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BOYZ FACE CHILE EXAM
Progress of players delights coaching staffIAN BURNETT, Sports Editor
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
ALL EYES ON THE BALL: Reggae Boyz (from left) Fabian Davis, Luton Shelton and Damion Stewart challenge for the ball during the team's last training session at Kirkvine in Manchester yesterday. Looking on is Ricardo Fuller. (Photo: Michael Blair)
Technical director Velibor 'Bora' Milutinovic makes another attempt at his first outright win when his Jamaican Reggae Boyz oppose Chile in an international football friendly at the "Office" this evening at 7:00.
In the curtain-raiser at 5:00 pm, a Masters and Celebrities Invitational oppose an Entertainers and Celebrities Invitational.
In four games since assuming coaching duties, Bora has had three drawn results and a loss. He opened his account with workmanlike results against a Hong Kong XI and China's Under-23s in the Hong Kong Lunar New Year Cup in the Asian country in February.
Both games ended in regulation and extra time draws, before the Boyz prevailed on penalty kicks.
He then took the team to Florida, USA, where they were drubbed 0-3 by Switzerland, before coming from behind to earn a 1-1 draw in his first match on home soil against Panama.
DOWNSWELL... preparation has been good and the cool climatic condition was ideal
Today, Bora continues the first phase of his 'Back to Africa' Reggae Boyz project when he parades a team comprising mainly locally-based players, as he continues to comb the island for talent that he hopes will form a larger pool of players for the more important World Cup qualifiers next year.
The 23-man squad sees four overseas-based players - Ricardo Fuller (Stoke City, English Championship), Luton Shelton (Sheffield United, English Championship), Damion Stewart (Queen's Park Rangers, English Championship) and Sean Fraser (Miami FC, US A League), who joined the group yesterday morning. Stewart is a late addition to the squad.
Captain Ricardo Gardner of Bolton Wanderers (English Premiership) and Khari Stephenson (AIK Stockholm, Sweden) were also invited, but declined the invitation for different reasons.
Gardener asked to be excused for personal family matters, while Stephenson opted out after having only recently recovered from a broken arm which required surgery.
The 62-year-old Bora has been working with the assistance of Wendell Downswell since February.
The Boyz, listed 69 on the latest Coca-Cola FIFA World Ranking, began training on May 25 at the Kirkvine and Brancourt facilities from their Golf View Hotel in Mandeville.
Downswell told the Observer yesterday that the technical staff is pleased with the progress of the group.
"Preparation has been good, we have been training twice daily at Kirkvine and Brancourt and the cool climatic condition was ideal," Downswell said.
"We are satisfied with the effort the players put in, especially this morning (yesterday). The emphasis was on educating the players, to become good students of the game through a number of video sessions. They were conditioned to play tight and compact as a unit... especially defensively. Offensively, the emphasis was on ball possession and good decision-making.
"The response was good, the level of discipline was commendable. The first two sessions were lethargic, but they improved as the sessions went on."
The Boyz will have to display a high level of concentration if they are to get the better of the 43rd ranked South Americans, who have played no less than eight games since the beginning of this year.
The slick-moving Chileans, who employ the usual free-flowing short, snappy passing game of the Latinos, face Jamaica with a year-to-date record of three wins, three draws and two losses.
The seven-time World Cup Finals contenders, have enjoyed victories over South American neighbours Venezuela (1-0), Cuba 3-0 and 2-0; draws against two-time World champions Argentina (1-1), Costa Rica (1-1) and Haiti (0-0); and losses against the world's most dominant team Brazil (0-4), along with Costa Rica (0-2) in their most recent encounter on Saturday.
Chile were expected in the island last evening, and the squad was said to have the luxury of a number of players who exhibit their skills in foreign leagues. Some of the players with the more familiar foreign names are Claudio Munoz, who plays in La Liga in Spain for Real Sociedad; Matias Fernandez (Villarreal), and Pablo Fica (Celta de Vigo), also in Spain.
"This squad has a high percentage of local-based players and this is a great opportunity for them to prove themselves," reasoned Downswell late yesterday.
