Mariappa are in Jamaica.

The list of overseas players called are: Defenders - Nyron Nosworthy (Watford, England), Adrian Mariappa (Watford), Damion Stewart (Notts County, England), Nathan Smith (Chesterfield, England), Claude Davis (Crawley Town, England), O'Brian Woodbine (VPS, Finland), Lance Laing (Fort Lauderdale Strikers, USA); Midfielders - Chris Humphrey (Motherwell, Scotland), Omar Daley (Motherwell), Keammar Daley (Preston North End, England); Ricardo Fuller (Stoke City, England), Marlon King (Birmingham, England), Darren Mattocks (Vancouver Whitecaps, USA), Luton Shelton (Karabukspor, Turkey).

On Tuesday, May 15th, the Jamaica Football Federation will introduce members of the Reggae Boyz to the media and sponsors at 11:00 am at the offices of the Jamaica Football Federation. The squad will then travel to the Braco Village Resort and Spa, Rio Bueno, Trelawny, where training will take place ahead of the international friendly against Guyana.

Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday, May 15 at ticket outlets to be announced. Prices for advanced purchase are bleachers (east stand) tickets for $500, while upper grandstand and lower grandstand seats will cost $1,500 and $1,000, respectively. Game day at the gate prices are bleachers $700, upper grandstand $2,000 and lower grandstand $1,500. Read more in the forum

More overseas based players expected
April 28, 2012
In preparation for their June 8 World Cup qualifying opener, the Reggae Boyz will face Guyana in Montego Bay on May 18 before hosting Panama at 'The Office' nine days later. Then, on June 1, Jamaica is scheduled to take on Panama in that country for their final pre-tournament warm up game.

While coach Theodore Whitmore and his the technical staff has established a core group of player, they will now use the upcoming games to look at other available overseas -based players in order to add more experience, quality and depth to the squad.

Among those expected to wear the Jamaica jersey in upcoming matches are Ricardo Fuller, Claude Davis, Omar Daley, Damian Stewart, Keammar Daley, Christopher Humphrey (debut), Nathan Smith and Marlon King.

Whitmore has come under increasing pressure from the Jamaican football fans that are restless and are asking why not more UK based players have been given a chance to show their worth. Fans say that these players can provide a high level of experience, tactical discipline and their technical ability to what is now a marginal quality core of players.

In a recent article by football analyst Simon Preston he asked the question, “Why Avoid The UK Players” since we are just a few pieces away from completing the puzzle and stand a strong chance of getting to Brazil.

Aldwill McGill, producer of Stars Soccer Review Magazine, stated in his CONCACAF Qualifying Projections, that Jamaica has the talent and with the experience they should advance.

Although Whitmore insists that the door remains open for all, Captain Burrell, president of the Jamaica football Federation, tried to satisfy the fans demands by stating that the core of the team has been established, but they will continue to improve on the squad as “consideration must be given towards injuries, loss of form, suspensions from cards, etc.”

The full list of overseas based invitees published by the JFF, subject to finalization of necessary Jamaican passport/citizen documentation are : Nyron Nosworthy (Whatford), Adrian Mariappa (Whatford), Chris Humphrey (Motherwell), Omar Daley, Ricardo Fuller (Stoke City), Damion Stewart (Notts County), Chris Humphrey (Motherwell), Nathan Smith (Chesterfield), Claude Davis (Crawley Town), Keammar Daley (Preston North End), Marlon King (Birmingham), Lance Laing (Fort Lauderdale Strikers), Darren Mattocks (Vancouver Whitecaps), O’Brian Woodbine (VPS) and Luton Shelton (Karabukspor).

JFF making moves...Is it too late?
BY Simon Preston

Jamaica will embark on another friendly international vs Guyana on May 18 at the Catherine Hall Stadium in Montego Bay. This will be the start of 5 games in the next 24 days for Jamaica. They will be on the road in Central America and Leeward Islands and also give fans at The Office and Catherine Hall something to shout about.The general core of the team is one that is workable. At the same time the JFF must be commended for reaching out and adding a few more pieces to the puzzle to enhance the depth of the Reggae Boyz for that crucial June 8th encounter vs Guatemala. Coach Theodore “Tappa” Whitmore said in a latest interview that he is around 85-90% ready for qualifiers, and he is just trying to fine-tune his team.

Captain Horace Burrell has stated that players who play their trade in the UK will be given the opportunity to get into the Player Pool for 2014. Some names that the JFF are eyeing are Darren Pratley (Bolton Wanderers), Jermaine Beckford Leicester City, Junior Hoillet (Blackburn Rovers), Chris Humphrey (Motherwell FC), Adrian Mariappa (Watford), Jobi McAnuff (Reading F.C)., Lloyd Doyley  (Watford FC) a return for Marlon King (Birmingham City) and many more. But the question on many people's mind is...Is it too late to look at new players?

Well, the truth is that we only have 3 practice games before qualifiers and some of the players that will feature for Jamaica in the coming months have never played for Jamaica so a question of
cohesion and chemistry will come in to place? Important to note is that many of these English based players play together or have played together for the same clubs, so establishing a new formed coherence should not be an issue. Lloyd Doyley has been playing for Watford since 1999 and has played with the likes of Marlon King, Jobi McAnuff and currently plays with Adrian Mariappa and Nyron Nosworthy. He has also come up against the likes of Darren Pratley and Jermaine Beckford.

Yes, it is true that Jamaica will have a different system and philosophy when the games get underway but coach Whitmore will get things together. Whitmore is a man of a few words but he knows how to get the job done. He may not be the best talking in interviews, but what counts is the results on the pitch. We have seen Tappa in the past getting results despite adversity and despite lack of time. We saw it against Costa Rica in March, even though we went to 10 men in the first half, Whitmore made a slight adjustment that produced a disciplined performance with significant attacking threat.

One reason why it is not late to bring more players to the puzzle is because you cannot have enough depth. It keeps current players on their toes and it keeps the opposition guessing. By keeping the opposition guessing Jamaica’s tactics can provide an advantage needed to garner the full 3 points.

Using the best available players is the best way to bring great dividends for Jamaica as the campaign is right around the corner. The Road to Rio is now in high gear!
More on the JFF hotly pursuing Jobi McAnuffs

Ten men Reggae Boyz hold Costa Rica to scoreless draw
March 22, 2012
Playing with a man down Jamaica's Reggae Boyz fought to a goalless draw against Costa Rica inside the National Stadium last night.

Jamaica's Reggae Boyz lost captain Jermaine Taylor in the first half, eight minutes before the interval, when he found his name in the referee’s book after two cautions in within two minutes and got ejected by Canadian referee David Gantar. For most of the half the Reggae Boyz had a slight edge on possession and on a few occasions Navion Boyd had wasted scoring opportunities. The opponents found Je-Vaughn Watson and Joel Senior a handful as they created openings in the Costa Rican defense. Head coach Theodore Whitmore was then forced to change tactics by moving central midfielder Rohan Reid to central defense for the remainder of the first half.

With just 10 men, The Boyz found themselves chasing the ball for long periods in second half but was able to keep the Costa Rican's at bay. The best chance of the second half fell to Jairo Arrieta, who with an empty goal hit his effort from six yards over the top. Reggae Boyz substitute, Renae Lloyd, came close to making the score sheet when his header from a Troy Smith right-sided corner was tipped onto the crossbar and back by Pemberton in goal for Costa Rica.

The result puts an end to a three-game winning streak by Jamaica who was coming off 1-0 and 2-0 wins over Cuba here and a 3-2 victory over New Zealand in February.

Teams: Jamaica — Jacomeno Barrett, Jermaine Taylor (ejected 37th), Adrian Reid, Troy Smith, Xavian Virgo, Rohan Reid, Damion Williams (Richard Edwards 90th+), Joel Senior (Mitchily Waul 78th), Je-Vaughn Watson (Renae Lloyd 67th),  Navion Boyd (Montrose Phinn 46th), Dino Williams (Alanzo Adlam 63rd). Booked: Taylor (36th, 37th), Damion Williams (45th)...More in the Forum

Boyz seeking victory over Costa Rica
March, 19, 2012
The Reggae Boys are looking to continue their winning streak when they face CONCACAF rivals Costa Rica next Wednesday at the National Stadium in preparation for their 'Road to Rio' World Cup campaign set to kick-off in June. Since the start of the year, Jamaica have defeated Caribbean neighbors Cuba, 1-0, and 3-0 before journeying to New Zealand where they conquered the Aussies 3-2.

Costa Rica, ranked 59 in the world, is also confident as they come into the encounter on a 4 game unbeaten run which includes a 2-2 draw with World Cup Champions Spain, a 2-0 win on the road at Venezuela and a 1-0 win over Wales in Cardiff. In the last two encounters between both teams, Jamaica defeated Costa Rica 1-0 in August 2010 in Jamaica on a Ryan Johnson goal and then they played to a 0-0 draw later that year in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

This game will be critical for many players on the Jamaican team as coach Theodore Whitmore will be looking for a high level of performance as he continues to look at different players leading up to the World Cup qualifying round. A new face called to the Reggae Boyz squad is Arsenal’s young signee, Nigel Neita, a speedy left-winger, along with three other overseas-based players, Jermaine Taylor, Jevaughn Watson and Donovan Ricketts.

Leading Canadian referee, David Gantar, has been appointed to officiate the game and the Costa Rican delegation of 29 will arrive in the Jamaican Tuesday, March 20. More in the forum

Boyz down New Zealand 3-2
Feb. 29, 2012
Following their recent 3-0 victory over Cuba, Jamaica's Reggae Boyz showed that they are to be taken seriously as they defeated New Zealand 3-2 at the Mt Smart Stadium in New Zealand on Wednesday. Xavian Virgo, Tramaine Stewart and Navion Boyd led the scoring for Jamaica while Chris Wood and substitute Chris Killen replied with second half goals for the Aussies.

Over 15,000 spectators watched as goalkeeper Mark Paston missed-timed an attempted cross from Virgo which flew over his head hit the underside of the crossbar and nestles in the far side. New Zealand put pressure on Jamaica exposing the reggae Boyz backline on a few occasions but could not fine the net as the half ended 1-0 .

Eight minutes after the resumption of the second half, good combination play between Omar Cummings and Keammar Daley led to an opening for Tramaine Stewart to score from inside the penalty area giving the Boyz a two goal lead. Jamaica's defense was caught napping thirty seconds after the restart following a fantastic interplay between Rojas and Wood results in Wood finding space just inside the box and placing the ball past the Jamaican keeper.

Jamaica again struck the net in the 77th minute from a quick counter attack move through Luton Shelton who released the perfect ball to substitute Boyd who finished it nicely giving Jamaica a two-goal cushion. New Zealand pulled one back before the end as Killen delivered a late goal with a header from a right side corner making the final score 3-2.

