'We are quite optimistic'

Reid confident U-17s will qualify for World Cup

Adrian Frater, News Editor

WESTERN BUREAU:

Come tomorrow afternoon at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in Catherine Hall, St James, Jamaica's young Reggae Boyz will have a very important date with destiny as they seek to qualify for this summer's FIFA Under-17 World Cup, which will be played in Mexico.

The youngsters will match skills with their Honduran counterparts in a CONCACAF Under-17 quarter-final football matchup, fully aware that victory will earn them a place in Mexico, while a defeat could plunge the nation and its football programme into despair.

"Like in most things in life you just have to have confidence in your preparation," said Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) general secretary, Horace Reid, in an interview with The Gleaner yesterday.

"We believe the technical staff has prepared the players well, and we are therefore quite optimistic," he added.

Brimming with confidence

Looking at the JFF's investment in preparing the players, which included an expensive J$15 million training camp in Brazil, Reid said the federation had extended itself beyond its own capabilities to ensure the team got the best preparation possible.

"We have made sure that the team had an excellent preparation programme ... we provided all that was required of us," said Reid. "We have done our part as a federation, so it's now up to the players to go out and make us proud."

Like General Secretary Reid, team coach Wendell Downswell is also brimming with confidence, declaring that he fully expects the young Reggae Boyz to emulate the 1999 team, which qualified for the FIFA Under-17 tournament in New Zealand.

"The players understand our mission and I am very confident that they will qualify," said Downswell, who is a former national player. "The performance against Guatemala was most encouraging because it showed that the players were quite determined to do well for Jamaica.

The fact that Jamaica will be playing against Honduras is even more pleasing for Downswell, knowing that they are coming off a victory against another Central American country, Guatemala, which plays a similar style.

"Our game against Guatemala has put us in good stead to play against Honduras because most of these Central American teams play a similar style," said Downswell. "We are confident that we will get the desired result against Honduras and qualify for Mexico."