Mexico and the United States shared the points in a tense 0-0 draw in Thursday's CONCACAF World Cup qualifier in Mexico City.
A victory for either side would have put them on the brink of qualification, but both will need to wait, with the result leaving United States and Mexico in second and third positions respectively with two matches remaining.
Costa Rica moved into fourth spot after their 1-0 win over CONCACAF leaders Canada - who missed out on sealing their spot for Qatar - with the Ticos now three points behind US and Mexico who are locked on 22 points.
In a game where Mexico had a lion's share of possession, it was the Americans creating the best of the chances, with Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa looking spry at 36 years young.
Ochoa was called upon in the 14th minute to deny Yunus Musah, and again in the 36th minute to thwart Christian Pulisic to keep things deadlocked heading into half-time.
Pulisic had another chance just minutes into the second half, but his sharp chance was kept out by Ochoa as he finished the match with four saves. Hirving Lozano had a pair of chances for Mexico in the second half, but sent one over in the 57th minute, and one into the crossbar in the 80th minute.
US's final game away to Costa Rica on Wednesday is shaping up to have plenty on the line. The top three CONCACAF qualifiers will move on to the World Cup, while fourth-placed side will need to go through a play-off.
Reggae Boyz head coach Paul Hall says he is looking to the future ahead of their CONCACAF World Cup qualifying fixture against El Salvador at the National Stadium in Kingston on Thursday.
Hall says the fact that Jamaica is out of contention for qualification ahead of the final round of matches gives them that opportunity.
“It’s a squad that’s got a new look about it. It’s got a younger, fresher feel about it and the reason that I’ve picked the squad like this is the succession plan. We have to look at the future,” he said.
The squad includes players like Christopher Pearson and Tarick Ximines, who participated in schoolboy football this season for Kingston College and Jamaica College, respectively.
“We have to look at youngsters who will be here in a few years’ time. We have to build and grow and part of the strategy is to bring some of those young, outstanding schoolboys, under-23 and under-24 players and really look to grow with them and set a foundation for the future,” Hall said.
Jamaica has had no success at home so far in this qualification campaign, a fact that Hall says his team will be looking to change when they face El Salvador on Thursday and then Honduras next Wednesday, March 30, with a trip to Canada sandwiched between.
“Every game that we play we try to win. It’s important that we finish off these games on a positive note. Yes, it’s important to get a win but it’s also important to use these games as a platform to get to succession plans for the future,” he said.
Interim Reggae Boyz Head Coach Paul Hall has named a 24-man squad for the final three FIFA World Cup qualifiers against El Salvador, Canada and Honduras.
Reggae Boyz coach Paul Hall will use a combined camp of 18 local senior and 21 U20 players to finalise his 23-man squad to play the three final games of the World Cup Qualifiers.
Sixteen players have confirmed their participation in the games. Jamaica will play El Salvador on March 24th and Honduras on March 30th, respectively, at the National Stadium. They will also engage Canada in Toronto on March 27.
Andre Blake, Dillon Barnes, Amal Knight, Damion Lowe, Richard King, Adrian Mariappa, Ethan Pinnock, Javain Brown, Gregory Leigh, Kevin Stewart, Devon Williams, Andre Gray, Kemar Roofe, Ravel Morrison, Jamal Lowe and Leon Bailey have all confirmed their participation in the games.
Hall will arrive on the island on Tuesday to conduct the camp along with head coach of the Under-20s, Marcel Gayle. The Under-20s will play in the Concacaf U20 Championship in June.
The senior players selected for the camp are as follows: Amal Knight (Harbour View FC), Oshane Staple (Harbour View FC), Trayvon Reid (Harbour View FC), Jeadine White (Cavalier SC),Kenroy Campbell (Cavalier SC), Richard King (Cavalier SC), Jamoi Topey (Cavalier SC), Dwayne Atkinson (Cavalier SC), Renaldo Webster (Cavalier SC), Denardo Thomas (Waterhouse FC),Ramone Howell (Waterhouse FC), Ricardo Thomas (Waterhouse FC),Odean Pennycooke (Tivoli Gardens FC),Demar Rose (Portmore FC), Ronaldo Cephas (Arnette Gardens FC), Daniel Green (Mount Pleasant Academy), Nicholas Nelson (Molynes United FC), Alex Marshall (HFX Wanderers).