The game was the third win for the Reggae Boyz in a week, following 1-0 and 3-0 triumphs over Cuba in Jamaica...See game photos here

Teams: Jamaica – Dwayne Miller, Claude Davis, Damion Stewart (Adrian Reid 88th), Troy Smith, Xavian Virgo, Jermaine Taylor, Luton Shelton, Je-Vaughn Watson (Jorginho James 82nd), Keammar Daley, Omar Cummings Navion Boyd 65th), Tramaine Stewart (Richard Edwards 73rd). Booked: Wattson (21st), Shelton (37th), Miller 90th+
Subs not used: Jacomeno Barrett, Oneil Thompson, Keneil Moodie, Romeo Parkes

Confident Reggae Boyz score 3-0 win over Cuba
Feb. 26, 2012
A confident looking Reggae Boyz over powered Cuba 3-0 in the second of their two friendly games at the Montego Bay Sports Complex on Friday. The Reggae Boyz won the first battle 1-0 on Wednesday night at the National Stadium in Kingston. United States-based players Ryan Johnson and Je-Vaughn Watson along with substitute Mitchily Waul of Harbour View FC. each got on the scorecard.

Playing in front of a good size crowd, The Boyz settled quickly and dominated the game by keeping their Cuban opponents pinned in their own half for long periods. Goalkeeper Odisnel Despaigne was called upon to keep the Boyz off the score sheet as he made some heroic saves from the many assaults from Jamaica.

Jermaine Hue, who played just the first half, helped Jamaica maintain full control as the team played with energy, intensity and fluidity. The Reggae Boyz finally broke through in the 35th when Johnson picked up a rebound and flicked it into an unprotected goal. This was followed two minutes later by a powerful header from Watson to give Jamaica a 2-0 lead at half time.

Despite making three changes at half-time, bringing on Tremaine Stewart, Troy Smith and Waul, Jamaica continued their dominance although not as organized and making some horrible passing. Cuba was awarded a penalty in the 75th minute but Keiler Garcia Estrada hit his shot over the crossbar.

Waul sealed the game in the 83minute as his deflected shot game goalkeeper Despaigne no chances to make the save. In a post-game media interview head coach Whitmore said the team played with a lot of confidence, and were positive and organized.

The Boyz are now scheduled to meet New Zealand in a friendly international on Wednesday at the Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland. The game is a part of a series of matches to prepare Jamaica for their upcoming 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign...More news in the Forum

Jamaica defeats Cuba 1-0 in international friendly
Feb 23, 2012
A spectacular goal from schoolboy Jorginho James coming off the bench inside the last 10 minutes pushed the Reggae Boyz to a 1-0 victory over Caribbean neighbors Cuba at the National Stadium last evening. James scored from a Ryan Johnson’s center to give Jamaica a well-deserved victory in a game that they dominated. It was Jamaica's first game inside the National Stadium, since 2010 when they faced Canada.

Jamaica got off to a very slow start using 3-5-2 formation playing the ball around in the Jamaica half for the first five minutes. Cuba was in no rush and seemed prepared to wait for the counter-attack. Jamaica’s Jermaine Hue played an intelligent game distributing diagonal passes that created a few openings for the boyz. Hue and hard working Joel Senior, combined well in midfield, particularly in the first half, but Jamaica could not take advantage as they missed most of the scoring opportunities.

The introduction of Xavian Virgo in the second half proved to be a good move by coach Whitmore as his darting runs down the right flank and crosses in, stepped up the tempo of the game. The real game changer was the introduction of 17-year-old Jorginho James in the 82nd minute to replace Je-Vaughn Watson. The former Kingston College schoolboy and Harbour View's under-21 player, entered the game and within minutes hit a sensational volleyed home from a right-sided cross from Ryan Johnson from inside the area to earn Jamaica their eighth friendly victory over their Cuba. Both teams will meet again on Friday at the Montego Bay Sports Complex.

Teams: Jamaica — Jacomeno Barrett, Adrian Reid, Jermaine Taylor, Andrea Campbell, Richard Edwards (Xavian Virgo 46th), Oneil Thompson (Rohan Reid 60th), Joel Senior, Jermaine Hue (Mitchily Waul 68th), Jevaughn Watson (Jorginho James 82nd), Navion Boyd (Dino Williams 65th), Ryan Johnson (Romeo Parkes 90th) Booked: Rohan Reid (64th) Subs not used: Richard McCallum, Montrose Phinn, Keneil Moodie, Troy Smith, Camal Reid

Cuba — Odisnel Despaigne, Jose Cardenas, Yoisel Masa, Jose Cordeno, Dairon Joseph, Felix Rondon, Carlos Serrano, Osay Domenech (Aricheell Mora 78th), Maikel Ramirez, Keiler Estrada, Heviel Gonzalez (Dalain Fernandez 68th) Booked: Cordeno (50th), Estrada (73rd) Subs not used: Andy Gomez, Renay Serrano, Adrian Diz Pez, Jorge Juara, Maykel Azcuy Referee: Roberto Moreno (Panama) Assistant Referees: Ricardo Morgan, Lloyd Reader (Jamaica). Read more in the forum

Below is the Twitter Feed of the game...

Jamaica off to a very slow start, using 3-5-2 formation playing the ball around in the Jamaica half for the first five minutes.
Jamaica getting into stride after 10 minutes and pressing forward
0-0 at 15 minutes
Jamaica seeing most of the ball
Jermaine Hue spreading the ball nicely on a few occasions
Cuba's Estrada attacks on the right but the Jamaican defense breaks it up. Jamaica dominating
Twenty minutes into the game ..Majority of the play is in midfield with Jamaica ahead on ball possession.
It seems like Ryan Johnson is not jelling with this lineup. Been missing from action the entire game so far
Powerful shot from Senior goes whizzing over the goal. Cuba answers with a long shot of their own
No chemistry between the two forward Boyd and Johnson….Navian Byod gets slapped and is now down
Jamaica 0 - Cuba 0 after 40 minutes 1 min extra time....0-0 half time boos in the stadium
Second half changes: Edwards out Virgo in. Virgo immediately getting into the mix with some nice passes
Attendance is about 8,000-10,000 at the National Stadium
Bigga Thompson off Rohan Reid on . Good Attacking buildup from Jamaica as Johnson just misses the goal
Rohan Reid picks up a yellow card after three minutes
Hue to Senior, back to Hue who passes to Campbell who loses it
Dino Williams on Boyd off
Cuba substitutes: Gonzales off Fernandez on
Jermaine Hue subbed to the disappointment of the crowd
0-0 sixty minutes into the game. Estrada of Cuba gets a yellow
Joel Senior is earning his spot...Virgo taking charge of this game along with Dino Williams and Reid
0-0 after 80 mins of play
17 year old Jorginho James scores a spectacular goal..GOOOAAAALLL..Jamaica 1 Cuba 0
Is Jorghino James the new Jermaine Johnson?
Crowd starting to leave as we are in extra time
Game ends Jamaica 1- Cuba 0
Jamaica 6 shots on goal three on target , one goal , 7 corners, 11 fouls
Cuba Seven shots 2, on target, 12 fouls the 29th.

Reggae Boyz readies for upcoming games
Jan 4, 2012
Jamaica men’s senior Reggae Boyz team is in preparation for three upcoming friendly internationals. The assignments include two home games against Cuba and one against New Zealand. The Reggae Boyz will play Cuba at the National Stadium (The Office) on Ash Wednesday, February 22. The second match against Cuba will take place on February 24 in Montego Bay.

Following the two friendly internationals against Cuba, the Reggae Boyz will take their game to New Zealand to face the kings of Oceania region on February 29, an official FIFA date. This game will be a key test for Jamaica as both teams could meet for a playoff spot for Brazil 2014 as the 4th place team in CONCACAF final round will play the winner of the Oceania qualifiers.The Boyz previously played New Zealand in a friendly match in 2000 with Jamaica wining 2-1. This has been the only match between the teams. New Zealand qualified for the 2010 World Cup where they drew all their matches in the World Cup. The results were 1-1 to Slovakia and Italy and 0-0 to Paraguay.

The Reggae Boyz will then depart Jamaica on February 25, for their game against Oceania's New Zealand on the 29th. Read more in the forum

Reggae Boyz Abroad in 2012
A look at how some of the Reggae Boyz abroad are performing since the start of the year.
January 2nd: Marlon King scored a penalty for Birmingham brining his tally to 7, Jobi McAnuff scored for Reading (4) and Ian Goodison scored for Tranmere (1). January 2nd: Micah Hyde scored a penalty for St. Albans City (1). January 7th:Omar Daley scored for Motherwell in the Scottish Cup. January 8th: Luton Shelton scored for Karabukspor (5). January 7th: Frank Sinclair scored a 90th minute winner to make it 4-3 on his debut for Colwyn Bay (1). January 14th: Marlon King scored twice for Birmingham (9). January 21st: Jermaine Johnson scored for Sheffield Wednesday (1). January 24th: Jermaine Johnson scored an excellent solo effort for Sheffield Wednesday (2) and Chris Humphrey also scored for Motherwell. February 4th: Jermaine Johnson scored for Sheffield Wednesday (3). Read more

The Reggae Boyz Year In Review 2011
The Reggae Boyz had a pretty busy year in 2011, from the U17′s, the U20′s, U23′s to the senior men's team. There were mixed results but there is hope for the future as the performances showed critical promise.

JANUARY
The U17′s kicked-off by playing some practice matches against Canada, USA, Haiti and Costa Rica. The U17′s had just returned from a 6 week camp in Brazil where they proved to be assiduous. The pressure was on them as Jamaica was host of the U-17 world cup qualifiers and expectations grew as everyone wanted Jamaica to reach the U17 World Cup. They Beat Canada 1-0 and lost 4-2. They Beat Haiti 3-2. They drew with the USA 0-0 and lost 2-1. And in their penultimate game they lost to Costa Rica 1-0. The lack of wins was a concern for the public but Wendell Downswell made it known that the team would gel when qualifiers started.

FEBRUARY
The final round of the CONCACAF U17 World Cup qualifiers took place in Jamaica at 2 venues, the Catherine Hall Sports Complex and the Jarret Park Sports Stadium. Jamaica played all their games at the Catherine Hall Sports Complex. Jamaica had a relatively simple group with Guatemala and Trinidad and Tobago. The Boyz drew with their Caribbean rivals in the 1st game 2-2 and won a must win game against Guatemala 1-0. Trinidad beat Guatemala by the same scoreline, so Jamaica and Trinidad were tied on points and goal difference. There had to be a draw of lots and Jamaica won the group and faced Honduras in the key quarter final game. It was straightforward, beat Honduras and get to the U17 World Cup. Jason Wright scored within 12 minutes of the game. Jevani Brown and captain Omar Holness could have increased the lead later on, but early in the second half Jason Wright gave Jamaica an insurance goal. Late in the 2nd half Honduras pulled back a goal and there were some nervous faces around the stadium. But some clean and composed defending from Alvas Powell led Jamaica to the U17 World Cup. In the semi-final Jamaica played the USA but the USA proved to be no walkover as their possession was the key to their 2-0 victory. In the 3rd place match we played Panama and Panama edged us 1-0. Despite finishing 4th, we qualified for the U17 World Cup. Mission Accomplished here. Read the full report here

JFF President Burrell Banned by FIFA in bribery plot
October 15, 2011

GENEVA (AP):FIFA banned senior Caribbean official Horace Burrell for six months yesterday for the Jamaican's part in a bribery case involving former FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hammam, plunging the region's football authorities deeper into chaos.

