FIFA said the group would now be contested by three teams with the winners progressing to the next stage of qualifying.

Bahamas beat Turks and Caicos Islands 10-0 on aggregate in a two-leg preliminary tie, Lesly St Fleur scoring five goals in a 6-0 first-leg win.

They were the biggest risers in last month’s FIFA rankings, leaping from 197th place to 152nd.

The Bahamas Tribune said the withdrawal was caused by the unavailability of a new Chinese-built 23,000 capacity stadium which the federation had planned to use for home games.

It added that although the stadium was handed over by the Chinese government in June, approach roads, car parks, landscaping and sewerage had not been completed.

The report said the alternative would have been to play home matches at neutral venues but the cost would have been prohibitive.

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Hosts Jamaica have qualified for the 2011 FIFA Under-17 World Cup after defeating Honduras 2-1 at the Montego Bay Sports Complex today.

With the victory Jamaica advanced to the semi-final stage of the CONCACAF Under-17 Championship against the United States on Friday.

Jason Wright scored both goals for Jamaica – one in either half – before Honduras pulled a goal back in the 64th minute. Jamaica flagged towards the end of the match but held on despite prolonged periods of possession for the Central Americans.

In the group stages Jamaica had drawn 2-2 with Trinidad and then produced a more fluent performance to beat Guatemala 1-0.

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Caribbean teams taking part in the Caribbean Under-20 Boys’ Championship now know their opponents for the competition taking place in this city from March 28 to April 10.

This follows the draw to determine the groups which took place yesterday.

Group A will feature hosts Guatemala, fellow Central American nation Honduras, and Caribbean side Jamaica.

The United States, Central American side Panama, and Caribbean nation Suriname will comprise Group B.

Group C will include Canada, Central American nation Costa Rica, and the Caribbean Football Union’s Guadeloupe.

Mexico as well as the CFU pair of Trinidad & Tobago and Cuba will make up Group D.

The tournament will determine the CONCACAF’s four qualifiers for the Under-20 boys’ World Cup in Colombia from July 29 to August 20.

Like the CONCACAF Under-17 Championship, the top two teams in each group will advance to the quarter-finals in the CONCACAF Under-20 competition — from April 5 to 6 — with the winners qualifying for Colombia.

The winner from Group A will play the runner-up from Group B and vice versa in the quarter-finals, and Groups C and D will also play crossover knock-out matches.

The semi-finals will be played on April 8, with the Championship match two days later.

A full schedule is expected to be released next week.

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Tempers flared late in the game after Rodriquez was fouled and taken out of the game as the Americans reacted with a rash of hard tackles.

Rodriques, who was one of the best players on the field, went down under a challenge from Oshane Jenkins and had to be taken off.

Soon after a melee broke out where punches were thrown and the entire US bench and coaches went onto the field.

Interestingly after the players were separated, only two cautions were issued by referee Valdin Ledgister, one to Jenkins and the other to the American Jack McBean.

It took a while for tempers to calm down and another American Zach Carroll was also cautioned in the 80th minute, two minutes after he replaced Alejandro Guido.

In post match interviews, Cabrera said he was pleased with the reaction of his players. “When you have to go into an environment we need to see if they can react and to show if they have personality and not be scared and they responded well,” he told the Observer. “When we have to play soccer we play soccer, when we have to go hard we can go hard,” he added.

Cabrera — a former Colombian international who played at the 1998 France World Cup — said it was important for the players to identify “momentum change” and described the game as “good, tough and intense game, but we saw good things”.

The US team made eight changes to the starting team that played on Thursday, while the locals made four of their own. “We need to see the players… we brought 20 players and we wanted to see who can stand the pressure, who can wear the national team jersey and who can perform at the level that we need,” said Cabrera.

Jamaica’s head coach Wendell Downswell said the games were beneficial for his team. “It was an excellent exercise for us against a formidable opposition,” he noted. He added that there needs to be more consistency “especially in attack”.

“We just need to be a bit more consistent in terms of our approach especially offensively; overall I wouldn’t say I am completely satisfied and we have some work to do,” noted Downswell.

Despite conceding two goals, he said the defence did well.

Both coaches agreed that Sunday’s game was better than the first one as the team came out positive and played attractive attacking football.

The goalkeepers were called into action early as Jamaica’s Richard Trench made a good reflex save in the sixth minute to keep out a shot from Guido with his left boot.

Two minutes later, Jamaica’s Patrick Hadden was sent through, but Fernando Pina was off his line to intercept the cross.

