Tough group for Jamaica in Beach Soccer Championship

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (CMC):

Jamaica may consider themselves unfortunate, after they were drawn in a tough Group A for the Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship to be staged from May 13 to 19.

The Jamaicans, one of nine English-speaking Caribbean nations in the championship, have been pooled with three tough Central American teams – hosts Mexico, along with Costa Rica and Guatemala – following the draw, which took place on Monday at the Calle Independencia in this resort town on the Mexican Pacific coast.

This year’s edition of the biannual event will see the 16 best national beach soccer teams in the confederation challenge for two places at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Paraguay 2019.

The draw, which sorted the 16 participating teams into four groups, was conducted by Concacaf Chief Football Officer Manolo Zubiria.

The four past winners – reigning champions Panama, the Mexicans, the United States and El Salvador – were all kept separate.

El Salvador, however, have been served up a rerun of the bronze medal match from two years ago, being paired with Guadeloupe in Group D, which also consists of Belize and Guyana.

The Panamanians top Group B, which, also comprises Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands and the United States Virgin Islands.

Group C teams are the United States, The Bahamas, Antigua & Barbuda and Bonaire.

After round-robin play, the first-and second-place finishers of each group will advance to the quarter-finals, with ­winners moving forward to the semi-finals.

The winners of the semi-final matches will automatically qualify for the tournament’s final, as well as the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Paraguay 2019.

In the last edition of the Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship in the Bahamas, Panama overcame Mexico in the final to win their first title.