Jarrett Park triple bill - Ja, Canada U-17 clash in second match

Adrian Frater, News Editor

Western Bureau:

International football will return to Jarrett Park in Montego Bay today when the Wendell Downswell-coached Jamaica Under-17 lock horns with their Canadian counterparts in the second game of a scheduled triple-header, slated for 5:00 p.m.

In the 3:00 p.m. curtain-raiser, Captain's Bakery Western Super League contenders Seba United of St James, and Mount Grace of Westmoreland, will square off in a warm-up game, while in the feature game at 7:30 p.m., Village United face Harbour View in a 2010-11 Digicel Premier League (DPL) fixture.

Crucial game

The game between Jamaica and Canada is considered quite crucial, as the coaching staff on opposite sides will be using it to gauge their state of readiness going into next February's CONCACAF Under-17 tournament, which will be staged at three venues in western Jamaica.

"We will be using the games against Canada to assess the state of readiness of the local players," said Downswell, whose team will meet the Canadians in another friendly game at the same venue on Tuesday. "We have a large squad, so I am sure players will be trying to impress in a bid to get into the final squad."

In the second game, former national champions Seba United, who were pipped in their bid to return to the DPL last season by Reno FC, are now fully re-energised under their new coach, the Peruvian Danilo Barrigo, and are again brimming with confidence as they get ready to make yet another bid to return to top-flight club football.

Test for Seba

The game should be a good test for Seba United as their opponents, the much-vaunted Mt Grace FC, a highly rated aggregation in Westmoreland, are also harbouring serious thoughts about winning the upcoming 'super league' competition and joining parish neighbours Reno FC in the 2011-12 DPL.

The feature game between Harbour View and Village United could well turn out to be a defining moment for both teams, as they have not been measuring up to expectation this season. Champions Harbour View are now occupying fourth place and are clearly lacking the clinical efficiency they showed last year. For their part, Village United are locked in the cellar in eleventh place.

Harbour View's season record reads 10 games - five wins, one draw, four defeats, 13 goals for and nine against, which gives them 16 points. Village United have 10 games - win twos, three draws, five defeats. They have nine goals for and 16 against, and are currently on nine points.