Burrell, a long-time ally of former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner and a member of FIFA's disciplinary committee, must now withdraw his candidacy in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) presidential election scheduled for next month.

Since the bribery scandal broke in May, the CONCACAF continental body has seen its top three elected Caribbean officials - Warner, Burrell and Lisle Austin - either resign while under investigation or being banned by FIFA.

FIFA's ethics committee ruled that three months of the Jamaican federation president's ban would be deferred for a probationary period of two years. Calls to Burrell were not immediately answered yesterday.

Three other Caribbean officials also received bans. Franka Pickering, president of the British Virgin Islands federation and one of the most senior women in world football, was suspended for 18 months.

FIFA issued 30-day bans to Osiris Guzman, president of the Dominican Republic Football Federation, and St Vincent and the Grenadines general secretary Ian Hypolite. Fifteen days of their sanctions were deferred for six months.

The ethics panel met for three days this week to weigh evidence of CFU members allegedly accepting US$40,000 cash payments from bin Hammam in May.
The Qatari official made a campaign visit to Trinidad, the home island of then-CFU leader Warner, to woo voters during his challenge to FIFA president Sepp Blatter. Bin Hammam was banned for life by FIFA in July.

Yesterday's verdicts extend a trail of damage across Caribbean football, with Burrell having been favoured to win a four-candidate poll in Jamaica on November 20 to succeed Warner as CFU leader. Burrell's bid was ultimately ended by his own voters.

Members of the Reggae Boyz forum were not surprised as many past and current discussions surrounded the lack of accountability from Burrell, his ties to Jack Warner and Burrell’s silence about the CONCACAF TV Rights connection between the Jack Warner family. Read or join in the discussions

Reggae Boyz suffer another defeat
October 12, 2012
Jamaica continued their downward spiral with five straight losses as they were defeated 2-1 by Honduras at the Estadio Municipal Ceibano .Just minutes into the game, Jamaica lost possession and paid the price as a quick counter attach by Honduras caught the Reggae Boyz defenders napping.  Roger Rojas sent a through pass to Martinez who centered for Jerry Bengtson to easily tap home in front of a full house if cheering supporters.

The Reggae Boyz showed spirit by matching their opponents for the remainder of the half and created a number of failed scoring opportunities. They were rewarded just before half time as Omar Cummings was fouled just outside the right side of the18-yard box. Demar Phillips took an excellent left-footed free-kick that curled into the top corner of the goal to end the half 1-1.

The second half saw Jamaica quickly falling flat in their play and allowed the speedy Hondurans to take charge. Goalkeeper Dwayne Miller was called upon early to keep the Boyz in the game when he turn a shot from Bryan Bekeles’ around his near post.

Honduras did not relent in their attack keeping the Reggae Boyz under constant pressure.  11 minutes into the second half Mario Martinez put his team ahead when his hard left footed shot from 25 yards deflected pass the Jamaica goalkeeper to put Honduras up 2-1.

Jamaica seeking win against Honduras
October 9, 2011
After losing their last four games, Jamaica will face CONCACAF counterpart Honduras in an international friendly on October 11 at Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Honduras (ranked 50th), is coming off a loss to the USA last Saturday and will be looking to avenge a 1-0 defeat by the Reggae Boyz in June when they loss in group play at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

The 45th-ranked Reggae Boyz head coach Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore is seeking to turn his team’s miserable performances around and have invited three new UK based players to the squad for next Tuesday's game. The three players are 27-year-old midfielder Marvin Elliott who plays for English Championship team Bristol City, Marcus Bean, a 26 year-old midfielder from Brentford City in English League Two, and Nathan Smith, a 24-year-old defender currently playing with Chesterfield in Football League One.

The Reggae Boyz recent defeats include a 0-2 loss to the United States in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, followed by losses to China (1-0), Ecuador (5-2) and Colombia (2-0). Coach Whitmore has come under increasing pressure from fans that demanded that better quality players be brought into the team. Some fans have also suggested that the team’s backward slide started when The JFF brought in the Brazilian coaches to assist with the teams development.

For the Honduran game, Jamaica will be without the services their leading striker, Luton Shelton, as he is nursing a right hamstring injury sustained while representing his Turkish club Karabukspor.

The final team will be selected from Xavier Virgo (Boys' Town), Dwayne Miller (SyrianSka FC, Sweden), Gariece McPherson (Portmore United), Shavar Thomas (Sporting Kansa City, USA), Jermaine Taylor (Houston Dynamo, USA), Demar Phillips (Aaelusund FC, Norway), Errol Stevens (Arnett Gardens), Keniel Moodie (Montego Bay United), Marvin Elliott (Bristol City, UK), Marcus Bean (Brentford City, UK), Jason Morrison (Aaelusumb FC, Norway), Richard Edwards (Harbour View FC), Jevaughn Watson (Houston Dynamo, USA), Damian Williams (Nybergsund IL, Norway) Keammar Daley (North End, Preston, UK), Rodolph Austin (SK Brann, Norway), Nathan Smith, (Chesterfield FC, UK), Dane Richards (New York Red Bulls, USA), Wolry Wolfe (Humble Lions), Omar Cummings (Colorado Rapids, USA), Luton Shelton (Karabukspor, Turkey).

The JFF outlines conditions for foreign-based players
September 11, 2011
After a series of losses to the USA, China, Ecuador and Colombia, Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz coach Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore has vowed a new direction and a team shake-up. His decision follows closely on the recent outcry from fans that the JFF is avoiding the inclusion of foreign players and wasting time with local players of lesser quality.

The Jamaica Football Federation on the other hand continues to send mix signals as to the team’s quality. In a recently published article by the Jamaica Observer, the Federation said that despite the string of defeats, they are not too perturbed as the team is a work in progress and the national program is still on track.

Whitmore, in an attempt to avoid any perception that Jamaica is avoiding the UK-born players, claim that they have been scouting a few England-born players over the past few months with the intention to invite them for upcoming FIFA dates. He was quick to clarify that these foreign-based prospects playing for clubs in respectable leagues were not automatic selection to the team.

In an article written by Sean Williams at the Jamaica Observer, Whitmore and other JFF representatives clearly outlined a few of the conditions for the inclusion of the foreign players.

1. Any new talent must have the capacity to integrate into the team both on and off the pitch. This is very important for chemistry, team spirit, tactical and technical compatibility
2. It is very important to make the point that the treatment offered by the Federation for foreign-based players must not defer to what is provided to our home grown talent... we are one team with common goals, therefore the foreign grown Jamaican talent must be able to endure the conditions all other members of the team are subjected.
3. There are no reservations on England-born or other European-born players of Jamaican descent representing the country providing that the talent is better than what exist here in Jamaica
4. That the players can fit into the unit without creating instability and disharmony...
5. That the players can enhance the capacity of the team and program.
6. All players wishing to represent the country must procure documentation to establish their eligibility

TheReggaeBoyz.com Forum member “Blessed Love” responds to what he sees as negativity towards the foreign-based players. “They're already saying that the foreign-based players will not be treated any different from the local-based players” he said, but from his observations “they were not giving the same share to equal opportunity, to have time to gel in the system like the other set of players we have been stooping-down to”.

Another Forum Member Hamilton Israel believes that in the past the JFF have been simply unprepared for the culture shock these players have when the arrive in Jamaica and couldn't help them to assimilate. Hamilton Israel is proposing in his Project England article that a comprehensive plan would be to bring a nucleus over from this side to train with new UK invitees in England on a FIFA match day week.  Join the discussion and voice your opinion in the forum.

Colombia down Jamaica 2-0
Sept. 07, 2011
Jamaica’ Reggae Boyz continued their losing streak as they were defeated 2-0 by Colombia in a friendly football international at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Playing in wet conditions, Jamaica was fairly competitive for most of the first half. The Boyz wasted a lot of possession trying to switch the ball in the air from one side of the field to another, most of them being either too high or once it hit the turf skidding off the field.

Jamaica created a few half chances especially attacking from the right hand side, but most of the time the players tried to shoot from an acute angle instead of playing it to a teammate in a more feasible position. Rudolph Austin had Jamaica’s best scoring threat of the first half with his shot that hit the right post in the 14th minute.

In the 20th, Dwayne Miller stopped a 20 yards drive from Falcao and four minutes later deflected Teofilo Gutierrez’s attempt near the 6-yard box. Miller again denied Gutierrez in the 34th minute, easily stopping his 25-yard shot. The half ended 0-0

In the 55th minute Colombia went ahead as Teofilo Gutierrez collected a centering pass from Radamel Falcao’s on the right wing and converted his shot past goalkeeper Miller.

Although the Reggae Boyz back-4 was reasonably composed in the first half, upon the introduction of Rodallega in the attack for Colombia Jamaica had increasing problems dealing with their counter attacks

Jamaica nearly tied it in the 80th minute when Substitute Omar Daley’s shot just inside the large area hit the crossbar. Colombia sealed the game when Jackson Martinez scored the second goal in the 90th.

The loss to Colombia comes on the heels of a 5-2 spanking by Ecuador last Friday in Quito, Ecuador...More on this game in the Forum

Jamaica face Colombia in Ft. Lauderdale
Sept. 6, 2011
Jamaica’ Reggae Boyz will look to halt a three-game losing streak tonight when they take on Colombia in a friendly football international at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The team has had a 5-2 losst to Ecuador last Friday in Quito, which followed a 1-0 away defeat to China on August 10 and a 2-0 defeat by the United States, which knocked Jamaica out of the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup in June.

In his quest to halt the slide, the Reggae Boyz coach Theodore Whitmore added a few veteran players to tackle the South Americans. Lovel Palmer, Jermaine Taylor, Omar Daley and Jason Morrison have been added alongside Dane Richards, Omar Cummings, Rodolph Austin, Adrian Reid, and Ryan Johnson. Two new faces local-based Errol Stevens and Ewan Grandison were also drafted into the team.

Colombia, ranked 35 in the world, defeated Honduras on Saturday and should be a very good test for the Reggae Boyz. The last time the two teams met, Jamaica defeated Colombia 1-0 in the National Stadium with Ricardo Gardner getting the winner. Kick-off is at 7:30 p.m. local time (6:30 p.m. Jamaica time). Read more

Why Avoid UK Based Players ?
October 10, 2010 was the last time Jamaica fielded a UK based player and that was Ricardo Fuller. That is now almost 11 months since we have seen a UK based player in the Black Green and Gold. It is certainly very concerning.

We have to ask Tappa and Company " Why Avoid UK Based Players ? UK based players play a huge role in the development of football at the international level. They bring years of experience, they bring tactical discipline and their technical ability wins the Jamaicans fans hearts all the time.

At this point in time the fans are growing restless. We are about 10 months away from the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers and we are yet to experiment with the UK based players.

