Young Jamaica Reggae Boyz refocus after Miami FC setback

The match, which was organised by the Caribbean Americas Soccer Association (CASA), in collaboration with Broward County, was held at the Broward County Stadium in Lauderhill and served to give the young Reggae Boyz practice ahead of the final qualifying stage leading up to the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in 2027.

Both teams ended regular time with one goal each, triggering a penalty shootout in which Miami FC came out on top.

The result, according to Joshua Grant, team captain of the young Reggae Boyz, was a wake-up call. Grant believed that some of the players were a bit flat-footed and overly confident, especially because the day before, they dumped an Under-20 team from Haiti, 9-0 at the Lauderhill Sports Complex in Lauderhill.

"I think for the past five or six games we've beaten teams by large margins, 9-0 and 5-0 and I think that we got used to winning and today we came out a little flat-footed and maybe too confident and we got a reality check. I think that on a different day doing the right stuff, we would be able to beat this team easily. Today just wasn't our day," Grant said.

Grant added that the team could have moved the ball around much better and that it failed to convert opportunities into goals.

"We had a few chances we should have put away and I think we could have cut out some of the unnecessary things in defence. If we managed to cut that out, I think the game would definitely be a different result."

The captain of the young Reggae Boyz said the players on the team are amazing and highlighted that qualifying for the Under-20 FIFA World Cup was very realistic.

"We go to Mexico in July and if we win there, we go to the World Cup in 2027 and we could also go to the Olympics. I think that it is realistic. The unity with the boys is amazing. We have an amazing group and with just a little bit more time to gel this month and early July, we should be flying by late July. We are going to qualify. It is not a question," promised Grant, who plays Club football at FC Naples in Florida.

A newcomer to the team, JayJay Young, expressed that the boys were slow to build momentum during the game with Miami FC. Young, who plays midfield for the club Casa Pia in Portugal, scored on his debut with the young Reggae Boyz during their match with Haiti Under-20 on Saturday.

"Football is a game of momentum. I don't think we started strong to be honest. They obviously took an early lead. I think we adapted to that quite well. It took us a while to get back into the game but getting a goal back helped us to build some momentum. Football is a game of two halves and anything can happen to be honest. We just have to take it and learn accordingly," he said.

He shared that just like all the other members of the team, getting things right and qualifying for the Under-20 World Cup next year would be a dream come true.

For me personally, I would love to go to the Under-20 World Cup. It would be a good experience and obviously for the other boys as well. We come from different places. I was born in England. It is a dream for all of us. Every kid wants to go to a World Cup, no matter what age. We can make it," Young said.