Jamaica national football team
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| Nickname(s) | The Reggae Boyz | ||
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| Association | Jamaica Football Federation | ||
| Confederation | CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) | ||
| Head coach | Theodore Whitmore | ||
| Captain | Ricardo Gardner | ||
| Most caps | Ian Goodison (113) | ||
| Top scorer | Paul Young (28) | ||
| Home stadium | Independence Park | ||
| FIFA code | JAM | ||
| FIFA ranking | 81 | ||
| Highest FIFA ranking | 27 (August 1998) | ||
| Lowest FIFA ranking | 116 (October 2008) | ||
| Elo ranking | T 52 | ||
| Highest Elo ranking | 36 (February 1998) | ||
| Lowest Elo ranking | 146 (May 1984) | ||
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| First international | |||
 Haiti 1 - 2 Jamaica  (Haiti; 9 March 1925) |
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| Biggest win | |||
 Jamaica 12 - 0 BVI  (Grand Cayman, Cayman Isls.; 4 March 1994) Jamaica 12 - 0 Saint-Martin  (Kingston, Jamaica; 24 November 2004) |
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| Biggest defeat | |||
 Costa Rica 9 - 0 Jamaica (San José, Costa Rica; 24 February 1999) |
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| World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 1 (First in 1998) | ||
| Best result | Round 1, 1998 | ||
| CONCACAF Gold Cup | |||
| Appearances | 7 (First in 1991) | ||
| Best result | Third (shared) 1993 | ||
The Jamaica national football team, or The Reggae Boyz, is the national team of Jamaica and is controlled by the Jamaica Football Federation. After decades in CONCACAF obscurity, they gained many fans throughout the world after they qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Jamaica has won the Caribbean Cup four times (1991, 1998, 2005, and 2008) finished second twice and come third twice.
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[edit] History
Jamaica's first international appearance was against their Caribbean neighbors Haiti in 1925. They were invited to the French-speaking Caribbean island by Andre Chevalon, president of the then United Sporting Society and it was for a three-match series between the 2 countries. Jamaica won all three games by 1-0, 2-1 and 3-0. The following year Jamaica hosted their Haitians counterparts at Sabina Park and won by 6-0. The Haitians remained frequent opponents and it was not until 1932 that their run of defeats was broken with a 4-1 home win in Port-au-Prince.
Between 1925 and when Jamaica gained its independence in 1962, Jamaica had regular games with Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, Cuba and clubs like Racing and Violette from Haiti, Corinthians of Britain, the Tigers from Argentina, and even a series of matches with a Caribbean All Stars team in 1952. The Caribbean All Star team included such notables as Michael (The Ruin) Kruin from Suriname and also representing Jamaica were Lindy Delapenha and Gillie Heron. The four games were shared equally with Jamaica winning the second 2-1 and the fourth 1-0 and the All Stars winning the first 5-1 and the third 1-0.
Those friendly international games were the start of Jamaica's football journey with most of the home matches being played at Sabina Park. Many clubs were established during this time including Kensington, Melbourne, Kingston, Lucas and St. George's Old Boys, thus providing the talent Jamaica needed at the time.
In 1965 under the leadership of Brazilian coach Jorge Penna, Jamaica made its first attempt at World Cup qualifying. This was for the 1966 World Cup finals in England. The preliminary group included Cuba, the Netherlands Antilles, and Jamaica. Jamaica's first game was against Cuba which they won 2-0 at Jamaica's National Stadium. In the qualifying match against the Netherlands Antilles, Jamaica also had a 2-0 victory with both goals coming. In the away games Jamaica was held to a goalless draw with the Netherlands Antilles and suffered a 2-1 defeat to Cuba. Jamaica then advanced to the final group of 3 which included Costa Rica and Mexico. The winner in this group would represent the CONCACAF region. Jamaica lost at home to Mexico 3-2 and in the return leg in Mexico City the high altitude proved too much for the Jamaicans and they were defeated 8-0. Jamaica lost 7-0 to Costa Rica in their first encounter and had a 1-1 tie when they played at home.
In 1968 coach George Hamilton took leadership as Jamaica made an attempt to qualify for the 1970 World Cup Finals in Mexico. Jamaica had only a couple remaining players from the previous World Cup team and had to rebuild because most of the players had retired or migrated to North America and England. Jamaica lost all of their qualifying games in that year. Jamaica's participation in the 1974 World Cup elimination saw the suspension of 17 players on the team because of poor behavior on a tour to Bermuda. Jamaica withdrew from the elimination in order to restructure their team.
The 1978 Word Cup in Argentina saw Jamaica playing Cuba and losing 3-1 at the National Stadium and then 2-0 in Havana Cuba. Jamaica did not qualify.