As I have said before we are just a few pieces away from completing the puzzell and stand a very very strong chance of getting on that plane to Brazil. Technically all we need is a solid centre back, a central midfielder, winger and an additional striker. The general core of the team is a good one and with these additions, Jamaica WILL reap the rewards in the near future. Read the full story in the Forum

Ecuador thrashed Jamaica 5-2
Sept 03, 2011
Ecuador thrashed Jamaica 5-2 in an international friendly at the Estadio Olimpico Atahualpa Stadium in Ecuador. Playing at high altitude to a team that has not lost at home in two years, exposed a Jamaican team with players that lacked the ability to contain their opponents.

Within minutes of the opening whistle, it was evident that the Reggae Boyz were in for a rough night as Ecuador easily and consistently steamed past the Jamaican backline. Jaime Ayovi opened the scoring for Ecuador in the 21st minute when he collected a pass inside the box and calmly placed the ball wide of goalkeeper Miller. Christian Suarez extended Ecuador's advantage in the 39th followed by Benitez who made it 3-0 just before half-time.

Benitez, a former Birmingham City striker now playing for Club America in Mexico, gave Ecuador a four-goal lead five minutes after the break. Omar Cummings pulled a goal back for Jamaica in the 58th with shot from just outside the box. Segundo Castillo scored again for Ecuador in the 65th just before Jamaica’s Demar Phillips scored a beautifully executed shot in the 67th minute.

The Jamaican's poor passing, backline issues and lack of maintaining ball possession has many fans wondering if this is the best the Reggae Boyz have to offer at an international level. Supporters of the team are calling for coach Whitmore to start using better quality players in the national team to avoid further embarrassment.

Jamaica -- 13-Dwayne Miller, 04-Shavar Thomas, 19-Adrian Reid (03-Montrose Phinn,70th), 06-Keneil Moodie (16-Troy Smith 55th), 12-Demar Phillips, 15-Xavean Virgo, 17-Rudolph Austin(02-Richard Edwards 55th), 07-Damion Williams (18-Andrew Vanzie 80th), 20-JeVaughn Watson (08-Eric Vernan 60th), 10-Dane Richards (09-Ryan Johnson 46th), 14-Omar Cummings.Subs not used: 01-Richard McCullum…..More game discussion in the Forum

Boyz to meet Equador in international friendly
August 20, 2011
Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz will continue their preparation for the upcoming CONCACAF World Cup qualifying play-offs next year with a trip to Quito, Ecuador, to play the 64th ranked team on September 2nd. The game, to be played on an official FIFA calendar date, was announced by Captain Horace Burrell, President of the JFF, and is part of the plan to get the Boyz a friendly on every FIFA date leading into the World Cup qualifiers next year.

The clash with Ecuador will not be an easy game for the Boyz and Jamaican coach Tappa Whitmore is promising to field a strong team to face their quality South American opponent.  The high altitude Estadio Olimpico Atahualpa is 2,000m above sea level. Ecuador was contestants at the 2002 and 2006 World Cup and has not lost at home since losing to Uruguay in 2009.

Burrell pointed out that securing this game versus Ecuador in that country is important to our preparation due to the similarities between Ecuador and Mexico as well as other Central American opponents that we are likely to meet in the World Cup Qualifiers. He added that the opportunity would allow for players and the technical staff "to assimilate conditions that we will most definitely face on the journey to Brazil 2014".

In the past, both teams have met twice, first in 1996 in Ambato, Ecuador and again in August 2009 in New York. In the first encounter Jamaica lost 2-1with Onandi Lowe getting the consolation goal, and then playing to a 0-0 draw in a game that will be remembered for Dicoy Williams’ excellent debut at centre back for Jamaica.

The Jamaican delegation of officials, coaches and players are expected to arrive in the South America nation on Tuesday, August 30 and depart Saturday, September 3. The big question from fans is whether they will see any new faces in the Boyz squad that has not fielded it’s most potent players in recent games. Read more or join the discussion in the forum

Depleted Reggae Boyz fall 1-0 to China
August 10, 2011
A depleted Reggae Boyz squad lost 1-0 to China in an international friendly at the Hei Fei Sports Center. Zhao Peng scored the lone goal in the 9th minute as he out jumped his Jamaican opponents to head home from a corner.

Playing in wet and rainy conditions, the somewhat make shift Reggae Boyz team was kept in a defensive mode for most of the game. The Jamaicans struggled to put their passing game together and failed to create any real goal scoring opportunities.

The Reggae Boyz squad, which was missing many of the players invited to the tour looked more like a Jamaica “B” team as coach Whitmore did not have his choice players to choose from. Late withdrawals due to injuries and reorganized travel plans were to blame for the depleted squad of fifteen players. Special arrangements had to be made by the JFF for visa to be issued to some late arriving players on entering Shanghai and Beijin some arriving just hours before the game.

Members of theReggaeBoyz.com forum who watched the game were very disappointed in the team’s performance saying the whole team looked fatigue and out of shape. Distributor1 summed up the match saying “Not much of a game, but we could hardly have expected more with that depleted squad. We created no chances on goal, and we had no creative midfield play. Our defense wasn't bad, but that was more because of our athleticism and not our organization. The Chinese deserved the result.”

Jamaica's starting XI — Dwayne Miller, Shavar Thomas, Adrian Reid, Xavian Virgo, Eric Vernan, Damion Williams, Omar Daley, Keneil Moodie, Rudolph Austin, Luton Shelton, Omar Cummings. Read the game comments in the forum

Strong Under-23 football squad for Olympic qualifiers
August 2, 2011
Jamaica's Under-23 football squad wrapped up their final warm up match with a 1-0 win over the newly promoted Premier League team Highgate United, before departing for Suriname where they will compete in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) first-round Olympic qualifiers. The Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Olympic qualifications will be held in Suriname from August 3 to 7, 2011 with Jamaica drawn in Group "A" alongside Cayman Islands, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname.

The match was the second of two games between both teams as the U23 Boyz went down 1-0 in the first game. The team has been training under national senior team assistant coach Brazilian Alfredo Montesso who said he expects a lot from the Young Reggae Boyz as they were a talented team. Although the team is short on practice games due to a limited preparation time the players are expected to do well against their first round opponents and should advance to the next phase.

Joining the team's 18-man squad is overseas-based midfielder and senior team representative Evan Taylor. Taylor, who plays in the United States Soccer League (USL) for the Charleston Battery, has 10 caps for the Jamaican national team including World Cup qualifiers versus Mexico, Canada and the Bahamas. He is expected to strengthen the squad that contains a number of players who narrowly missed qualifying for the FIFA 2010 Under-20 World Cup. The team also includes Jason Johnson and André Clennon, who both have senior-team experience as Johnson played for Jamaica in 2010 against Argentina, while Clennon featured against El Salvador in March 2011.

Reggae Boyz take their tune to China
July 31, 2011
In keeping with the Jamaica Football Federation’s goal to take full advantage of all available FIFA calendar dates leading to the Caribbean leg of World Cup qualification, the Reggae Boyz are scheduled to take on China for a friendly on August 10 in China. The game will be the first for Jamaica since their CONCACAF Gold tournament and will be played in the eastern Chinese city of Heifi, with both teams agreeing to play their strongest teams available.

The 44th ranked Reggae Boyz are expected to field most of their recent Gold Cup players including the likes of Shavar Thomas, Dane Richards, Ryan Johnson, Jermaine Taylor, Donovan Ricketts  Luton Shelton, Rodolph Austin, Jason Morrison, Omar Daley and Keammar Daley

China ranked 73rd by FIFA, is coming off a convincing World Cup qualifying  against Laos with a first leg 7-2 victory followed by a 6-1 victory in the return-leg to advance 13-3 on aggregate to the Asian group-stage qualifying. They are expected to field captain Du Wei, top striker Hao Haidong, Yang Xu who scored a hat trick against Laos, midfielders Chen Tao and Hao Junmin.

The meeting will be the third between the two countries dating back to 1977 with the Chinese winning the first 1-0 while Jamaica following up with a 3-0 triumph in the second. Forum member Rick stated in a recent post that he remembers the series back in '77 when the Chinese played three matches in that series, two against the Jamaican National side and one against a Western All Stars side at Jarrett Park. More in the Forum

Keammar 'Dada' Daley impresses IN PNU trial stint
July 31, 2011
TIVOLI Gardens FC's Keammar 'Dada' Daley has impressed club officials on his trial stint at Preston North End, the English Championship team which was recently relegated to Division

Daley, who was selected for trial based on his impressive showing at the recent CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament, scored in Preston North End’s pre-season 3-0 victory over League Two outfit Morecambe 3-0 at the Globe Arena.

The Reggae Boyz midfielder’s tricky runs and strong tackles where highlighted when he collected a pass on the left-side of the box and calmly beat his marker before firing home between keeper Barry Roche and the near post. Fans of North End showed their appreciation by chanting ‘Phil, sign him up!’

By all accounts it was an impressive performance by Daley for a club that has a history with some of the best Jamaican home grown players such as, Ricardo Fuller, Omar Daley, Claude Davis and  a recent stint with Ricardo Gardner.

Daley was voted as the Most Valuable Player in last season’s Flow Championship Cup, which was won by Tivoli Gardens and is reported to have a number of teams in Asia, Norway, Belgium and the United States interested in his talents. Read More

Jamaica U-23 squad preparing for CFU Olympic qualifiers
The Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Olympic qualifications will be held in Suriname from August 3 to 7, 2011 with Jamaica drawn in Group "A" alongside Cayman Islands, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname. The players invited to the squad have been training under national senior team assistant coach Brazilian Alfredo Montesso at St. George's College. Six members of the 2009 National Under-20 football squad, Levaughn Williams, Keith Simpson, Davian Thorpe, Andre Clennon, Theo Brown and Alanzo Adlam, are among the invitees. Also invited are Oneil Fisher, Devon Williams and Kemar Lawrence, who were part of the 2011 national under-20 squad and former Bridgeport High School Manning Cup football star Darren Mattocks,  now with Akron University. Did Gama and the U23 technical staff select the strongest squad available? See the full list of players in the forum discussion

Kansas star contemplates playing for the Boyz
 Ryan Smith, a former England youth international is looking at his option of representing the Reggae Boyz. The attacking 24-year-old winger with Sporting Kansas City (SKC), has Jamaican roots and would consider playing for Jamaica if his services were desired. Early in his development Smith played mainly in Arsenal’s youth system in England playing for the first team in the Carling Cup knockout competition at age 16 and also played for England at the Under-20 level. Other clubs that he has been a part of includes Leicester, Derby County, Milwall, Southampton and Crystal Palace. In 2010 he joined Jamaican Shavar Thomas at Sporting Kansas City and made an immediate impact scoring three goals with seven assists. Thomas who captained Jamaica at the recent Gold Cup tournament said Smith is the total package of speed, skill and football intelligence. Learn more about Ryan Smith in the forum

Univ. of Akron signs Akeil Omari Barrett
Univ. of Akron signs former Calabar High School and Harbor View U-20 Team member Akeil Omari Barrett. He will join fellow countryman Darren Mattocks and compete for a spot up top for the Zips this fall. The lower sixth-form student has three CXC subjects, Communication Studies, History and Sociology and has his eyes set on playing soccer at the highest level. We wish him success. Join the discussion here

Dane Kelly on loan to USLPro Charleston Battery
Former Tivoli Gardens striker Dane Kelly has made a very impressive debut with the USL Pro League for Charleston Battery since his under-the-radar loan last month.The twenty year-old player has grabbed the headlines after his impressive pre-season displays, as well as an outstanding showing in the team's first league match. Kelly’s explosive pace has already paid dividends and head coach Mike Anhaeuser seems convinced that he has a long-term role to play in the team. Kelly was scouted during a seven-day trip to Jamaica by the Battery's back-room staff. Read more in the forum.

