Guatemala spy job

JAMAICA UNDER-17 coach Merron Gordon admitted that information gathering on his opponents at the upcoming Concacaf Under-17 Championship has been a challenge due to the lack of game footage of some teams at the level.

The Jamaicans, who left for host country Guatemala this morning, will bow into Group G action on Sunday against neighbours Cuba, before facing Guadeloupe next Tuesday, and closing out the group stage against Costa Rica next Thursday.

The semifinalists at the championship will automatically qualify for the 2023 FIFA Men’s U17 World Cup in Peru.

The question about team knowledge was put to Gordon after Tuesday’s final practice game against Trinidad and Tobago, and the Garvey Maceo coach says it has been difficult to source material on his opponents, but he is working with what he has got so far.

“At this stage, U17 games are hard to find. We got some footage from some teams in December, but most of the teams we got, it wasn’t their real squad,” said Gordon.

The Jamaicans are likely to come up against some of the confederation’s top players who were standouts at the under-13 level and have now graduated to the under-17 set-up.

Gordon and the Young Reggae Boyz will have their work cut out when they come up against Costa Rican forward Claudio Montero, as well as Cuban striker Jade Nicholas Quinones Sanchez, who were prolific goalscorers at the under-13 level.

While the players may be key, Gordon says a lot can be learnt from the respective coaches of the teams.

“Sometimes we have to judge the coaches and see the type of coach we are going to play against and what kind of football they like, and what kind of formation the coach likes.”

The Jamaicans will take heart from the fact that they have beaten Costa Rica twice, despite losing on three occasions, while they have won two games against Cuba and lost two, with one draw.

The other team in the group, Guadeloupe, are making just their second under-17 appearance, which is the fewest of the 20 teams taking part in the tournament.

With the dearth in knowledge, Gordon says his team will be doing some additional work when they get down to Guatemala.

“We have information that is well needed and can help us. We are also going to be doing some of our scouting in Guatemala because some games will not be played at the same venue or time, so we can do some scouting.”