In 1982 Jamaica did not make an attempt for the World Cup Final set in Spain due to insufficient funds and a poorly prepared team. Jamaica did not participate in the 1986 World Cup because suspension for affiliation fees that was due to FIFA. In preparation for the 1990 World Cup with coach Jeffery Maxwell Jamaica won both preliminary games against Puerto Rico 1-0 in Jamaica and 2-0 at Puerto Rico. The U.S. were their next opponents and the first leg was a goalless draw. Jamaica lost the return leg in the U.S. 5-1, ending their qualifying attempt. The United States hosted the World Cup 1994. In qualifying Jamaica beat Puerto Rico 2-1 and was then faced Bermuda, Canada, and El Salvador from which two teams would advance to the final round. Jamaica tied 1-1 with Canada and Bermuda and then lost 2-0 to El Salvador, 1-0 to Canada, 2-1 to El Salvador. Jamaica then beat Bermuda 3-2 but did not qualify.
Under Brazilian Professor Rene Simones and National coach Carl Brown, the Jamaican team has become a "Powerhouse" in the Caribbean region and received "Best Mover" award by FIFA in 1996. [1]
The squad struggled in 2006 and 2007, leading some Jamaicans to dub them The Reggae Toyz. The team did not make it past the first stage of 2007 Caribbean Cup qualifying despite hosting the round, eliminating Jamaica from the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
However, with the return of former coach Renê Simões (who led Jamaica to the 1998 World Cup), there was heavy optimism in the Reggae Boyz camps. Theodore Whitmore lead the team to impressive victories over El Salvador and Guatemala in the latter part of 2007. Jamaica started their Road To South Africa 2010 campaign in fine form beating Bahamas 7-0 at home, 6-0 away. They then fought to a hard 1-1 draw with Canada but lost to Mexico and Honduras due to what was considered poor team selection from Renê Simões, which then in turn lead to his firing. Jamaica announced that Jamaica-born John Barnes would take over as manager in November 2008, with former Raggae Boy Theodore Whitmore leading the team in the interim. Jamaica were at the bottom of Group 2 in the 3rd round, but high performances saw them move up in the table. The team battled hard to 1-0 victories over Mexico and Honduras. However, the Boyz fell just short of advancing to the final round. They managed an impressive 3-0 victory over Canada in their final third round match but failed to move on as Mexico advanced on goal difference after a 1-0 loss to Honduras.
In 2007 with an U-23 team, they won the silver medal at the 2007 Panamerican Games that was played in the Brazilian city Rio de Janeiro. The striker Keammar Daley was the top scorer (together with the Mexican player Enrique Esqueda) with four (4) goals.
[edit] Stadium
The team plays their games at Independence Park, known locally as The Office, which is located in Kingston. The stadium opened in 1962 and holds 35,000 people. It got its name The Office from their 50 match unbeaten run from 1995-2001.
[edit] Kits
The team is currently equipped by Italian kit provider Kappa, they debuted in their current set at the beginning of the World Cup qualifying campaign against The Bahamas. Previously there were outfitted by Uhlsport, a German apparel company. The home kit is a yellow shirt, black shorts, and green socks. The away is a green, yellow, and green set. There is also a black away kit, but this has yet to be worn by the Jamaica squad. The team has had this set from 05-08.
[edit] Honours
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- 1991, 1998, 2005, 2008
[edit] World Cup record
- 1930 to 1962 - Did not enter (as until 1962, named British Jamaica)
- 1966 - Did not qualify
- 1970 - Did not qualify
- 1974 - Withdrew from qualification
- 1978 - Did not qualify
- 1982 - Did not enter
- 1986 - Withdrew in qualification semi finals
- 1990 - Did not qualify
- 1994 - Did not qualify
- 1998 - Round 1
- 2002 - Did not qualify
- 2006 - Did not qualify
- 2010 - Did not qualify
[edit] CONCACAF Championship record
- 1963 - 1st round
- 1965 - Did not enter
- 1967 - Did not qualify
- 1969 - 6th place
- 1971 - Did not qualify
- 1973 - Did not enter
- 1977 - Withdrew
- 1981 - Did not enter
- 1985 - Withdrew
- 1989 - Did not qualify
[edit] Gold Cup record
- 1991 - Round 1
- 1993 - Third place shared
- 1996 - Did not qualify
- 1998 - Fourth place
- 2000 - Round 1
- 2002 - Did not qualify
- 2003 - Quarterfinals
- 2005 - Quarterfinals
- 2007 - Did not qualify
- 2009 - Round 1
[edit] Caribbean Cup record
- 1989 - Did not qualify
- 1991 - Winners
- 1992 - Second place
- 1993 - Second place
- 1994 - Round 1
- 1995 - Round 1
- 1996 - Round 1
- 1997 - Third place
- 1998 - Winners
- 1999 - Third place shared
- 2001 - Round 2
- 2005 - Winners
- 2007 - Round 1
- 2008 - Winners
[edit] Panamerican Games record
- 2007 Panamerican Games - Silver Medal
[edit] Players
[edit] Current squad
The following players were selected for the squad for the Canada Friendly on January 31, 2010.
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[edit] Recent call-ups
The following players have also been called up to the Jamaica squad in the past twelve months.