The USA team was awarded a penalty in the 45th minute when Jamaica’s Quante Smith was ruled to have fouled Marc Pelosi as both players jumped for a high ball and the American fell.

Rodriquez converted the spot kick even as the Jamaican bench protested.

Koroma made it 2-0 seven minutes into the second half when he finished off a brilliant move by punching the ball left-footed past Trench at his near right post.

Holness pulled one back for the Jamaicans when he rose to head home from a corner, picking his spot and beating Pina to his left.

Teams:

Jamaica — Keino Wallace, Richard Trench (Niko Campbell-81st), Patrick Palmer, Oshane Jenkins, Romario Jones, Melvin Blair (Troy Moo-Pen 65th), Omar Holness, Jason Wright, (Romario Williams 64th), Patrick Hadden (Noel Johnson 59th), Quante Smith, Shawn Lawson (Jovia Roberts 54th).

Subs not used: Odean Clarke, Roman Brown, Jason Jacobs, Junior Flemming, Cordel Benbow, Kaya Beckford

Booked: Q Smith (45th), Jenkins (73rd), Williams (80th)

United States — Nathan Smith, Mobi Fehr, Alfred Koroma (Andrew Oliver 81st), Marc Pelosi, Alejandro Guido (Zach Carroll 78th), Kellyn Acosta, Andrew Souders (Tarick Salkicic 90th), Matt Dunn, Fernando Pina, Jack McBean, Esteban Rodriquez (Jordan Allen 70th).

Subs not used: Kendell McIntosh, Joe Amon, Paul Arriola, Christian Duarte, Mario Rodriques

Booked: Jack McBean (73rd), Carroll (80th)

Referee: Valdin Ledgister

Assistants: Kedlee Powell, Antoinette Williams

Fourth Official: Dwight Royal

Match Commissary: Fitzroy Reid

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Hosts Jamaica will face Caribbean rivals Trinidad and Tobago as well as Central American country Guatemala in the first round of the CONCACAF Under-17 finals to be played in western Jamaica in February next year.

The draw for places in the first round of the competition which will kick off on February 14 at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium was made at Hilton Hotel in Rose Hall yesterday — the first time the draw was being made outside of the CNCACAF New York offices.

Twelve countries, the most ever for this stage of the competition, are vying for four places in the FIFA Under-17 World Cup to be held in Mexico next year.

Costa Rica, El Salvador and Haiti were drawn in Group A; the USA, Panama and Cuba will play in Group B, while Honduras, Canada and Barbados will contest Group D.

CONCACAF’s deputy general secretary Ted Howard, who supervised yesterday’s ceremony, announced that Jamaica, who will start their campaign on February 15, will play all their games at the Montego Bay Sports Complex at Catherine Hall, while the other first-round games will be played at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium.

At the end of the first round, however, all matches in the quarter-finals, semi-finals, third-place play-offs and final will be played at Catherine Hall, Howard disclosed.

The draw saw the names of all 12 teams being placed into three ‘pots’, with the seeded teams — Jamaica, USA, Costa Rica and Honduras — being placed in the first.

Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama were placed in the second, while Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti and Cuba were placed in the other.

There were also two other containers with the names of the groups that were also drawn to see in which groups the teams would be placed.

As destiny would have it, Jamaica were the first drawn by one of the two female assistants and placed in Group C, while the USA was the second name drawn and were placed in Group B.

The format for the quarter-finals will see the winners of Group A playing the runners-up in Group B, and the winners of Group B playing the runners-up in Group A.

On the other side of the draw, the winners of Group C will face the runners-up in Group D, and the winners of Group D playing the runners-up in Group C for places in the semi-finals of the tournament.

Minister of Sports Olivia Grange (2nd left) and JFF president Captain Horace Burrell (2nd right) unveil the logo for the CONCACAF Under-17 Finals to be staged in Jamaica in February, at the official draw held at Hilton Rose Hall Hotel yesterday. Looking on (from left) are Mayor of Montego Bay Charles Sinclair and CONCACAF’s deputy general secretary Ted Howard.

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Jamaica College (JC) completed a clean sweep of the major titles in the 2010 ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel schoolboy football season yesterday after winning their 17th Olivier Shield title and first ever ‘triple crown’ in the school’s over 200-year history.

The Urban Area double champions took the title with a 1-0 aggregate win after playing to a 0-0 draw with daCosta Cup winners Rusea’s High in the return leg at Jarrett Park.

The Old Hope Road-based institution had previous won the Corporate Area Manning and Walker Cup Knock-out crowns and to put icing on the cake, won a fourth title as they also retained their all-island ISSA Under-14 trophy on Friday, beating Rural Area champions Cornwall College 1-0 in extra-time in the final played at Dinthill Technical.