Jamaica now 38 in FIFA Coca-Cola Rankings
July 3, 2011
Jamaica made a seventeen place jump to 38th in the recent update of the FIFA Coca-Cola Rankings. This is their best position since the 1998 World Cup campaign where the Boyz were ranked 32. Later in the same year they achieved their best-ever ranking of 27. With the latest update, the Boyz are now third in CONCACAF behind Mexico (9th) and USA (24th). Jamaica maintained their No 1 position in the Caribbean, followed by Haiti (89th), Trinidad and Tobago (90th) and Cuba (101th) rounding out the top four.  Without a doubt, Jamaica is on the rise and this movement in the ranking is also a result of their excellent first round showing at the recent CONCACAF Gold Cup defeating Grenada (4-0), Guatemala (2-0) and Honduras (1-0). Follow the Ranking Spanking discussion here

Horace Burrell eyes vacant CONCACAF and CFU posts
July 3, 2011
With the recent resignation of Austin 'Jack' Warner's as president of CONCACAF and the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), the President of the Jamaica Football Federation Captain Horace Burrell, says it is very likely that he will run for the vacant posts.

Burrell, speaking recently at the JFF headquarters, said he is ready for the job but emphasized he will need support from his colleagues and his country.

Members of TheReggaeBoyz.com Forum seems to support the idea of Burrell leading CONCACAF as they think it will be better for the Caribbean than having the Americans or Mexicans head CONCACAF. One member Rick went on to say “he might very well end up being of more use and benefit to Jamaica's football as head of CONCACAF than he has been as head of the JFF. What do you think of the idea. We would love to hear your views. Join the discussion here

First round exit for Jamaica at the 2011 Under 17 FIFA World Cup
July1, 2011
Jamaica's Under-17 footballers returned home after their first round exit from the 2011 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. The Young Boyz finished at the bottom of the four-team group with one point, behind Argentina (three points), France (five points) and group winners Japan (seven points).

Although not winning any of three games, they were quite competitive and head coach Wendell Downswell said that if was not for lack of international exposure and the youngster's naivety, they could still be in the tournament. Jamaica lost 0-1 to Japan, 1-2 to Argentina and drew 1-1 with France after leading early in the game. A victory against France would have placed Jamaica ahead of Argentina in the next round due to their superior goal average.

Downswell also express disappointment at the missed opportunity to expose the players to the training camp in Valencia, Spain, prior to the Mexico trip, which he claims would have helped them tremendously heading into the World Cup. He went on to say that the major disparity between Jamaica and the other teams on show was their inability to score the opportunities that were created.

This was the second Under 17 World Cup featuring Jamaica, as they previously appeared in the 1999 event that was held in New Zealand. The current team achieved two major milestones by being the first Jamaica team to score at the under-17 FIFA Youth Championship and also the first to gain a point at that level. For a full forum analysist of the team's performance visit the forum discussion here

Reggae Boyz sent packing from the Gold Cup
June 19, 2011
Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz were sent packing from the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup after falling 2-0 to the United States in the quarter final at RFK Stadium on Sunday. The Americans will advance and play either Panama or El Salvador - in the semifinals in Houston on Wednesday.

Jamaica lacked the confidence and speed they displayed in the first round of the tournament and were somewhat intimidated by the Americans. It seemed that Jamaica's game plan was to contain the US, and score on counter-attacks but the strategy did not work for them.

Jamaica had the first chance in the fourth minute as Dane Richards picked a ball and sent a right cross to Ryan Johnson, who fired from point-blank range. Goalkeeper Tim Howard blocked Johnson’s shot and the rebound was hit over the crossbar by Luton Shelton in front of the empty goal. The United States dominated the rest of the half with Jamaica, the only team not to concede a goal during the group stage of the Gold Cup, seemingly content to playing a defensive game and chasing the USA around.

American midfielder Jermaine Jones scored his first international goal when he put the Americans ahead in the 49th minute with a shot that deflected off a Jamaican defender pass Donovan Ricketts into the back of the net. It was his first goal of the Gold Cup for the U.S.A.

America stepped up the attack on the non-dancing Reggae Boyz and Donovan Ricketts was called upon to make some excellent saves to keep Jamaica in the game. The USA sealed the game in the 80th minute when Agudelo pulled two defenders on the right side of the box and released a simple ball to Clint Dempsey who easily tapped the ball in from three yards out. The victory extended the United States' unbeaten history over Jamaica to 18 matches.

Jamaica has made eight appearances at the Gold Cup final tournament, 1991, 1993, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2009 and 2011.

Jamaica defeats Honduras to win Gold Cup Group B
June 14, 2011
Ryan Johnson’s first half goal gave Jamaica a 1-0 win over Honduras to top Group B Monday in front of a sellout crowd of 25,000 at Red Bull Arena. Jamaica, which advances to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2005, will face the runner-up from Group C on Sunday in Washington, D.C. It will be decided today when USA plays Guadeloupe and Panama oppose Canada.  Honduras, which also advances as the group’s second-placed team, plays Costa Rica on Saturday.

Johnson’s winner came in the 36th minute when he took advantage of an open space in middle of the Honduran defense. The roaming Johnson fired a 25 meters shot that hit the crossbar, bounced down and struck the back of keeper Noel Valladares’ head before rolling into the goal. Johnson, who plays Major League Soccer for the San Jose Earthquakes said “It’s one of the strangest goals, but it’s a goal,” he went on to say that he was happy that the team has not been scored on so far and maintains a clean sheet.

Johnson came very close to scoring a second goal for the Reggae Boyz when he was awarded a penalty in the 72nd minute after being tripped inside the box by Osman Chavez. Johnson was denied as the Honduran keeper made a diving save to the left to keep Honduras in the match. Play was delayed for a couple of minutes after referee Joel Aguilar of El Salvador awarded the penalty as angry Honduran fans littered the field with plastic bottles.

The Reggae Boyz coach Theodore Whitmore said the team has made a lot of progress and that most of the guys have been working together for a year now. What we got today and in this tournament was the ball possession because we tend to give away the ball a lot. We can see a difference in our ball possession" said Whitmore.

The Boyz ended group play with maximum nine points, five ahead of Honduras and Guatemala, while Grenada suffered yet another huge 4-0 defeat in the first game of the double against Guatemala, to finish pointless.

Teams: Jamaica – Dwayne Miller, Jason Morrison, Jermaine Taylor, Adrian Reid, Damion Williams, Demar Phillips, Omar Daley (Eric Vernan 85th), Keammar Daley, Jevaughn Watson (Navion Boyd 89th), Dane Richards, Ryan Johnson (Luton Shelton 82nd). More in the Forum

Phillips scores twice as Jamaica beats Guatemala 2-0
June 10, 2011
Jamaica overpowered Guatemala 2-0 in their Group B CONCACAF Gold Cup match Friday night at the FIU Stadium in Miami, Florida. A pair of second half goals from Demar Phillips helped The Reggae Boyz to become the second team to reach the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup.

The Caribbean champs started slowly and although they looked the stronger team they never capitalized on their first half opportunities. Guatemala had its best scoring chance late in the first half caused by some sloppy defending from Jamaica. In the 40th minute Ruiz latched on to a loose ball and unleashed a 20 yard shot but his long range effort went straight to Ricketts. Two minutes later Ruiz strikes again but it whistles past Ricketts upright. The half ended 0-0.

Jamaica became more purposeful in the second half and nearly broke through with two scoring chances in the first 5 minutes after the break. Luton Shelton outpaced the defenders from midfield into the Guatemela penalty area but his final touch was stopped by a leg save from Jerez in the 47th minute. Jerez was tested again 3 minutes later when he stopped a 20 yard shot from Richards.

Phillips broke the deadlock with his first goal in the 65th minute. Substitute Keamar Daley released a pass to Phillips who dribbled into the left side of the penalty area, eluded s defender and beat goalkeeper Ricard Jerez with a shot that ended inside the right post. Philips struck again in the 78th minute when Dane Richards dribbled toward the end line of the Guatemalan penalty area, worked around a defender and centered a pass to an unmarked Phillips who shot pass Jerez to give the Boyz their second goal.

The win gives Jamaica six points atop Group B and assured Jamaica a berth in the Gold Cup quarterfinals of the CONCACAF championship for the fifth time and first since 2005. Jamaica will play their third and final Group B match on Monday in Harrison, N.J. where hey will face Honduras.

The starting team was; D. Ricketts, S. Thomas, D. Phillips, J. Taylor, Dicoy Williams, E. Vernan, R. Austin, J. Morrison, D. Richard, L. Shelton, R. Johnson....More in the Forum

Jamaica open Gold Cup with comfortable 4-0 win over Grenada
June 6, 2011
Jamaica’s senior Reggae Boyz football team kicked off its 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup Tournament Group B campaign with a comfortable 4-0 win against Caribbean neighbors Grenada at the Home Depot Center in Carson California. The goals were scored by Luton Shelton, Ryan Johnson, Demar Phillips and Omar Daley. The result puts Jamaica in the lead of Group B with three points, two ahead of Honduras and Guatemala, who played to a 0-0 draw in the second game of the double header. Grenada sits at the bottom of the table without a point.

Although the Boyz achieved their main objective of getting three points from the game, they squandered may chances in a game that they dominated with ball possession and keeping their opponents pinned in their own half of the field.

Jamaica opened the scoring in the 21 minute from a left sided corner played short to Richards and back to Austin who then sent a through ball that finds Shelton whose deft touch slips it in the back of the net. The Boyz should have added another shortly after when central defender Jermaine Taylor sent a diagonal pass to Dane Richards. The New York Red Bull player blazed down the right wing and then sent a teasing cross to the back post but the chance was squandered by Johnson a few meters from the goal.

Jamaica found the net again in the 39th minute with Richards again storming down the wing and his pin-point pass to Johnson creates a simple tap in for a 2-0 advantage. Jamaica maintained control of the game for the remainder of the first half.

The Boyz started the second half where they left off as Shelton squandering yet another chance in font of the goal hitting it high over the crossbar. missed chances continued as Johnson should have added a third goal when he sprung the off-side trap and raced clear on goal, but shot hit against the crossbar and back into play.

The third goal finally came in the 79th minute as Phillips this time does break through and slips the ball past his covering defender and blasts his effort past an advancing Louison in goal.

The Boyz saved their best for last with a sweet goal that could be considered one of the best goals of the tournament so far. After a nice build up in the 84th minute Jevaughn Watson did a cheeky back heel to substitute Omar Daley who sent a ferocious shot to the top corner of the net sending Jamaica to a 4-0 victory.

