BOYZ TIE WITH CUBA IN FIRST GAME

JAMAICA'S Reggae Boyz and Cuba played to a 0-0 draw in yesterday's (Tuesday) first of two friendly internationals in Havana, Cuba.

Played on a hard, bumpy surface, the game was reduced to an ugly war of attrition as neither team was able to string together decent attacks, although the home side was a bit more comfortable on the pitch.

"With pitches like this, we didn't expect any better," lamented technical director, Carl Brown at game's end. "This is the kind of game you get with a pitch like this," he reiterated.

However, he promised a "better performance" from his team in tomorrow's (Thursday) second game, which will be played at a venue still to be identified.

In yesterday's game, Jamaica survived a penalty on the stroke of half time to escape unscathed from the contest. Sweeper, Claude Davis was adjudged to have brought down striker, Markel Galindo inside the 18-yard-box. However, captain Yeniel Marquez booted his effort wide of the mark.

Jamaica's best scoring opportunity fell to striker Fabian Taylor on 56 minutes after defender, Ian Goodison had rifled a left-footer which goalkeeper, Alexis Reve spilled. However, Taylor failed to beat the Cuban goaltender from close range.

Brown made a total of seven changes, but for each change.

Jamaica and Cuba are preparing for the CONCACAF Gold qualifying tournament later this month.

FC GOLD CUP 2003

CARIBBEAN ZONE QUALIFYING – SEMIFINAL ROUND

GROUP A (Jamaica): 26.03.2003: Haiti – Martinique; Jamaica – Saint Lucia; 28.03.2003: Saint Lucia – Haiti, Martinique – Jamaica; 30.03.2003: Saint Lucia – Martinique; Jamaica – Haiti

GROUP B (Trinidad & Tobago): 26.03.2003: Guadeloupe – Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago – Antigua & Barbuda; 28.03.2003: Cuba – Antigua & Barbuda; Guadeloupe – Trinidad & Tobago; 30.03.2003: Antigua & Barbuda – Guadeloupe; Trinidad & Tobago – Cuba

 DIGICEL CONNECTS WITH JAMAICA FOOTBALL

JAMAICA'S football got a boost yesterday with news that local telecommunications providers, Digicel Jamaica Limited, will provide $15 million in sponsorship over the next four years.

The deal, which includes a $3-million performance-based incentive package for players for the upcoming Gold Cup and World Cup 2006 qualifying campaigns, will see the Irish-owned company replacing Cable and Wireless as the official telecommunications sponsor for the national football programme.

"We are very excited and happy to join the Reggae Boyz as they bid to qualify for the 2006 World Cup," Digicel's CEO, Seamus Lynch, told journalists at the New Kingston offices of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) yesterday.

"We have already seen the unifying power of football in Jamaica and we at Digicel are keen to be part of any initiative that seeks to unify and uplift the people," he added.

The sponsorship deal, which JFF president, Captain Horace Burrell, hailed as timely and one that will go "a long way in assisting the team's preparations for the 2006 World Cup.”

2003 CONCACAF GOLD CUP

GROUPS, MATCH SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED FOR 2003 CONCACAF GOLD CUP, SET TO BE PLAYED 12-27 JULY IN MEXICO CITY, MIAMI AND FOXBORO

(Jamaica could play in Miami)

The group formations and match schedule for the seventh edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the championship for national teams of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, were announced today.

Twelve teams will again take part, including two guest teams from CONMEBOL, the South American confederation, as the tournament is played in three cities – Foxboro, Massachusetts and Miami, Florida in the USA, as well as in Mexico City – from 12-27 July 2003.

The host countries, USA and Mexico, will play in Groups A and C respectively and could continue to play at home through the semifinals, if they reach that stage. The final will be at Estadio Azteca, as Mexico becomes a host country for the first time since 1993. Colombia, defending Copa America champion, will head Group B and Costa Rica, losing finalist in the last Gold Cup, will head Group D.

The format for the tournament will be similar to the 2002 event, won by the USA in a 2:0 victory against Costa Rica in the final. The first round will consist of four groups of three teams, each playing the others once, with the top two in each group advancing to the quarterfinals.

Group A will be played at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, the only stadium in the world to have hosted two FIFA World Cup finals (1970 and 1986). Playing in Mexico will be the host country, three-time champion of the Gold Cup, who will be joined by Brazil and one of the two qualifiers from the Interzone (Caribbean and Central zones) playoff.

The Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida USA will play host to Group B, with defending Copa America champion Colombia heading the group. They will be joined by Guatemala and the winner of one of the Caribbean Zone final tournaments, matching Jamaica, Haiti, Martinique and Saint Lucia.

Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts will play host to the remaining two groups. Group C will be comprised of the USA, El Salvador and the second of the Interzone playoff qualifiers. Group D will consist of Costa Rica, Canada and the winner of the other Caribbean Zone tournament, between Trinidad & Tobago, Cuba, Antigua & Barbuda and Guadeloupe.

