Under-17 Reggae Boyz in pole position, says assistant coach Reynolds

Jamaica’s Under-17 Reggae Boyz have moved one step closer to qualifying for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Qatar, and assistant coach Vassell Reynolds said the boys are now in pole position.

Jamaica leads Group G with six points, the same as Canada but with a far better goal difference. Jamaica defeated Aruba 3-0 and the Cayman Islands 12-0, while Canada beat the Cayman Islands 3-0 and Aruba 5-1.

Only the group winner qualifies for the FIFA World Cup, and Jamaica have put themselves in a very good position where they only need a draw when they meet Canada on Wednesday.

Jamaica has a plus-15 goal difference compared to Canada’s plus-seven, and once they avoid defeat, they are safely through to their third World Cup following qualification in 1999 and 2011.

“One step closer to achieving our ultimate goal, pretty efficient performance. We wanted to win with some goals to put us in pole position going into the final game against Canada,” Reynolds told Observer Online.

“We kinda knew once the draw was done that it would’ve worked this way, where this game would be the decider, and hence we are mentally prepared for it,” he added.

Jamaica hammered Cayman Islands 12-0 with Kingston College attacker Kelvin Brown netting four times, taking his tally to five goals from two games. There were double strikes for Jahmarie Nolan, Jamone Lyles and Tyraun Bembribge.

“I thought we managed proceedings very well today. The plan was to get two early goals and win it comfortable from the first half. In the second half, we put it to bed and made a number of changes,” said Reynolds.

It’s a good feeling, but the job is not yet accomplished.  We now focus on some recovery work and planning for the most important one on Wednesday,” he explained.