Yesterday’s match was exciting in patches, with Rusea’s coming forward in the second half when JC were content to get players behind the ball and defend, with only few forays forward.

Longserving team manger Ian Forbes told reporters after the game that the win was the end of “a very fruitful season for us”.

An emotional Forbes said the journey started “years ago, and this is the culmination of hard work, discipline and dedication from a bunch of youngsters who were determined to create history first time in 211-year history that we have won the triple crown”.

SaidForbes: “We are very elated. We came in here expecting a good game and we got it in front of a big crowd for the opposition, but our young men acquitted themselves very well and we are very proud of them.”

Rusea’s head coach Emerson ‘Diggy’ Henry was understandably disappointed and told the Sunday Observer, “I guess we did not want it badly enough”.

The veteran coach said his team showed “a little more energy than the last time, but we still could not put it together and I guess we were satisfied with the daCosta Cup”.

Asked why he thought the team failed to play to the level they had shown in earlier games, Henry said, “I guess we were concentrating on some other things, some side issues”, adding that “it was unfortunate that the same weekend we won the D’Cup the (Rusea’s) PTA had their annual barbeque and there was one big celebration and we lost focus”.

Rusea’s had their first real chance at goal in the 16th minute when Brian Brown was sent through by Jermaine Woozencroft, but his shot went just wide of the top left corner of the JC goal.

JC hit back with two good chances of their own, but Rusea’s had another close shave in the 20th minute when Anthony Walker’s shot from close range flew just wide.

Both teams had good scoring chances late in the half. JC’s hitman and skipper Ashani Walker hit the Rusea’s upright in the 44th minute, and less than a minute later, Anthony Walker’s header was saved by JC’s goalkeeper Gary Whynter.

Early in the second half, Nicholas Scott’s close range shot came back off the knees of Rusea’s goalkeeper Lamoy Graham, while in the 59th minute, Nicodie Haughton got by the JC left-back, but his low, hard cross flew across the field with none of his teammates in place to tap in.

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The Jamaican national team got a goal in the 32nd minute from Colorado Rapids forward Omar Cummings on Sunday night and went on to a second consecutive Digicel Caribbean Cup with a win in penalty kicks over Guadeloupe in Fort-De-France, Martinique.

Cummings scored his sixth career goal with the Reggae Boyz through a twisting shot from the six-yard line after a header from teammate Luton Shelton drifted across the goalmouth.

Cummings logged a full 90 minutes, plus both extra-time periods, but did not take shot in the penalty shootout, which Jamaica eventually won 5-4 after a 1-1 draw during regulation to clinch their third tournament title in five years. Both teams will compete in the CONCACAF Gold Cup next June.

Sporting Kansas City defender Shavar Thomas captained Jamaica in the title game and played the full 90 minutes, while New York Red Bulls midfielder Dane Richards also went the full 120. Houston’s Lovel Palmer came on in the 68th minute.

Sporting Kansas City midfielder Stephane Auvray played the full 90 minutes for Guadeloupe.

Auvray’s Sporting teammate Craig Rocastle also played the full 90 minutes in the third-place match for Grenada, but Cuba came away with a 1-0 win. New England’s Shalrie Joseph was not on Grenada’s roster for the tournament.

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Caribbean football mogul Jack Warner has confirmed he will run again for president of CONCACAF, the continental governing body for North Central America and the Caribbean region.

He told the CONCACAF Extraordinary Congress recently he was delighted with the progress the body had made and would stand for re-election for the 2011 year.

Warner has been president of CONCACAF since 1990 and also heads up the Caribbean Football Union, the governing body for Caribbean football.

Present at the meeting were FIFA President Sepp Blatter and FIFA Executive Committee members Ángel María Villar and Franz Beckenbauer.

Warner, a powerful FIFA vice-president, highlighted CONCACAF’s economic stability and growth despite the global economic recession and said this had allowed the organisation to increase the size of its competitions and programmes.

Also a government minister in his native Trinidad, Warner assured Blatter of CONCACAF’s unswerving support in his own re-election bid, noting that he would have “the complete support of CONCACAF and its members as he seeks re-election to FIFA’s highest office”.

During the meeting, Warner praised the Haitian women’s team that competed in the CONCACAF Under-17 Women’s Qualifying tournament two months after the deadly earthquake in January.

He also made a commitment to help the United States host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.

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The region’s top international tournament, the Digicel Caribbean Cup (DCC), was officially launched here at a glittering press conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Thursday.