Matches in Groups A and B will be played on 13, 15 and 17 July, while Groups C and D will play on 12, 14 and 16 July. The opening day of the Gold Cup, 12 July at Gillette Stadium, is sure to be a tremendous day for soccer fans in the USA, as the two Gold Cup matches surround a Major League Soccer match between New England Revolution and NY/NJ MetroStars for an exciting tripleheader.

Quarterfinals 1 and 2 will be played in Foxboro on 19 July, while Quarterfinal 3 will be played in Mexico City and Quarterfinal 4 in Miami, both of those on 20 July. As host nations, Mexico and the USA will be automatically placed into Quarterfinals 1 and 3 respectively, should they qualify.

Quarterfinal 1 will match the winner of Group C against the second-place team from Group D, while Quarterfinal 2 will pair the Group D winner against the second-place finisher in Group C – unless the USA finish second in Group C, in which case they will face the Group B winner, with the reverse pairing to follow in Foxboro.

The same case will apply in Mexico City: Quarterfinal 3 will match the Group A winner against the second-place team from Group B, unless Mexico finish second in Group A, in which they will play in that quarterfinal against the Group B winner. Quarterfinal 4 will be the remaining crossover pairing from Groups A and B at the Orange Bowl in Miami.

Semifinal 1, which will match the winner of Quarterfinal 1 against the winner of Quarterfinal 4, will be played 23 July in Miami. Semifinal 2, pairing the winners of Quarterfinals 2 and 3, will be held the following evening in Mexico City. The third-place match is set for 26 July at the Orange Bowl, with the final on Sunday afternoon 27 July at Estadio Azteca.

The three previous champions in the six prior tournaments – Canada, Mexico and the USA – are all granted direct entry into the finals. In the recently concluded Central Zone qualifying tournament, Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador all booked their places.

Two teams will qualify directly from the Caribbean Zone qualifying tournaments set for 26-30 March, each winner from the four-team events to be played in Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica. The second-place teams in each Caribbean final will join Honduras (Central Zone fourth-place finisher) in a three-team playoff to be played by the end of April, the top two advancing to round out the 10 CONCACAF participants. The precise placement of the Interzone qualifiers will be determined following completion of the playoff, based on competitive, commercial and security concerns.

DATES ANNOUNCED FOR GOLD CUP QUALIFYING PLAYOFF SERIES

The three-team Interzone Playoff series for the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup, which will determine the final two qualifiers for the Confederation’s premier event for national teams, will be played 23-27 April in one of the two Caribbean nations qualified for the series.

The ound-robin will be played between the two second-place finishers from the two Caribbean Zone final qualifiers, and Central Zone fourth-place finisher Honduras.

Arnett hold Mexicans

Jamaica's Arnett Gardens FC surprised CD Necaxa, holding the Mexican power to a scoreless draw in the first leg of their match played in Kingston.  The second leg will be played in Mexico on March 19.

CONCACAF UNDER-17 JUNIOR TOURNAMENT

USA CLINCH FIRST CONCACAF BERTH TO U-17 WORLDS, JAMAICA TO PLAY IN PLAYOFF

The USA maintained their record of having qualified for every FIFA Under-17 World Championship, defeating hosts Guatemala 3:0 on 9 March to claim the Group A title in the CONCACAF Under-17 Final Junior Tournament in the final match.

The USA ended the round-robin event at Estadio Mateo Flores in Guatemala City with seven points from their three matches, ahead of Jamaica, who came from behind to draw 1:1 with El Salvador on the final matchday. The result left the young Reggae Boyz on four points and sent them into a playoff with the second-placed team from Group B for the third and final Confederation berth.

The group winners had opened the tournament in style on the first day of matches, defeating the young Reggae Boyz 3:0 thanks to an outstanding performance by 13-year-old Freddy Adu. That same day, the Central American rivals played to a 2:2 tie.

The USA struggled offensively in their second encounter, stumbling to a 1:1 tie with El Salvador. Jamaica, meanwhile, overcame their opening day jitters and came from behind to defeat Guatemala 3:2 and leave the group title up for grabs heading into the final day.

The winner of Group B, to be played 26-30 March in Canada, and featuring the hosts, Costa Rica, Mexico and Cuba, will earn the second automatic entry.

JAMAICA TO HOST FIRST LEG OF UNDER-17 PLAYOFF FOR FINAL PLACE IN FINLAND 2003

Jamaica was drawn to host the first leg of the playoff series that will determine CONCACAF’s third representative to the FIFA Under-17 World Championship, in a brief draw held on Tuesday 11 March at the offices of the General Secretariat in New York City.

The first leg of the home-and-home playoff will be held 12 or 13 April, with the return match set for 26 or 27 April. Final details will be determined once the opponent is known.

Jamaica will play the second-place team from the upcoming Group B final qualifier in the CONCACAF Under-17 Junior Tournament, to be played 26-30 March in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, matching Mexico, Costa Rica, Cuba and the host country.

(Some stories courtesy of the JA Observer and Concacaf.com.)