[edit] Jamaica results and fixtures
Matches in last 24 months, as well as any future scheduled matches
| Date | Opposition | Result | Score | Jamaican Scorers | Opposition Scorers | Competition | Host/(Venue) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 2008 | Costa Rica |
D | 1-1 | Tyrone Marshall | William Sunsing | Friendly | Kingston |
| Mar 26, 2008 |  Trinidad and Tobago |
D | 2-2 | Marlon King, Tyrone Marshall | Osei Telesford, Aurtis Whitley | Friendly | Kingston |
| Jun 3, 2008 |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
W | 5-1 | Demar Phillips, Marlon King (2), Deon Burton, Ricardo Gardner | Marlon James | Friendly | Kingston |
| Jun 7, 2008 | Trinidad and Tobago |
D | 1-1 | Luton Shelton | Khaleem Hyland | Friendly | Macoya |
| Jun 10, 2008 |  Grenada |
L | 1-2 | Ricardo Fuller | Shalrie Joseph, Jason Roberts | Friendly | St. George |
| Jun 15, 2008 |  Bahamas |
W | 7-0 | Ricardo Gardner, Demar Phillips, Marlon King, Luton Shelton (2), Andy Williams, Omar Daley | - | FIFA WCQ 2010 | Kingston |
| Jun 18, 2008 | Bahamas |
W | 6-0 | Luton Shelton (3),Deon Burton (2),Tyrone Marshall | - | FIFA WCQ 2010 | Trelawny |
| Jul 25, 2008 |  El Salvador |
D | 0-0 | - | - | Friendly |  Frisco |
| Aug 20, 2008 |  Canada |
D | 1-1 | Andy Williams | Julian De Guzman | FIFA WCQ 2010 | Toronto |
| Sep 6, 2008 |  Mexico |
L | 3-0 | - | Andrés Guardado, Fernando Arce, Jonny Magallón | FIFA WCQ 2010 | Mexico City |
| Sep 10, 2008 |  Honduras |
L | 2-0 | - | Ramón Núñez, Amado Guevara | FIFA WCQ 2010 | San Pedro Sula |
| Oct 11, 2008 | Mexico |
W | 1-0 | Ricardo Fuller | - | FIFA WCQ 2010 | Kingston |
| Oct 15, 2008 | Honduras |
W | 1-0 | Luton Shelton | - | FIFA WCQ 2010 | Kingston |
| Nov 9, 2008 |  Cayman Islands |
W | 2-0 | Roland Dean, Omar Cummings | Friendly | Grand Cayman |
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| Nov 19, 2008 | Canada |
W | 3-0 | Luton Shelton, Marlon King, Omar Cummings | - | FIFA WCQ 2010 | Kingston |
| Dec 3, 2008 |  Barbados |
W | 2 - 1 | Rodolph Austin and Luton Shelton | Caribbean Championships 20081 | Kingston |
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| Dec 5, 2008 | Grenada |
W | 4-0 | Eric Vernon Luton Shelton Andy Williams and Demar Phillips | Caribbean Championships 20081 | Montego Bay |
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| Dec 7, 2008 | Trinidad and Tobago |
D | 1-1 | Eric Vernon | Errol Mcfarlane | Caribbean Championships 20081 | Trelawny |
| Dec 11, 2008 | Guadeloupe |
W | 2-0 | Oneil Thompson, Luton Shelton | Caribbean Championships 20081 | Kingston |
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| Dec 14, 2008 | Grenada |
W | 2-0 | Luton Shelton (2) | Caribbean Championships 20081 | Kingston |
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| Feb 11, 2009 |  Nigeria |
D | 0-0 | Friendly |  London |
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| May 23, 2009 |  Haiti |
D | 2-2 | Nicholas Addlery, Damion Stewart | Jean Robens Jerome (2) | Friendly | Fort Lauderdale |
| May 30, 2009 | El Salvador |
D | 0-0 | Friendly | Washington D.C |
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| Jun 07, 2009 |  Panama |
W | 3-2 | Jermaine Johnson, Devon Hodges, Keammar Daley | Blas Perez, Luis Tejeda | Friendly | Kingston |
| Jul 03, 2009 | Canada |
L | 0-1 | Ali Gerba | 2009 Gold Cup | Carson |
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| Jul 07, 2009 | Costa Rica |
L | 0-1 | Celso Borges | 2009 Gold Cup | Columbus |
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| Jul 10, 2009 | El Salvador |
W | 1-0 | Omar Cummings | 2009 Gold Cup | Miami |
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| Aug 12, 2009 |  Ecuador |
D | 0-0 | Friendly | New York |
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| Aug 16, 2009 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis |
W | 1-0 | Devon Hodges | Friendly | Basseterre |
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| Nov 17, 2009 |  South Africa |
D | 0-0 | Friendly | Bloemfontein |
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| Jan 31, 2010 | Canada |
Friendly | Kingston |
- Notes
- 1 The Caribbean Championships 2008 also functions as a qualification tournament for the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The four semifinalists will all qualify for the Gold Cup.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Jamaican Football Federation
- The Reggae Boyz Supporterz Club (Official Site)
- Reggae Boyz 2010 World Cup campaign theme song
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