Team Jamaica - Donovan Ricketts, Shavar Thomas, Jermaine Taylor, Dicoy Williams, Jason Morrison, Rudolph Austin (Keammar Daley 69th), Demar Phillips, Eric Vernan, Luton Shelton (Jevaughn Watson 79th), Dane Richards (Omar Daley 65th), Ryan Johnson. Follow the game discussion here

Downswell selects players for Under-17 World Cup
June 5, 2011
The head coach of Jamaica's under 17 football team, Wendell Downswell, announced his final 21-man squad to represent Jamaica at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Mexico, beginning on June 18. Downswell said that based on the availability of the players, his selection is the best possible crop of players at this time. The 21-member squad was for the most part selected from players who participated in the six-week training camp in Brazil in back in December. One noticeable omission was that of left sided midfielder, King Kya Beckford, who took part in the qualifiers in Montego Bay earlier this year.

The Young Reggae Boyz will travel to Toluca on Tuesday, June 7 in preparation of the World Cup, They will then open their World Cup campaign against Japan on June 18.

The full squad is: Goalkeepers: Odean Clarke, Holland United, Muschett High; Richard Trench, unattached, Rusea's High; Nico Campbell, Cavalier, St George's College. Defenders: Alvas Powell, Portmore United, Paul Bogle High; Quante Smith Brampton United, Silverhorn (Canada); Patrick Palmer, Cavalier, Wolmer's Boys; Kemo Wallace, Harbour View, Wolmer's Boys; Oshane Jenkins, Cavalier, St George's College; Jason Wint Portmore United' Zhelano Barnes, Cavalier, Excelsior High. Midfielders: Omar Holness, Real Mona, Wolmer's Boys; Romario Jones Cavalier, St George's College; Andrew Lewis, Cavalier, St George's College; Cardel Benbow, Waterford FC, St George's College; Shawn Lawson, Ajax Strikers; J Clarke Richardson (Canada); Melvin Blair Frome FC, Mannings High; Troy Moo Penn, Mile Gully, Manchester High. Forwards: Jason Wright, Cavalier, Wolmer's Boys; Jevani Brown, MK Dons, Lea Manor High (UK); Romario Williams, Cavalier, Kingston College; Anthony Walker unattached, Rusea's High. Join the Under-17 World Cup discussion here

Marshall, Cummings released from Gold Cup squad
June 4, 2011
With their first game of the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup Tournament scheduled for Monday against Grenada, the Jamaican Reggae Boyz squad continues to shrink as it lost two more players. Veteran utility player Tyrone Marshall and his Colorado Rapids teammate, striker Omar Cummings have been removed from the team roster a day after they were expected to join up with their team mates in Los Angeles. The release of the two players follows the omission of veteran defender Ian Goodison for failing to join the squad on their recent training camp in Brazil.

It was confirmed that the 36 year old Marshall, a veteran of 70 caps, would not be joining the team due to a conflict with the schedule of his US Major League Soccer (MLS) team the Colorado Rapids where Marshall is expected to play a key role. It was also suggested that if the situation changes and Marshall becomes available, he could join up with the squad later in the tournament.

The situation with Cummings is different as the speedy striker is still recovering from an ankle injury suffered while playing for his club, Colorado Rapids in the MLS. He was originally expected to join the 23 man training session in Brazil but was given and extension to aid his recovery process. It is still unclear if a replacement will be requested for Cummings as is allowed under the tournament rules.

Meanwhile, the Reggae Boyz arrived in Torrance, California on Thursday evening, traveling from Porto Feliz in Sao Paulo, Brazil were they were joined by goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts, defenders Jermaine Taylor and Dicoy Williams, and midfielder Jevaughn Watson. Jamaica's opening game against Grenada is scheduled for 6:00 pm (8:00 pm Jamaica time) on Monday. For a schedule of the games see more here.

No-show Goodison dropped from Gold Cup squad
May 28, 2011
National Senior Head Coach Theodore Whitmore has expressed profound disappointment in the failure of national representative Ian Goodison to join the national squad presently in Brazil preparing for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Mr. Goodison did not depart the NMIA on Thursday, 26th with the other players Jason Morrison; Dwayne Miller: Rudolph Austin and Dane Richards as scheduled.

Up to press time no reason have been given for Goodison's absence, and as a result Mr. Goodison has been removed from the squad as the rules which were made clear to all was that the camp in Brazil was mandatory. Whitmore, had earlier this week given the 38 year old Goodison his blessing by saying that the aging defender had something to offer to the current Reggae Boyz squad.

It was clearly expressed to the players that the training camp would have been mandatory for them to attend and seeing that we are already three days into camp and he did not come there is no option therefore of the player joining the squad in California for its first fixture against Grenada on June 6.

“The days of players doing as they please with the national programme are over” said a very disappointed Coach Whitmore. ‘and this is the case no matter who the player is, regardless of his experience or standing, no one is bigger than the team. The door is never closed to any national player but this is a lost opportunity for Mr. Goodison”. “We have moved on with the preparation as both the technical staff and the players are determined to do well at this tournament”

The arrival of the four players yesterday brings the total number of players in the camp to 16. The group will depart for for Los Angeles on Wednesday where they will be joined by the remaining six players of the Major League Soccer to bring the Gold Cup roster to 22...Read More and get fan reaction on Goodison

Jamaica calls up players for Gold Cup tournament and Brazil training camp
May 24, 2011
Theodore Whitmore, head coach of Jamaica’s senior Reggae Boyz football team, has called up a combination of overseas and locally based players for the Gold Cup to be held in the USA, June 5-25. The majority of the players called will arrive in Sao Paolo, Brazil on May 24th and 25th to commence training in preparation for the event.

The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has worked hard over the past two months to make the training camp a reality and to ensure that players were released from their respective clubs. Injuries to Ricardo Fuller and Kavin Bryan has caused their omission from the team but Omar Cummings who was injured two weeks ago is recovering and is expected to be able to participate in the tournament. Veterans players Ian Goodison and Tyrone Marshall were brought back into the fold.

The training camp is deemed to be very critical in creating the right synergy for a team consisting of twenty-three players traveling from six countries. Players that will miss the training camp in Brazil are Jermaine Taylor and Jevaughn Watson who are experiencing issues relating to work permit for their respective clubs and Donovan Ricketts and Dicoy Williams who were approved by Coach Whitmore to join up with the team in Los Angeles on 2nd June.

Players called to the team are goalkeepers Donovan Rickets, Dwayne Miller and Duwayne Kerr. Defenders Dicoy Williams, Shavar Thomas, Jermaine Taylor, Ian Goodison, Eric Vernan, Demar Phillips, Tyrone Marshall and Adrian Reid. Midfielders Richard Edwards, Jason Morrison, Damian Williams, Omar Daley, Jevaughn Watson, Rodolph Austin and Keammar Daley. Forwards Ryan Johnson, Dane Richards, Omar Cummings, Navion Boyd and Luton Shelton.

Coach Whitmore has said that this Gold Cup will be an important point in men’s football program with the objective to improve qualitatively over the performance in 2009 and a test to see how the players will perform in a high intensity tournament setting. Newly appointed Assistant National Senior team Coach, Alfredo Montesso will join the training camp which is expected to fine tune the physical, tactical and mental preparation of the national team. While in Brazil two practice games are being organized for the team.

The Jamaican delegation will travel on June 2nd to Los Angeles for Jamaica's first game against Grenada at the Home Depot Stadium on June 6 beginning 6:00 pm. Jamaica plays its second game against Guatemala on June 10 in Miami and its final group game against Honduras on June 13 New Jersey. Join the discussion in the forum

Jamaica showing interest in a number of foreign players
May 21, 2011
The media buzz is that the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) is looking to widen the pool of players for the senior team ahead of the FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign later this year and they are showing interest in a number of foreign players. Some of the names being touted are Everton’s striker Jermaine Beckford, West Ham’s Zavon Hines, Birmingham City’s Luke Hubbard and Nathan Smith of Yeovil Town.

After his move last summer from Leeds United to Everton, the 27 years old Beckford has scored seven goals in his first season. It was reported in the Jamaica Online Star that Beckford is said to be seriously considering the idea but will not be able to make a until later this year due to family reasons.

Jamaican born Zavon Hines, 22, is an attacking player who has represented England at the Under-21 level against the Macedonia. Hines came on as a second-half substitute for for Theo Walcott, and scored twice in their 6–3 victory. In 2009, Hines was called up by Jamaica for their friendly international against Nigeria. The game finished 0–0 and Hines did not play.

Not much information is available on Hubbard, a midfielder on Birmingham City reserve team, but it was reported that both he and Nathan Smith, a 24-year-old left back with English League One team Yeovil Town had already filed for their Jamaican citizenship application to show that they are committed to joining the national setup.

The Jamaica Online Star went on to report that JFF general secretary Horace Reid confirmed that discussions were under way with several players and stressed the importance of the level of commitment shown by each player. Read more on the players being scouted in the forum.

Chris Humphrey called up to squad for Brazil
May 20, 2011
It had been reported in various media sources that Scotland based Motherwell winger Chris Humphrey has been called up by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) for their three-week camp in Brazil. The 22-year-old Jamaican born Humphrey, is also eligible to play for Scotland due to the fact that his mother was born in Kilmarnock, said he is really happy that Jamaica was the first to offer him the chance to play international football.

Humphrey, who has been very impressive this season, has been attracting the attention of a number of Premier League clubs, including Liverpool, Bolton and Birmingham. Humphrey is also a key player in helping Motherwell reach the Scottish Cup final against Celtic.

In an interview with skysports.com, Humphrey said he delighted to be called up by Jamaica for their training camp in Brazil and it is a huge honor to play international football. He said he is looking forward to linking up with the Jamaican squad.

Humphrey was first brought to the attention of the forum by Reggae Boyz Sports Analyst and Forum Member, Jamaicanyouth, who is been credited for his recommendation to the JFF. Follow or Join the discussion on the calling up of Humphrey to the Jamaican team

Gama new Technical Director of the Reggae Boyz
May, 13, 2011
The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) announced that they have retained the services of four Brazilian coaches to work with the national football program. Professor Walter Gama is now the new Technical Director and will be responsible for overall development of the nation's game. Assisting Gama in various areas of the technical structure will be his son Luciano Gama, Professor Alfredo Montesso and Joao Brigatti.

The president of the JFF, Captain Horace Burrell, said that all four coaches will be given a three-year contract with a combined salary of US$50,000 per month. He further stated that the JFF could only guarantee the salaries for six months at this time and that his administration would be seeking added support from corporate Jamaica to help fund the salary of these coaches.

Alfredo Montesso will assist Theodore Whitmore as coach of the senior men’s team, and also be in charge of the Jamaica's Under-23 Olympic team. Luciano Gama will be assigned as head coach of men's Under-20 team and will be assisted by Andrew Edwards. Brigatti will be a goalkeeper coach alongside Warren Barrett and Clive Wedderburn. Wendell Downswell and his assistant Omar Edwards will continue to lead the World Cup-bound Under-17 team. Vin Blaine stays as the head coach of the Women's teams with assistance from Xavier Gilbert and Merron Gordon.