The Under-20 players selected for the camp are: Kameron Lacey (University of North Carolina at Charlotte), Jaden Chin (FC Prime), Dylan Zane (Connecticut College), Jahvar Stephenson (Future Monarchs), Christopher Pearson (Cavalier SC), Lamonth Rochester (Cavalier SC), Jerome McLeary (Cavalier SC), Cleo Clarke (Cavalier SC), Marvin Fagan (Cavalier SC), Tarick Ximines(Harbour View FC), Gavin Burton (Harbour View FC), Devonte Campbell (Mount Pleasant United), Garey Mills (Mount Pleasant United), Tajay Anderson (Mount Pleasant United), Jahneil Wray (Portmore United), Markland Burton (Portmore United), Tyrece Harrison (Vere United), Tyricke Harrison (Vere United) Gregory Cousin (Vere United), Romain Blake (Waterhouse FC), David Edwards (Waterhouse FC).
Jamaica’s U-20 Reggae Girlz secured a spot in the knockout round of the Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship after a 0-0 draw with Haiti on Wednesday.
The result meant that the team advanced from the four-team Group H in third place. In the group’s other match, a high-scoring showdown between Guatemala and Cuba, it was the Guatemalans who prevailed 3-2 to top the zone.
In a match with very few clear-cut opportunities, it was the Jamaicans who were presented with the best opportunities to score. None would have been clearer than Mia Mitchell missed chance from the penalty spot, which she skied in the 27-minute. Despite being a player light after Theanna Burnett received a second yellow card in the 41st minute, Jamaican seemed the more likely team to score but never managed to take any of the other half-chances that presented themselves.
The Jamaicans have been drawn alongside Group F second-place team Panama, with the fixture set to take place on Saturday in San Cristobal. In an all-Caribbean affair, Haiti will face Group F third-place team Guyana in Santo Domingo on the same day.
Jamaica Under-20 Reggae Girlz coach, Xavier Gilbert, insists the team’s ambition will be to win the group as they look to secure a spot in the CONCACAF Under-20 Women's Championship Round of 16, despite facing somewhat of a tricky situation.
Finding themselves third in a competitive Group H, the Jamaicans have targeted taking all three points against zone leaders Haiti when the teams meet on Wednesday.
With the top three teams advancing to the knockout stages, it is the Haitians who are top on 4 points but only by goal difference over second-place Guatemala. Guatemala will play bottom of the group Cuba in the day's other match. Ahead of the round, despite not securing their spot in the next round as yet, Gilbert backs Jamaica to move up the table.
“Looking ahead to the Haiti game, we would want to see if we can secure qualification to the next round. We also need to see if we can still win the group,” Gilbert said ahead of the match.
“Our objective is to win the game, maximise our points and see where we can go from there.”
The team will head into the match without experienced midfielder Peyton McNamara who was injured on Saturday.
Haiti and Guatemala confirmed their progression from Group B of the CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship after playing out a 1-1 draw, at the San Cristobal Pan-American Stadium, in the Dominican Republic on Monday.
The Guatemalans took the lead in the 21st minute through Celsa Sandoval before Haiti got their equalizer on the stroke of halftime through Rose-Alya Marcellus. Both teams got one red card each with Lesly Hernandez being dismissed for the Guatemalans and Withmilla Alcide seeing red for the Haitians.
With three teams advancing from each group and one match left in group play, Haiti and Guatemala both have four points to be first and second, while Jamaica are third on three points. Cuba sits last in the Group without a point.
