U17 defender Reid full of belief
Business end of Concacaf Championship begins tonight versus hosts Guatemala
Published:Saturday | February 18, 2023 | 12:56 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
Despite another opportunity lost for three points to close the group stage of the Under-17 Concacaf Championship, national under-17 defender Adrian Reid’s focus is on the larger goal of ending a 10-year wait for Jamaica to make the Under-17 FIFA World Cup later this year.
Jamaica will have a tough outing to continue that journey when they face tournament hosts Guatemala tonight at 8 o’clock at the Estadio Mateo Flores in their round of 16 clash. The young Reggae Boyz advanced to the second round by finishing second in Group C, although they missed a major opportunity to win the group, surrendering a two-goal lead to Costa Rica in their final group game on Thursday and settling for a 2-2 draw. The game also saw Jamaica play short-handed for the second straight game with defender Alexavier Gooden, one of the goalscorers, given a second yellow card and his marching orders because of an intentional handball.
Reid’s one-time finish in the second half extended the lead to put Jamaica temporarily in front in their group before Gooden’s red card impacted the game. They were not able to hold on for the win but Reid said avoiding defeat was very important.
“We just wanted to come out here and make our country proud, get to the next round and hopefully qualify for the World Cup. I just wanted to come out and defend the lead we had. I added to the lead but we couldn’t keep that. But we got a point and it matters,” Reid said.
Jamaica’s last tournament meeting against Guatemala was in 2015, a 2-1 win in Honduras. Guatemala qualified for the second round after finishing third in their group, thanks to beating Curaçao 8-3 in their final group game after losing their first two fixtures. Jamaica will have Nashon Bolt-Barrett available after he was suspended for the Costa Rica game. The young Reggae Boyz have scored seven goals in their three tournament games so far with Orane Watson leading the way with two and Jahmani Bell being a constant threat to opponents.
Reid is optimistic not only about the team’s ability but their attitude towards reaching the ultimate goal.
“We expect more good things. We are going to come out here and give our best. We are not going to stop trying and the World Cup is our aim,” Reid said.
Jamaica last played in the Under-17 World Cup in 2011, thanks to their fourth-place finish in that year’s Concacaf Championship, their highest result to date.