Also in the agreement, the Brazilians will provide lectures at the JFF/UTech coaching seminars to aid in the development of Jamaican coaches. Follow the new technical director discussion here

Liverpool eyes highly-rated Jamaican-born Chris Humphrey of Motherwell
May 13, 2011
The rumour mill is buzzing with the word that Jamaican-born midfielder, Chris Humphrey, has attracted the attention of a host of Barclays Premier League clubs following an impressive season in the Scottish Premier League. A published report on the Daily Mail, states that the 22-year-old Humphrey, a winger with Motherwell, could be the summer target of Liverpool, Newcastle, Bolton, Birmingham and Everton. Liverpool are reportedly sending a scout to monitor his performance later this month when Motherwell takes on Celtic on May 21. Humphrey's previously played with Walsall, Shrewsbury via West Bromwich Albion, before becoming signing with Motherwell in 2009. More Chris Humphrey in the forum

Player On The Move - Akeem Priestley
The Los Angeles Blues have announce the signing of Jamaican Akeem Priestley for the 2011 USL PRO season, pending USSF and USL approval. Priestley who played ball at the University of Connecticut was drafted in 2009 by MLS side Kansas City Wizards but was subsequently released.

Priestly represented Harbour View Football Club in Jamaica before going on loan to Azerbaijan Premier League outfit FC Mughan for the 2009/10 season. The versatile attacker then travelled to the Shamrock Rovers in Ireland but was unable to get clearance. The 25 YO Priestley is a Jamaica national representative and has earned six caps for the Reggae Boyz. More on Akeem in the Forum

Jamaican football coaches required to have certification
May 11, 2011
Coaches in Jamaica’s top league, the Digicel Premier League, will now be required to have an Advanced Level II certification according to a release issued by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF).

The move is part of the JFF's effort to standardize local coaching practices, in order to improve football on a national level. To facilitate the changes, The JFF have been and will continue the staging of clinics in conjunction with the Jamaica Money Market Brokers and University of Technology (UTech). The ninth staging of these series of courses is expected to run over the next five weeks and a second course will be held from August 17-September 1.

In addition to getting certified at the Premier League level, coaches at the primary and preparatory schools level, as well as those who conditions teams in the schoolboy Manning and DaCosta Cup competitions, Major League and Women's League, must be Level I-compliant. Read more on the certification

Jamaican Players On The Move
May 11, 2011
OUT: Reggae Boyz Claude Davis was released by his club English football Crystal Palace this morning. Davis had been with the club since February 2009 when he was on loan and then permanently since September 2009. He has made 59 appearances for the club…Read more here

OUT: Jamaican international Omar Daley was released by Bradford City. Daley had been with the club since January 2007 and was a fan’s favorite. Daley, who has played over 50 times for his country, was named in the PFA League Two Team of the Year at the end of the 2008-09 campaign. Injuries have been in retarding Daley's career at Bradford. After suffering a knee injury in February 2009, he had a series of setbacks but was still able to score five goals from 22 starts for the club this season.Read more on Daley's release

IN: Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit Houston Dynamo has signed Jamaica and Sporting Central Academy midfielder JeVaughn Watson. The club reported that Watson played central midfield in preseason and impressed at two positions, holding midfielder and attacking midfielder, and showed eagerness to get forward and eagerness to defend. Watson has made two starts in a row since joining the team and each time going the distance. He has been featured in right midfielder, and has been effective with two assists this season. JeVaughn has appeared eight times for Jamaica. Read More here

FIFA instructs JFF to reduce its excessive member board
May 05, 2011
At a recent JAMAICA Football Federation (JFF) leadership seminar held at the Iberiostar Beach Resort in Montego Bay, the JFF was instructed by FIFA to reduce it’s 33-member board by 21 members in keeping with "modern trends. Jamaica currently has the largest board of all 208 FIFA member associations.

With the governing body of FIFA consisting of 24 members, it exposes the ridiculous excess of the JFF member board and a need for immediate restructuring. The JFF will now be required to follow the standards and administrative structures FIFA has established for its member organizations to assist them in the development of the sport.

The head of the JFF Captain Horace Burrell said now that FIFA has standardize the way member boards should function, the JFF has taken steps with their legal department to assist all the Football Associations to fall in line with modern and normal practices.

The current JFF board consists of parish presidents; representatives of the four Confederations; heads of standing committees; affiliates and elected officials.

Other matters of importance covered at the meeting included training and development for board members, a review of the current competition structures; developing new revenue streams and expanding branding opportunities.

Boyz defeat El Salvador 3-2
Led by two goals from New York Red Bulls winger Dane Richards and another from striker Omar Cummings of the Colorado Rapids, the Reggae Boyz overcame the hostile Central American environment to defeat El Salvador 3-2 at the Cuscatlan Stadium on Tuesday night. El Salvador got their goals through Jaime Alas just before the half-time break, and Lester Blanco in the second minute of time added.

The Reggae Boyz found themselves playing the last thirty minutes without central midfielder Damion Williams, who was ejected for a second bookable offence. The Boyz also survived a missed penalty in the 75 minute from substitute Osael Romero after Guatemalan referee Elmar Rodas made a harsh handball call against Javaughn Watson of Jamaica.

The performance of the Reggae Boyz was a vast improvement over the 2-0 defeat dished out by Venezuela on the previous Friday in Jamaica.

Although this game is expected to be the last friendly international for the senior team prior to this summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup in the USA, coach Whitmore is hoping that the JFF can organize at least another friendly international as he fine tunes his squad.

After watching the El Salvador game highlights and speaking to Khari Stevenson about the El Salvador match to gain some insight, forum member Tennisman shares his views of where the Senior ReggaeBoyz stand at the moment. Read more of Tennisman's views here

Reggae Boyz to see action against Venezuela and El Salvador
March 18, 2011
After a period of inactivity, Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz are set to see action again as they are scheduled to face South American outfit Venezuela at the Montego Bay Sports Complex on March 25, followed by El Salvador on March 27 in San Salvador.

The president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) Captain Horace Burrell said both games fit into the team’s preparation for the upcoming Gold Cup and the World Cup Qualifiers later in the year.

Stoke City's Ricardo Fuller, Dane Richards of the NY Red Bulls and San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Khari Stephenson are among 12 overseas-based Reggae Boyz called up by head coach Theodore Whitmore. The two matches will allow Whitmore and the technical staff to continue to look at available players for the national senior team.

When Jamaica faces Venezuela it will be the fourth meeting between the two teams. In the three previous encounters, Jamaica has won once, Venezuela once and there has been one drawn game. The teams first met when Jamaica was being coached by then Technical Director Rene Simoes on February 12, 1997 in Jamaica. That game ended in a 0-0 draw. Six years later Jamaica went down to Caracas, Venezuela at the El Estadio Olimpico, and suffered a 2-0 loss. In 2004 the Venezuelans lost to Jamaica 2-1 in front of a large gathering at the ‘Office’ in Kingston Jamaica. (Read more on the Venezuela game in the forum)

The Reggae Boyz last meeting against El Salvador was in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2009 where the Boyz were 1-0 winner and two years earlier they defeated their Central American opponents 3-0 in a friendly at the National Stadium. (Read more on the El Salvador game in the forum)

The full list of overseas-based players who will join the locally based players already in camp are: Shaver Thomas (Kansas City Wizards, United States); Dane Richards (NY Red Bulls United States); Ricardo Fuller (Stoke City, United Kingdom); Luton Shelton (Valerenga, Norway); Dwayne Miller (Syrianska, Sweden); Dwayne Kerr (Strommen IF, Norway); Jermaine Taylor (Houston Dynamo, United States); Demar Phillips (Aalesund Fc, Norway); Khari Stephenson(San Jose Earthquakes, United States); Damion Williams(Nybergsund, Norway); Kavin Bryan (Song ham Nghe, Vietnam); Rudolph Austin (SK Bran, Belgium). More news in the forum

Jamaica advances to U-17 semis and to World Cup
February 24, 2011
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica - A goal in each half from Jason Wright gave Jamaica a 2-1 victory over Honduras and propelled them to the semifinals of the CONCACAF championship and a spot in the Under-17 World Cup in Mexico.

The final four semi-finalist will play on Friday with Jamaica against the United States and Canada meeting Panama. All four teams have qualified for the World Cup.

From the opening whistle, host Jamaica took control of the game and pressed their opponents as early as the sixth minute when Omar Holness sent a shot from the top of the area just over the crossbar. The young Reggae Boyz were rewarded in the 13th minute as a long throw-in into the area from Holness deflected out to Wright who was ideally positioned to blast the ball into the back of the goal from eight meters out.

Honduras keeper Roberto Lopez was called upon a number of times to keep Jamaica at bay for the rest of the half including two consecutive saves in the 42nd, stopping a one-on-one with Jevani Brown and moments later he did the same to a rebounded shot from Wright.

On the resumption, the Boyz were again rewarded when Wright doubled the lead in the 46th minute. Collecting a ball fed by Brown from the byline, Wright controlled the ball, turned to his right and blasted a low shot into the goal.

Honduras struggled to maintain possession but had an opportunity in the 51st when David Carranza managed a shot high from 20 meters out. Honduras pulled a goal back when substitute Bryan Rochez drove header inside the far post past Odean Clarke in goal.

With the game slipping away from Honduras they pushed forward in numbers and managed to gain an equal share of possession and chances but was unable to find the equalizer before the final whistle.... More in the Forum

JAMAICA — Odean Clarke, Oshane Jenkins, Kemo Wallace, Alvas Powell, Quante Smith, Romario Williams, Omar Holness (Patrick Palmer 82nd), Jason Wright, Andre Lewis, Jevani Brown (Romario Jones 72nd), Shawn-Claud Lawson (Cardell Benbow 66th). Subs not used: Richard Trench, Junior Flemmings, Troy Moo Penn, Ramone Brown. Booked: Jenkins (70th), Jones (90th)

HONDURAS — Roberto Lopez, Jeffri Flores, Eder Velasquez, Julio Moncada (72nd), David Caranaza, (Carlos Valentin 55th) Jose Barralaga, Arnaldo Alvarado, Ramon Amador, Carlos Andrade (Bryan Rochez 63rd), Joshua Neito, Jose Escalante. Subs not used: Allan Torres, Kelvin Nunezs, Manuel Meija, Tony Cerrato Booked: Amador (36th)... More in the Forum

Jamaica advance to U-17 quarterfinals with 1-0 win
February 20, 2011
A goal in first-half injury time gave Jamaica a 1-0 victory over Guatemala on Saturday to keep their Under-17 World Cup dream is alive at the Montego Bay Sports Complex.

Jamaica and Trinidad ended on top of Group C with four points, and the drawing of lots determined that Jamaica will face Group D runner-up Honduras in Wednesday's quarterfinals while Trinidad must play Group D winner Canada. The defeat was the second for Guatemala leaving them pointless in the three-team group.