The young Reggae Girlz will now go into their last match with Haiti knowing that a win, draw or a Cuban loss to Guatemala will be enough to send them through to the round of 16 stage. Both matches will be played on Wednesday.
Suriname, The Cayman Islands, Curacao, and Bermuda all automatically advanced to the round of 16 through the qualifying tournament, while the other 12 teams to advance alongside them will be determined by group play.
A profligate Jamaica got off to a poor start, losing 0-1 to Guatemala in the opening match in Group H to start the 2022 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship at the Estadio Panamericano in San Cristobal in the Dominican Republic on Saturday.
Jamaica had a penalty saved in the 67th minute, a microcosm of their poor play during the match in which the young Reggae Girlz spurned several chances to take the lead. Guatemala also had opportunities but was kept at bay by Reggae Girlz goalkeeper Liya Brooks, whose stellar work spared Jamaica blushes.
Guatemala found a breakthrough late when substitute Maria Contreras pounced on a loose ball in the area in the 90’ and found the back of the net with an excellent left-footed finish for the 1-0 win.
In the second game of the day in San Cristobal, 2020 CWU20 semifinalists Haiti edged Cuba 2-1.
Haiti enjoyed a 2-0 halftime lead thanks to scores from Valentina Ornis in the 31’ and Rose-Ayla Marcellus in the 41’.
But Cuba hung tough and made it a dramatic final 19 minutes when Yerly Palma pulled a goal back in the 71’ to make it 2-1.
Jamaica Under-20 Reggae Girlz assistant coach, Tashana Vincent, has called on the team's senior players to step up, ahead of what is expected to be a difficult Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship underway in the Dominican Republic.
The Jamaicans, who have been drawn in Group H, will kickstart their campaign with a match against Guatemala on Saturday. By their own admission, the team has, however, had less than ideal preparation for the start of the tournament.
In total, heading into the competition, the unit will have gotten less than three training sessions as a full team, with no practice matches to speak of under their belt. It's hardly a recipe for success, but in such a difficult scenario, Vincent expects the input and performances of the seniors to be critical.
“Players like Peyton McNamara and Nevillgail Able who have played at this level before, who have also had the privilege of being part of the senior program, will have to come up big for us in this tournament,” Vincent told TVJ Sports.
“I am sure that the players know the responsibility that they will have going into this tournament and how much the team will depend on their leadership to ensure that we secure one of the qualifying spots.”
The biennial Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship will qualify three teams to the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica. The Jamaicans have never qualified from the tournament, with their best finish being 4th place in 2006.
Jamaica’s Reggae Girls defeated Grenada 6-1 to secure their second win from as many starts in Concacaf Women World Cup qualifying action at the Kirani James Stadium on Sunday.
Reggae Girlz Head Coach Vin Blaine is to name his squad on Thursday that is to face Bermuda in the preliminary rounds of the Concacaf Women’s World Cup Qualifier on February 17 at the National Stadium in Kingston.
Match time is 7:00 pm.
Jamaica will have to win Group C which comprises Bermuda, Grenada, the Dominican Republic and the Cayman Islands to advance to the next round of qualifiers.
Following the Bermuda match on February 17, Jamaica will travel to face Grenada on February 20. The remaining games against the Dominican Republic and the Cayman Islands will be played in April.
The top finisher in each group will advance to the Concacaf W Championship joining the top-ranked CONCACAF nations, the USA and Canada – that have each received a bye straight to the W Championship which takes place in July 2022.
The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has received approval to accommodate up to 2500 fully vaccinated fans in the Grand Stand of the National Stadium.
Interested fans will have to be validated by the government’s electronic system which will open soon. Following the validation process, fans will be able to purchase tickets for J$3000.
Those fans who were already validated by the system can simply enter and purchase a ticket.
Below are the respective groups for CONCACAF qualifiers.
