Jamaica will oppose hosts Guatemala in the Round of 16 of the Concacaf U-17 Men’s Championship on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. (Jamaica time) after finishing as runners-up in Group G at the end of the preliminary phase.
Jamaica drew 2-2 draw with Costa Rica on Thursday evening to finish on four points, three behind Costa Rica. Cuba finished in third place ahead of Guadeloupe, who they defeated 4-0. Both sides ended on three points.
The Jamaicans took the lead in the 17th minute through a powerful freekick by Alexavier Gooden and when Adrian Reid doubled the lead in the 62nd minute Jamaica was heading to win the group.
However, for the second-consecutive game the Young Reggae Boyz ended the game a man short as Gooden turned from hero to villain as he was ejected in the 73rd minute for a second yellow card offence.
And like they did in the 1-2 loss to Guadeloupe in the previous game, the young Jamaicans could not successfully see out the game, as the Costa Ricans pulled one back on 79 minutes through Roy Bustos.
And three minutes from the end of regulation time Sean Albriton ensured the teams shared the spoils after he netted.
In Group H action, Honduras edged Haiti 1-0 through Russel Cruz’s goal in stoppage time at the end of the first half.
The results left Honduras atop the group with a perfect nine points from three games, while Haiti finished in third place and a place in the next round.
The United States, Cuba, Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, Canada, Nicaragua, Trinidad and Tobago, Honduras, Bermuda, Haiti, Panama, El Salvador, and the Dominican Republic are also into the Round of 16.
The semi-finalists will qualify automatically for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup which will be held in Peru from November 10 to December 2. Jamaica previously qualified for the FIFA U17 World Cup in 1999 and 2011.
