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Win gives Ja chance of Gold Cup advance
IAN BURNETT @ THE CONCACAF GOLD CUP in the USA
Saturday, July 11, 2009
MIAMI, USA - Jamaica blew a number of opportunities late on and are now sweating on their chances of advancing as one of the best third-placed teams following their 1-0 win over El Salvador here at the Florida International University last night.
The win, on a 70th-minute goal from Omar Cummings, pushed Jamaica to three points, the same as El Salvador. But both teams trail Canada on seven points and Costa Rica on four, who had battled to a 2-2 draw in the curtain-raiser.
Jamaica's goalscorer Omar Cummings (left) fights for the ball with El Salvador's Deris Umanzor during their CONCACAF Gold Cup football match in Miami yesterday. At right is El Salvador's Christian Castillo. Jamaica won 1-0. (Photo: AP)
According to the tie breaker rule in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, points will be the first determinant, then goal difference, then points earned between the teams, then goal difference between the teams. Both teams ended on a minus one goal difference.
But third-placed Jamaica are still not sure of advancing until the other two groups have been determined. Group B will be contested today, while Group C will be played tomorrow.
And if the Reggae Boyz do advance to the quarter-finals to be played in Dallas, Texas, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, then they will do so without three players - Oneil Thompson, Tyrone Marshall and Jermaine Johnson - who were cautioned last night to add to earlier cautions in the first two games.
Jamaica suffered a blow even before the first whistle had been blown, when central defender Claude Davis, who was scheduled to start, was replaced by Oneil Thompson. It was not clear what caused the burly defender's late withdrawal.
But for a team that needed to have won the game to make a late bid for continuation in the tournament, Jamaica exhibited their worst game in the three preliminary encounters so far. Yet, as fate would have it, they still managed to score a victory.
The Boyz appeared listless and, for the most part, their play was disjointed, as constructive approach play was at a premium, especially in attack. The strikers, with the exception of Cummings, were not smart in their play, and as a result, they had to be feeding on scraps, certainly not what head coach Theodore Whitmore would have wanted.
As a consequence, there was not much to write home about in the first half, as potential dangerous attacks were thwarted by poor team play. Neither goalkeeper had any nerve-jangling saves.
The game opened up in the second half and chances began to fall, moreso for the Jamaicans, but still it appeared that they would not get on the scoresheet until Cummings stabbed home at the near post from Luton Shelton's shot-cum-cross on 70 minutes to silence the majority El Salvador supporters.
And in a flurry of late cautions and goal chances, first substitute Nicholas Addlery, then Cummings and Johnson muffed what should have made the game safe.
The easiest chance went to Addlery, who was presented with a gift by Shelton, only for the striker to see his shot from six metres being blocked by a retreating defender.
In the first game, Andy Herron (23rd) and Walter Centeno (35th) scored for Costa Rica, while Canada replied with Patrice Bernier (24th), and Marcel De
Jong (28th).
Teams:
Jamaica - Donovan Ricketts, Shavar Thomas, Tyrone Marshall, Oneil Thompson, Jason Morrison, Ricardo Gardner, Demar Phillips, Jamal Campbell-Ryce, Luton Shelton, Ricardo Fuller, Omar Cummings.
Subs not used: Dwayne Miller, Eric Vernon, Rafe Wolfe, Damion Stewart.
Booked: Thompson (54th), Marshall (65th), Johnson (90th).
El Salvador - Miguel Montes, Alexander Escobar, Marvin Gonzalez (William Reyes 71st), Jose Henriquez, Ramon Sanchez (Victor Turcios 46th), Osael Romero, Rudis Corrales, Rodolfo Zelaya, Manuel Salazar, Deris Umanzor, Christian Castillo (Salvador Coreas 74th).
Subs not used: Dennis Alas, Alfredo Pacheco, Oscar Jimenez, Benji Villalobos.
Booked: A Escobar (22nd), Henriquez (60th), Corrales (80th).
