<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><SPAN class=TopStory>Concern over strikers as Boyz gear for DigiCup</SPAN>
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Sunday, September 24, 2006
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<P class=StoryText align=justify>With the Caribbean Digicel Cup set to kick off this week, Jamaica's interimhead coach Carl Brown is busy trying to make his final selection that will undertake the task of winning the regional title for a fifth time.<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=120 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD><SPAN class=Description>Brown. interim coach </SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><P class=StoryText align=justify>Brown currently has 23 players in training, which includes only one overseas-based player in Fabian Dawkin, who plys his trade in the United Soccer League (USL).
Brown is also hopeful of securing Omar Daley, Shane Crawford and Sean Frazer, depending on the outcome of their USL semi-final matches today.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"We have 22 to 23 players here so we will definitely have to make some subtractions, and there is the possibility of getting Omar Daley, Shane Crawford and Sean Frazer to join the squad next week," Brown confirmed.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"Both Shane and Omar will play a semi-final on Sunday (today). If they lose we will have them on Monday; if not, we won't be able to get them," he said.
But the veteran coach is confident the Boyz can take the tournament despite who is available.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"This is the squad we're preparing for the qualifiers, which starts on the 27th, and I'm pretty happy with what I'm seeing. The players are working very hard and... they're a committed bunch...
"We should be able to put a team together that will do well in the Caribbean, even without our overseas players, and that is what I'm working at," Brown told the Sunday Observer.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"We don't know what the Haitians will bring. We also don't know St Lucia and St Vincent, but years of playing against them says that they are going to be competitive.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"So we really have to get ourselves prepared for tough games, because I'm certain all three team will be preparing to beat the Jamaican team...," Brown added.
"My biggest problem... is probably the strike force, the group that we have here right now is probably the best we have available. Kevin Lamey, Rohan Reid, Roland Dean, Wilfred Smith and Fabian Dawkins are some of the names...<P class=StoryText align=justify>"But apart from Lamey, I don't believe any of the other locals have gotten any goals in the Premier League... so that is a bit of a concern But I believe we'll be able to get them into some sort of shape. We'll continue to do some work over the next few days and see if they can get some goals for us," he said.<P class=StoryText align=justify>The squad resumed training only a week after their friendly against the Canadians, but Brown says it is hard to judge their degree of improvement.
"Physically we'll be better and there are some technical areas that we're working on, so I expect them to be a better bunch than the one that played against Canada," he said.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Meanwhile, goalkeeper Shawn Sawyers and defender Jermaine Taylor have been nursing injuries. Sawyers has an ankle injury and is doubtful for the games, but Taylor is expect to recover in time from a hip niggle.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"Shawn has been carrying his injury from the Canada game. He hasn't been able to rest much because Portmore (United) has just one goalkeeper, so he has been keeping every Sunday, and that is a problem.
"The medic team has him... and they've always done a good job with the players, so we're hoping h
<SPAN class=Subheadline></SPAN></TD></TR><TR><TD>
Sunday, September 24, 2006
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P class=StoryText align=justify>With the Caribbean Digicel Cup set to kick off this week, Jamaica's interimhead coach Carl Brown is busy trying to make his final selection that will undertake the task of winning the regional title for a fifth time.<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=120 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD><SPAN class=Description>Brown. interim coach </SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><P class=StoryText align=justify>Brown currently has 23 players in training, which includes only one overseas-based player in Fabian Dawkin, who plys his trade in the United Soccer League (USL).
Brown is also hopeful of securing Omar Daley, Shane Crawford and Sean Frazer, depending on the outcome of their USL semi-final matches today.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"We have 22 to 23 players here so we will definitely have to make some subtractions, and there is the possibility of getting Omar Daley, Shane Crawford and Sean Frazer to join the squad next week," Brown confirmed.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"Both Shane and Omar will play a semi-final on Sunday (today). If they lose we will have them on Monday; if not, we won't be able to get them," he said.
But the veteran coach is confident the Boyz can take the tournament despite who is available.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"This is the squad we're preparing for the qualifiers, which starts on the 27th, and I'm pretty happy with what I'm seeing. The players are working very hard and... they're a committed bunch...
"We should be able to put a team together that will do well in the Caribbean, even without our overseas players, and that is what I'm working at," Brown told the Sunday Observer.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"We don't know what the Haitians will bring. We also don't know St Lucia and St Vincent, but years of playing against them says that they are going to be competitive.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"So we really have to get ourselves prepared for tough games, because I'm certain all three team will be preparing to beat the Jamaican team...," Brown added.
"My biggest problem... is probably the strike force, the group that we have here right now is probably the best we have available. Kevin Lamey, Rohan Reid, Roland Dean, Wilfred Smith and Fabian Dawkins are some of the names...<P class=StoryText align=justify>"But apart from Lamey, I don't believe any of the other locals have gotten any goals in the Premier League... so that is a bit of a concern But I believe we'll be able to get them into some sort of shape. We'll continue to do some work over the next few days and see if they can get some goals for us," he said.<P class=StoryText align=justify>The squad resumed training only a week after their friendly against the Canadians, but Brown says it is hard to judge their degree of improvement.
"Physically we'll be better and there are some technical areas that we're working on, so I expect them to be a better bunch than the one that played against Canada," he said.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Meanwhile, goalkeeper Shawn Sawyers and defender Jermaine Taylor have been nursing injuries. Sawyers has an ankle injury and is doubtful for the games, but Taylor is expect to recover in time from a hip niggle.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"Shawn has been carrying his injury from the Canada game. He hasn't been able to rest much because Portmore (United) has just one goalkeeper, so he has been keeping every Sunday, and that is a problem.
"The medic team has him... and they've always done a good job with the players, so we're hoping h
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