An unmarked Jason Wright converted a cross in the 45th minute to scored the winner after a brilliant overlapping run down the left side by defender Alvas Powell. This was Wright's second goal of the tournament. For most of the first half both sides were unable to generate any real scoring chances. Before the goal, Jamaica's best opportunity came in the 40th minute when a half volley from Omar Holness went just wide.

Guatemala came close in the 51st but failed to capitalize on a fumbled free kick in front of the Jamaican goal. Jamaica continued to dominate the second half and came close on a few occasions as shot a from Jevani Brown closely flew over the crossbar and one from Powell was saved by Hernandez in goal for Guatemala. More in the Forum

CONCACAF U-17 Results - Day 4
T&T 1 Guatemala 0
Adan Noel scored one minute into second-half stoppage time to give Trinidad & Tobago a 1-0 victory over Guatemala on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Under-17 Championship. Guatemala will meet host Jamaica on Saturday and must win to advance.

Canada 8 Barbados 0
Michael Petrasso secured a 8-0 victory over Barbados on Thursday to earn a place in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Under-17 Championship.

CONCACAF U-17 Results - Day 3
Panama 0 Cuba 0
Panama wasted a penalty kick and settled for a 0-0 draw against Cuba on day three at the CONCACAF Under-17 Championship. Panama will play the United States who already qualifed for the quarterfinals on Friday

CONCACAF U-17 Results - Day 2
Jamaica and T&T play to 2-2 tie
Feb 15, 2011
Jamaica kept their hopes alive in the CONCACAF U17 Championship by coming from behind to hold Caribbean rival Trinidad and Tobago to a 2-2 draw at Catherine Hall Stadium.

Jamaica started favorites in front of their home crowd and look the better team for most of the first half. The young Reggae Boyz went ahead in the 42 minute when they were awarded a penalty by Mexican referee Ricardo Arellano. Jason Wright easily converted by sending T&T’s goalkeeper Quesi Weston the wrong way.

Trinidad, one of only two Caribbean teams to advance through qualifying undefeated, came roaring back in the second half and missed a chance to equalize in the 49th minute when a header from Jomal Williams' went wide.

Eight minutes later, Trinidad’s Shackiel Henry tied the match when Jamaica goalkeeper Richard Trench fumbled a free kick into the path of Henry who easily put it in the net. Henry struck again in the 64th minute, taking advantage poor defending by Jamaica.

Romario Williams equalized for the "Young Boyz" in the 70th minute to give Jamaica a draw in their opening game. Jamaica next game will be on Saturday, February 19 when they face Guatemala at the Catherine Hall Stadium.

In the other game played today, Honduras defeated Barbados 2-1...More in the Forum

CONCACAF U-17 Results - Day 1
Costa Rica 3 Haiti 1
Feb 14, 2011
Costa Rica defeated Haiti 3-1 in the opening game the CONCACAF Under-17 Football Tournament in Jamaica. William Quiros gave Costa Rica a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute but Haiti equalized with a goal from Johnley Chery. Gabriel Leiva put Costa Rica ahead just before the end of the first half and John Ruiz sealed the win two minutes into the second half. Haiti was down to 10 men in the 83rd minute when Renato Etienne was given his marching orders. Costa Rica next faces El Salvador on Friday while Haiti will need a victory against El Salvador on Wednesday to stay alive. Read More in the forum

Unites States 3 Cuba 1
Feb 14, 2011
The United States defeated Cuba 3-1 in their opening game of the CONCACAF Under-17 Football Tournament. Alfred Karoma put the United States ahead in the 27th minute followed by a goal from Andrew Olive two minutes into the second half. Esteban Rodriguez Jr increased the lead to 3-0 in the 50th minute. Frank Lopez pulled one back for Cuba in the 68th minute. The United States next faces Panama on Friday while Cuba will play Panama on Wednesday. Read More in the forum

Young Reggae Boyz confident ahead of CONCACAF U-17 Tournament
Feb.13, 2011
Jamaica will host the CONCACAF Under-17 Football Tournament to be staged in Jamaica between February 14 and 27. The tournament will feature 12 teams from the Caribbean, Central America and North America and have been split into four groups - A, B, C and D. The top four teams from the tournament will advance to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico from June 18-July 10, 2011.

The competing teams are Costa Rica, Haiti, Cuba, United States, Barbados, Honduras, Trinidad & Tobago, El Salvador, Panama, Canada, Guatemala and Jamaica. The top two teams in each group will advance to the quarterfinals with Groups A & B winners playing the runners up of the opposing group on February 22 while Groups C & D will follow the next day.  The semifinals will be played February 25 with the third-place and finals two days later.

Jamaica will see action in Group C along with Trinidad & Tobago and Guatemala. Group A consists of Costa Rica, El Salvador and Haiti. Group B has the United States, Panama, Cuba and Group D brings together Honduras, Canada, Barbados.

Haiti will face Costa Rica and Cuba will play the United States on the opening day February 14 in Trelawny while the young Reggae Boyz will play their first match on Tuesday at 3 p.m at Catherine Hall. The young Reggae Boyz are well prepared for the tournament and are considered one of the favorites to advance to Mexico.

After a six-week training session in Brazil, the Jamaicans played a series of practice matches leading up to the tournament. The first friendly game was against the USA U-17 on January 27 and ended in a 0-0 draw. A second encounter against the USA on January 30 saw the Americans squeezing out a 2-1 win over the young Boyz. Jamaica followed up with a  3-2 victory against Haiti on February 6 but ended their preparation with a 1-0 loss to Costa Rica on Thursday.

The Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium was scheduled to host the three doubleheaders but failed a FIFA final inspection on Wednesday and has been replaced by Jarrett Park in Montego Bay. The opening double header will now be played at the Catherine Hall Stadium in Montego Bay, with Jarrett Park scheduled as the venue for matches on Wednesday, February 16, and Friday, February 18.

See the full CONCACAF U-17 Championship Schedule or take look at the U-17 players representing Jamaican in the tournament.

U-17 Reggae Boyz lose practice match to USA
Feb. 1, 2011
Jamaica's under-17 footballers lost their second practice match against their American counterparts 2-1 at Jarrett Park in Montego Bay, St. James on Sunday.

Esteban Rodriquez gave the Americans the lead in the 45th minute when they were awarded a penalty for a foul on Marc Pelosi. Seven minutes into the second half Alfred Koroma added another to make it 2-0. Jamaica's Omar Holness scored a header in the 67th minute to give the young Reggae Boyz their consolation goal.

The game became hot tempered and a melee broke out where punches were thrown after a rash of harsh tackles late in the games. It led to the entire US bench storming onto the field and a number of yellow cards issued.

Both teams teams played to a nil all draw in the first practice match last Thursday and were using the matches as preparation for the CONCACAF under-17 world cup qualifiers set for Jamaica later this month.

TEAMS
Jamaica -- Keino Wallace, Richard Trench (Niko Campbell-81st), Patrick Palmer, Oshane Jenkins, Romario Jones, Melvin Blair (Troy Moo-Pen 65th), Omar Holness, Jason Wright, (Romario Williams 64th), Patrick Hadden (Noel Johnson 59th), Quante Smith, Shawn Lawson (Jovia Roberts 54th). Subs not used: Odean Clarke, Roman Brown, Jason Jacobs, Junior Flemming, Cordel Benbow, Kaya Beckford Booked: Q Smith (45th), Jenkins (73rd), Williams (80th)

United States -- Nathan Smith, Mobi Fehr, Alfred Koroma (Andrew Oliver 81st), Marc Pelosi, Alejandro Guido (Zach Carroll 78th), Kellyn Acosta, Andrew Souders (Tarick Salkicic 90th), Matt Dunn, Fernando Pina, Jack McBean, Esteban Rodriquez (Jordan Allen 70th). Subs not used: Kendell McIntosh, Joe Amon, Paul Arriola, Christian Duarte, Mario Rodriques. Booked: Jack McBean (73rd), Carroll (80th). More in the forum

GAME ! RESULT
Jan 27, 2011
Jamaica' U-17 and the US U-17 drew 0-0 in the first game of their 2 friendly games here in Montego Bay

Young Boyz warm up against the US
Jan 27, 2011
Jamaica will host the United States in two friendly games as they continue their preparation for next month’s CONCACAF U-17 World Cup Qualifiers.  The games will be played at Jarrett Park, the first on Friday and the second on Sunday.

Jamaica is coming off a six-week training camp in Brazil and head coach Wendell Downswell is confident that the experience gained will have a positive effect on the team. Although a good result is important, the coach and his staff will be using the game to look at different formations and strategies.

The U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team is in Jamaica for a seven-day training camp that will be a lead up to the upcoming CONCACAF U-17 Championship and will use the games to get familiar the conditions. The last time both met in 1999 they drew 0-0.

The US will return home on Feb. 3 to continue preparing for the CONCACAF Championship before heading back to Jamaica on Feb. 10.

On the recent tour of Brazil, the young Reggae Boyz won four of their nine matches. Their maturity over the period has impressed their coach, and he indicated that at the end of CONCACAF Under-17 Championship, Jamaica will be one of the four qualifiers for the upcoming FIFA Under-17 World Cup.

Jamaica will play their first game in the CONCACAF tournament on February 15 against Trinidad and Tobago at the Montego Bay Sports Complex, beginning at 3:00 pm.

The US starts their campaign against Cuba a day earlier at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium. Read more in the Forum

The Reggae Boyz Year In Review
January 9, 2011
The Reggae Boyz were very active in 2010 playing 13 games, winning 9, losing 3 with 1 tie. They capped off the year by defending their Digicel Caribbean Championship Crown and remained the number 1 team in the Caribbean.

January - Boyz win 1-0 over Canada
Jamaica's Reggae Boyz outplayed Canada to win 1-0 at the National Stadium in Jamaica. Luton Shelton scored the only goal midway the second half.

February -Argentina squeeze 2-1 win over Jamaica
Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz fell to two late goals as Argentina fought back to a 2-1 win in an international friendly Wednesday at the Jose Minela stadium outside of Burnos Aires. Ryan Johnson scored a header for Jamaica early in the second half

April - World Cup Host South Africa stops Jamaica 2-0
World Cup hosts South Africa defeated Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz 2-0 in a friendly international at Kickers Offenbach Stadium on Wednesday | See the full list of games and results here

DIGICEL CARIBBEAN CUP RESULTS

12-01-10: GROUP I : Jamaica 4 vs Guyana 0
11-29-10: GROUP I : Jamaica 2 vs Guadeloupe 0
11-29-10: GROUP I : Antigua & Barbuda 1 vs Guyana 0
11-28-10: GROUP H: Martinique 0 vs Cuba 1
11-28-10: GROUP H: Grenada 1 vs Trinidad & Tobago 0
11-27-10: GROUP I: Jamaica 3 vs Antigua & Barbuda1
11-27-10: GROUP I: Guadeloupe 1 vs Guyana 1
11-26-10: GROUP H: Cuba 2 vs Trinidad & Tobago 0 Read About it here
11-26-10: GROUP H: Martinique 1 vs Grenada 1 Read about herest a diving Duwayne Kerr in goal. Jamaica pressed hard for the equalizer but was kept at bay by a strong Panamanian defense.

Read Jamaica Football News in 2010