August 21st, 2002
Jamaica’s Young Boyz Ready

When the qualifying rounds of the CFU Under 20 football starts in a few days, Jamaica must be one of the favourites to finish on top. Boasting five players who played in the last World Youth tournament in Argentina, they have the base of what should be a high quality aggregation capable of tackling the best.

Jamaica advanced from CONCACAF to the World Youth Championship for the first time last year, along with the United States and Costa Rica, and every member of the management staff and players, are very confident that this squad will be equally successful.
The five veterans from the 2001 World Youth Championship squad are:

Goalkeeper Alien Whittaker, who performed creditably in Argentina and was voted by the FIFA Technical Committee to the FIFA All-Stars team. The youngster is one of the leading goaltenders in Jamaica and will be hoping to use this tournament to sharpen his skills for the upcoming Wray and Nephew Premier League in Jamaica. He plays for Rivoli United.

Alex Thomas was the captain of Jamaica's Under -17 team, which qualified for World Under -17 Championships in New Zealand in 1999. He also played on the Under-20 team last year.

Sean Fraser of Hazard United is a talented midfielder who has been representing Jamaica at all levels since 1998. He too went to New Zealand and Argentina and has the distinction of representing the senior national team on three occasions.

Craig Gordon of Reno FC is a live wire forward who keeps defenders on their toes. He too is very experienced after playing in both New Zealand and Argentina.

Defender Sheldon Battiste of Hazard United is the most experienced of the lot. He also played in both World Championships and is the starting central defender for one of the leading clubs in Jamaica, Hazard United.

The squad has been preparing assiduously for the past four months, and for the last two, have been sparring on a regular basis with the senior national team with whom they share facilities and coaches. Some of the more advanced members of the squad, including Battiste, have been training with the senior team and have held their own in recent International games. But the talent does not stop with the five players named above. Striker Richard West is arguably the most sought after teenage player in the country, scoring at will in all the competitions which his club, Santos, participates. He should be the point man and the player most defenders will fear. His possible striking partners, Kemar Petrekin and Gordon are no less dangerous and should be approached with caution. Midfielders Dane Richards and Oneil Thompson should be the pair spreading passes to the forwards while they hunt goals for themselves. The classy pair were major stars for their Championship-winning high schools last year, Cornwall College and Bridgeport respectively. Both went on to play pivotal roles in the success of their teams at the club level.

Now that all the 'Reggae' teams have learnt the art of winning and advancing, it would take a brave man to bet against Jamaica. The Reggae Boyz started the bandwagon in 1998 with their historic participation in the World Cup Finals in France and the two age-group teams followed. Just last week the National Women's Team qualified for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the highest achievement ever for Jamaica's lady footballers. It's now time for the Under-20s to show their worth. Look out Cayman - here they come!

Jamaica National U20 Squad:
Alien Whittaker, Richard McCallum, Maurice Evans, Leon Williams, Alex Thomas, Kieron Bernard, Delano Francis, Lovell Palmer, Demar Stewart, Sean Fraser, Ezual Lewis, Ryan Maxwell, Oneil Thompson, Kemar Petrokin, Akeem Priestly, Lenworth Hyde, Richard West, Kemeel Wolfe, Craig Gordon, Leon Irving.