The Reggae Boyz Forum: Jamaica v. Panama, June 7th in Kingston

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#127515 - 04/16/09 01:12 AM

Jamaica v. Panama, June 7th in Kingston

jamatl
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Registered: 03/25/01
Posts: 9674
Loc: Miramar, FL, USA

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Boyz face Panama

in June 7 friendly at 'The Office'

BY SEAN A WILLIAMS Assistant Sports Editor

Thursday, April 16, 2009

After missing two FIFA-sanctioned dates in March and earlier this month, the action-starved Reggae Boyz will have a game on their plate on June 7.

BURRELL... we want to make up for disappointment of World Cup
The Jamaicans, who last played Nigeria in a friendly game on February 11 in London, will match skills with Central American rivals Panama at the National Stadium at 6:00 pm, JFF boss Captain Horace Burrell confirmed yesterday.

"We'll be playing against a tough Panama team that Jamaica have not done well against in recent times. I believe this Panama team with their overseas-based players from Spain, South and Central America will test the character of the Boyz," Burrell said.

In their last meeting in a friendly international at the National Stadium on March 26, 2007, Jamaica with Velibor 'Bora' Milutinovic at the helm, drew 1-1 with the Central Americans.

Burrell, the CONCACAF Executive Committee member and senior vice-president of the CFU, said all the top foreign-based Jamaican stars will be available for the showdown at 'The Office'.

Among them are UK-based Ricardo Gardner (captain), Ricardo Fuller, Damion Stewart, Marlon King, Omar Daley, Jermaine Johnson, Ian Goodison, Claude Davis, Jamal Capbell-Ryce; Scandinavia-based Luton Shelton, Demar Phillips; US Major Leaguers Tyrone Marshall, Donovan Ricketts, Dane Richards, Omar Cummings and France pro Tyrone Mears, who debuted against Nigeria.

"We hope to create an atmosphere inside the National Stadium similar to a World Cup qualifying match... we know that the fans have been starved of high quality football... and I believe this match-up will provide fireworks," said Burrell.

Since their creditable 0-0 draw against the Super Eagles, the Boyz were inactive on the FIFA-sanctioned dates of March 28 and April 1.

The JFF was in fact in advanced negotiations for a match against Oman in Muscat on March 28, but the Gulf state opted late to play South Africa.

The JFF has been finding it difficult to woo quality teams as their efforts are being thwarted by their FIFA ranking of 70th and the team's elimination from the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying tournament.

"It's not easy to get worthy opponents now as they are engaged in World Cup qualifiers and... are playing those games on FIFA calendar dates, plus we're not attractive to them because we're not in the World Cup mix," Burrell said from the USA where he is attending CONCACAF meetings.

Burrell, who has spent much of the past three weeks fending of media flurries over the Boyz's failure to capitalise on the aforementioned FIFA dates and the Under-20s' inglorious exit from the World Cup qualifiers, said he and his team are trying to get in at least one more game before the Gold Cup.

"We're aggressively looking to have at least another game overseas before the Gold Cup because we want to give our team the best preparation going into the championship... we want to do well to make up for the disappointment of the World Cup," noted Burrell, who is in his second stint as the island's football boss.

Jamaica and Panama (ranked 60th) were both eliminated from the World Cup qualifying campaign at the semi-final stage and will now look to redeem themselves at the CONCACAF Gold Cup from July 3-26.

Both teams will be using the game to fine-tune for CONCACAF's flagship tournament to be staged in an unprecedented 13 US cities, plus it will be a clash between Digicel regional champions.

Jamaica copped the Digicel Champions Cup, the 'Holy Grail' of Caribbean football, while Panama outclassed all others, including Costa Rica and Honduras, for the Digicel Central American Championship.

Jamaica will compete in Group A of the Gold Cup with Canada, Costa Rica and El Salvador, while Panama contest Group C along with Guadeloupe, Mexico, Nicaragua.

Group B will see USA, Honduras, Haiti and Grenada doing battle