Referee: Geoffery Hospedales (T&T)
Assistants: Dion Innis (Guy), Modesto Hierrezuelo (Cub)
Fourth Official: Roberto Garcia
Match Commissioner: Richard Groden
Referee Inspector: Lisle Austin
Win gives Ja chance of Gold Cup advance
IAN BURNETT @ THE CONCACAF GOLD CUP in the USA
Saturday, July 11, 2009
MIAMI, USA - Jamaica blew a number of opportunities late on and are now sweating on their chances of advancing as one of the best third-placed teams following their 1-0 win over El Salvador here at the Florida International University last night.
The win, on a 70th-minute goal from Omar Cummings, pushed Jamaica to three points, the same as El Salvador. But both teams trail Canada on seven points and Costa Rica on four, who had battled to a 2-2 draw in the curtain-raiser.
Jamaica's goalscorer Omar Cummings (left) fights for the ball with El Salvador's Deris Umanzor during their CONCACAF Gold Cup football match in Miami yesterday. At right is El Salvador's Christian Castillo. Jamaica won 1-0. (Photo: AP)
According to the tie breaker rule in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, points will be the first determinant, then goal difference, then points earned between the teams, then goal difference between the teams. Both teams ended on a minus one goal difference.
But third-placed Jamaica are still not sure of advancing until the other two groups have been determined. Group B will be contested today, while Group C will be played tomorrow.
And if the Reggae Boyz do advance to the quarter-finals to be played in Dallas, Texas, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, then they will do so without three players - Oneil Thompson, Tyrone Marshall and Jermaine Johnson - who were cautioned last night to add to earlier cautions in the first two games.
Jamaica suffered a blow even before the first whistle had been blown, when central defender Claude Davis, who was scheduled to start, was replaced by Oneil Thompson. It was not clear what caused the burly defender's late withdrawal.
But for a team that needed to have won the game to make a late bid for continuation in the tournament, Jamaica exhibited their worst game in the three preliminary encounters so far. Yet, as fate would have it, they still managed to score a victory.
The Boyz appeared listless and, for the most part, their play was disjointed, as constructive approach play was at a premium, especially in attack. The strikers, with the exception of Cummings, were not smart in their play, and as a result, they had to be feeding on scraps, certainly not what head coach Theodore Whitmore would have wanted.
As a consequence, there was not much to write home about in the first half, as potential dangerous attacks were thwarted by poor team play. Neither goalkeeper had any nerve-jangling saves.
The game opened up in the second half and chances began to fall, moreso for the Jamaicans, but still it appeared that they would not get on the scoresheet until Cummings stabbed home at the near post from Luton Shelton's shot-cum-cross on 70 minutes to silence the majority El Salvador supporters.
And in a flurry of late cautions and goal chances, first substitute Nicholas Addlery, then Cummings and Johnson muffed what should have made the game safe.
The easiest chance went to Addlery, who was presented with a gift by Shelton, only for the striker to see his shot from six metres being blocked by a retreating defender.
In the first game, Andy Herron (23rd) and Walter Centeno (35th) scored for Costa Rica, while Canada replied with Patrice Bernier (24th), and Marcel De
Jong (28th).
Teams:
Jamaica - Donovan Ricketts, Shavar Thomas, Tyrone Marshall, Oneil Thompson, Jason Morrison, Ricardo Gardner, Demar Phillips, Jamal Campbell-Ryce, Luton Shelton, Ricardo Fuller, Omar Cummings.
Subs not used: Dwayne Miller, Eric Vernon, Rafe Wolfe, Damion Stewart.
Booked: Thompson (54th), Marshall (65th), Johnson (90th).
El Salvador - Miguel Montes, Alexander Escobar, Marvin Gonzalez (William Reyes 71st), Jose Henriquez, Ramon Sanchez (Victor Turcios 46th), Osael Romero, Rudis Corrales, Rodolfo Zelaya, Manuel Salazar, Deris Umanzor, Christian Castillo (Salvador Coreas 74th).
Subs not used: Dennis Alas, Alfredo Pacheco, Oscar Jimenez, Benji Villalobos.
Booked: A Escobar (22nd), Henriquez (60th), Corrales (80th).
Referee: Geoffery Hospedales (T&T)
Assistants: Dion Innis (Guy), Modesto Hierrezuelo (Cub)
Fourth Official: Roberto Garcia
Match Commissioner: Richard Groden
Referee Inspector: Lisle Austin
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