Taylor, Thorpe head U-23 squad

Robert Bailey, Gleaner Writer

National representatives Davion Thorpe and Evan Taylor head a strong Jamaican 18-man squad for the Caribbean Football Union Under-23 qualifiers for next year's Olympic Games in London.

The Jamaican delegation is expected to leave the island on August 1 for the tournament, which will be held in Suriname.

The Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore-coached young Reggae Boyz, will open their account at the championship against St Vincent and the Grenadines on August 3. Their second game is against the Cayman Islands two days later, after which they will close out their campaign against the hosts on August 7.

The top-placed team from this Group A, will join Group B winner Trinidad and Tobago; Group C Winner Cuba and Group D Winner St Kitts and Nevis to the next Caribbean qualifying round. Two of these four will qualify for the CONCACAF round.

Taylor currently plies his trade in the United States Soccer League (USL) for the Charleston Battery. Thorpe is a senior member of the Premier League outfit Reno.

The team also includes Jason Johnson and André Clennon, who both have senior-team experience under their belts. Johnson played for Jamaica on February 2010 against Argen-tina, while Clennon featured against El Salvador in March 2011.

Participated

The squad will also include three members of the Under-20 squad who participated in the 2011 CONCACAF Qualifiers in Guatemala, in Jason Watson, Neco Brett and Ricardo Morris.

The other members of the squad are: Gareice McPherson, Leaunghn Williams; Keithy Simpson; Romeo Parkes, Andrae Berna, Kemal Wallace, Andrae Campbell, Andrew Vanzie, Theo Brown, Jason Watson.

As part of their build-up for the tournament, the young Reggae Boyz played out a 1-1 tie with a Manchester High Invitational team on July 21, then defeated Seba United 2-0, on July 24. Kemal Wallace scored all three goals for the Under-23.