Group A: Mexico, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Antigua and Barbuda and Anguilla
Group B: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Saint Kitts and Nevis, US Virgin Islands, and Curacao
Group C: Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Bermuda, Grenada and Cayman Islands
Group D: Panama, El Salvador, Barbados, Belize and Aruba
Group E: Haiti, Cuba, Honduras, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the British Virgin Islands
Group F: Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, Nicaragua, Dominica and Turks and Caicos Islands
A goal from Joel Campbell in the 62nd minute gave Costa Rica a critical 1-0 victory over Jamaica at the National Stadium in Kingston on Wednesday night. The defeat effectively scuppers Jamaica’s chances of qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
After a scoreless first half that saw Costa Rica GK Keylor Navas called into action several times, both teams dialled up more attacking postures in the second half.
In the 50th minute, Jamaica MF Devon Williams had an opportunity at the top of the box after a move down the right wing but sent his effort over Navas’ goal.
In the 61st minute, Jamaica’s stopper Andre Blake was given his turn to come through, with Kevin Stewart whistled for a penalty on Campbell. Veteran Costa Rica Celso Borges stepped up but was denied by Blake.
The celebrations on the Jamaica bench had barely concluded, however, when Campbell found the winner. Borges played a ball over the top to the 29-year-old attacker, and he took a touch with his left to move inside and beat Blake to his back post.
Jamaica manager Paul Hall modified his lineup in search of an equalizer, with one of the best chances coming in the 71st minute when Andre Gray narrowly missed a chance to apply a finishing touch to a cross toward the back post.
The Costa Rica win moves the Ticos within a point of the playoff position, pending later results.
When Costa Rica returns to action in the final window of qualification, it will host Canada, while Jamaica will be back in the National Stadium for a contest against El Salvador.
Raul Jimenez's 80th-minute penalty has earned Mexico a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Panama to open up a four-point gap between the sides in the race to qualify for Qatar 2022.
Jimenez returned after missing the past two games with a calf injury to be a constant threat for El Tri, before converting the spotkick won by Diego Lainez in Mexico City on Wednesday.
The late strike eased the pressure on El Tri head coach Gerardo Martino after Saturday's 0-0 home draw with Costa Rica, as third-placed Mexico moved clear of fourth-placed Panama in the CONCACAF playoff spot with three games to play.
Wolves forward Jimenez had the bulk of Mexico's chances, including having an early second-half goal disallowed by the VAR.
Lainez, who was introduced as a 66th-minute substitute for Hirving Lozano, won the penalty with quick feet after being upended by Abdiel Ayarza. Jimenez sent Panama goalkeeper Luis Mejia the wrong way with his cool finish.
In the fifth minute of stoppage time, the visitors almost grabbed a crucial late equalizer when Michael Amir Murillo pushed forward and glanced a header wide.
The United States took a big stride towards 2022 World Cup qualification with three set-piece goals in a 3-0 victory over already-eliminated Honduras in freezing Minnesota on Wednesday.
Weston McKennie, Walker Zimmerman and substitute Christian Pulisic netted the goals as USA moved to 21 points from 11 games, rebounding from their 2-0 loss to Canada last time out as they chase qualification for Qatar 2022 after missing out four years ago.
The victory was crucial for second-placed USA to move clear of the chasing pack, with third-placed Mexico to host fourth-placed Panama later on Wednesday.
The temperature dropped to minus 18 degrees in the first half with players from both sides permitted to wear full overhead balaclavas and hand warmers.
Juventus midfielder McKennie opened the scoring with an eighth-minute near-post header from Kellyn Acosta's free-kick, before Nashville defender Zimmerman bundled home a second in the 37th minute from a set piece.
McKennie and Timothy Weah almost combined for a third in the 50th minute only to be thwarted by substitute Honduras goalkeeper Edrick Menjivar.
Chelsea star Pulisic was introduced in the 64th minute and scored three minutes later, volleyed home a loose ball from a corner after Zimmerman's knockdown. Pulisic also had a late goal disallowed for offside.
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