Jamaica’s Under-20 men’s team faces a daunting task to qualify for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup following a crushing 9-0 defeat to a dominant United States team on Friday.
The young Reggae Boyz struggled in their opening Group A game of the CONCACAF Championships at the Miguel Aleman Valdez Stadium in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico.
Disorganization in defence plagued the Jamaican side, which was slow to react to the swift American attacks. The team’s attempts to contain the onslaught included making three first-half substitutions, but these efforts proved futile.
On the back foot from the outset
With the top two teams from the group advancing to the semi-finals, Jamaica’s path to progression looks challenging. In the group’s other match, Costa Rica and Cuba drew 1-1. The Jerome Waite-coached Jamaica will face Costa Rica on Monday and Cuba on Thursday at the same venue.
The young Reggae Boyz were on the back foot from the outset, conceding two goals within the first three minutes. David Vasquez scored in the second and third minutes, followed by Pedro Soma, who netted in the 16th and 20th minutes, putting the USA firmly ahead at 4-0 within 20 minutes. Cruz Medina added a fifth in the 39th minute, leading to a 5-0 scoreline at halftime.
The second half saw no respite for Jamaica as Marcos Zambrano scored in the 54th minute, Ruben Ramos added another in the 67th minute, and substitutes Nimfasha Berchimas and Nikolas Tsakiris completed the rout in the 77th minute and added time, respectively.