The Digicel Caribbean Cup 2010 kicks off in Puerto Rico on October 2 and then travels to St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and the Dominican Republic to complete the first stage of the tournament.

In the second round, higher ranked teams — Cuba, Guadeloupe and Trinidad and Tobago — are seeded and will join the tournament in the qualification stage playing across host countries Grenada and Antigua and Barbuda.

The top two teams from each of the groups in Stage Two will join champions Jamaica and hosts Martinique, to make up the eight teams for the finals set for November 26 to December 5 in the Dutch territory.

To be played over nine weeks, a total tournament of 55 matches will be played across eight countries culminating in what is sure to be another thrilling Digicel Caribbean Cup final.

The champions for 2010 will walk away with US$120,000, runners-up will US$70,000 and third and fourth place winners take home US$50,000 and US$30,000, respectively.

The top four nations will also advance to the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States.

Also, tens of thousands of football fans are expected to attend the games with millions more set to watch on TV worldwide.

To ensure the Digicel Caribbean Cup is brought to as many people as possible, the cellphone giant has invested heavily in the TV production to broadcast the games across the Caribbean and outside the region.

All 39 qualifying group games will be aired in full across the region on an “as live” basis and all 16 games of the finals will be broadcast live worldwide by satellite. In addition, ten thirty30-minute highlight shows will be produced and broadcast regionally and internationally, courtesy of Digicel.

President of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), CONCACAF president and FIFA vice-president, Jack Warner, said he was particularly pleased with the rapid growth of the championship, which will be run by the CFU.

“It’s amazing to think that just six years ago the tournament was only one week long with 16 matches. Today, we have a tournament that can stand alongside some of the biggest football tournaments in the world with 23 nations from across the Caribbean competing over nine weeks in 55 matches,” he said.

Digicel group marketing operations director, Kieran Foley, said: “This has been an exciting year for football in the Caribbean with the Digicel-sponsored broadcast of the FIFA World Cup, the Digicel Kick Start Clinics and now the Digicel Caribbean Cup 2010. With the launch of a massive marketing campaign entitled “23 Nations. One Goal”, this year’s DCC promises to be even bigger and better.”

Digicel announced its initial four-year sponsorship of the Digicel Caribbean Cup in May 2004 and, in June 2007, extended its contract until 2011.

First Stage

Group A (October 2-6 in Puerto Rico)

Puerto Rico, St Martin, Cayman Islands, Anguilla

Group B (October 6-10 in St Vincent and the Grenadines)

St Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat

Group C (October 13-17 in Suriname)

Suriname, Guyana, St Lucia, Netherlands Antilles

Group D (October 13-17 in Dominican Republic)

Dominican Republic, British Virgin Islands, Dominica

Second Stage

Group E (October 20-24 in Grenada)

Grenada, Guadeloupe, winner Group A and Winner of Group B

Group F (November 2- 6 in Trinidad and Tobago)

Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, Winner Group C and Runner-up Group C

Group G (November 10-14 in Antigua and Barbuda)

Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, Winner Group D and Runner-up Group D

Finals

Group Stages (November 26-December 1)

Two groups of four teams – top two teams qualify to semi-finals

Semi-finals (December 3)

Third Place Play-off (December 5)

Final (December 5)

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David Beckham will coach footballers and coaches in Trinidad this weekend to help boost support for England’s World Cup bid.

The Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder’s trip coincides with the final of the Under-17 women’s World Cup in Port of Spain, which will be attended by FIFA president Sepp Blatter and vice-president Jack Warner.

As president of the CONCACAF confederation, Warner holds one of the 24 votes on the FIFA executive committee, which will decide the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments in December.

England, which is in the running for either event, has pledged to invest in developing football globally in conjunction with Beckham’s academy.

“It is heartening to know that a man of such international stature remains committed to the development of talent worldwide,” Warner said in a statement released yesterday by England’s bid team. “This is a remarkable opportunity for the 200 participants. The fact that, despite his busy schedule, David has taken the time to open this festival, to share his knowledge with the children, is testament to his character.”

Beckham pledged to make the trip when he met Warner in Cape Town last year. About 200 young players and coaches are set to attend the workshops.

“Trinidad and Tobago have produced some excellent players over the years, and the islands are full of young people who love football,” Beckham said. “I am really looking forward to seeing the young girls and boys from all backgrounds and their coaches at my academy.

“Encouraging young girls to play football has always been an important part of the thinking behind the academy and it will be great to take this opportunity to also see some of the world’s best young women play in the Under-17 final.”

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