In the opening exhibition match, The Masters team will be selected from Clive 'Busy' Campbell, Richie Murray, TC Campbell, Dean Shepherd, Jah Mike, Hugh 'Bingy' Blair, Allan 'Skill' Cole, Peter Moses, Andrew Price, Audley Boyd, Lincoln Taffe, Zachary Harding, Lenny Hyde among others, while the Entertainers will be selected from Spragga Benz, Lexxus, Kiprich, Assasin, Captain Barkey, Luciano, Idona, Wayne Marshall, Vibes Kartel, Peter Prendergast, Capleton among others
Jamaica (from): Andre Redwood, Mario Harrison, Allien Whittaker, Nicholy Finlayson, Jermaine Taylor, Demar Phillips, Donald Stewart, Richard McCallum, Fabian Taylor, Lovel Palmer, Wolry Wolfe, Christopher Harvey, Mario Swaby, Richard Edwards, Adrian Reid, Damion Stewart, Keneil Moodie, Luton Shelton, Donovan Davis, Sean Fraser, Fabian Davis, Ricardo Fuller and Xavian Virgo.
Chile (from): Claudio Bravo Muñoz, Hector Sanhuez Medel, Nicolás Peric Villarreal, Jode Cabion Dianta, Rodrigo Meléndez Araya, Alvaro Ormneno Salazar, Manuel Iturra Urrutia, Gonzalo Fierro Caniullan, Carlos Villanueva Rolland, Sebastian Roco Melgarejo, Matías Fernández Fernández, Ismael Fuentes Castro, Jorge Valdivia Toro, Pablo Contreras Fica, Luis Jiménez Garcés, Jorge Vargas Palacios, Arturo Vidal Pardo, Reinaldo Navia Amador, Rodrigo Tello Valenzuela, Humberto Suazo Pontivo, Roberto Gutiérrez Gamboa. .
Progress of players delights coaching staffIAN BURNETT, Sports Editor
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
ALL EYES ON THE BALL: Reggae Boyz (from left) Fabian Davis, Luton Shelton and Damion Stewart challenge for the ball during the team's last training session at Kirkvine in Manchester yesterday. Looking on is Ricardo Fuller. (Photo: Michael Blair)Technical director Velibor 'Bora' Milutinovic makes another attempt at his first outright win when his Jamaican Reggae Boyz oppose Chile in an international football friendly at the "Office" this evening at 7:00.
In the curtain-raiser at 5:00 pm, a Masters and Celebrities Invitational oppose an Entertainers and Celebrities Invitational.
In four games since assuming coaching duties, Bora has had three drawn results and a loss. He opened his account with workmanlike results against a Hong Kong XI and China's Under-23s in the Hong Kong Lunar New Year Cup in the Asian country in February.
Both games ended in regulation and extra time draws, before the Boyz prevailed on penalty kicks.
He then took the team to Florida, USA, where they were drubbed 0-3 by Switzerland, before coming from behind to earn a 1-1 draw in his first match on home soil against Panama.
DOWNSWELL... preparation has been good and the cool climatic condition was idealToday, Bora continues the first phase of his 'Back to Africa' Reggae Boyz project when he parades a team comprising mainly locally-based players, as he continues to comb the island for talent that he hopes will form a larger pool of players for the more important World Cup qualifiers next year.
The 23-man squad sees four overseas-based players - Ricardo Fuller (Stoke City, English Championship), Luton Shelton (Sheffield United, English Championship), Damion Stewart (Queen's Park Rangers, English Championship) and Sean Fraser (Miami FC, US A League), who joined the group yesterday morning. Stewart is a late addition to the squad.
Captain Ricardo Gardner of Bolton Wanderers (English Premiership) and Khari Stephenson (AIK Stockholm, Sweden) were also invited, but declined the invitation for different reasons.
Gardener asked to be excused for personal family matters, while Stephenson opted out after having only recently recovered from a broken arm which required surgery.
The 62-year-old Bora has been working with the assistance of Wendell Downswell since February.
The Boyz, listed 69 on the latest Coca-Cola FIFA World Ranking, began training on May 25 at the Kirkvine and Brancourt facilities from their Golf View Hotel in Mandeville.
Downswell told the Observer yesterday that the technical staff is pleased with the progress of the group.
"Preparation has been good, we have been training twice daily at Kirkvine and Brancourt and the cool climatic condition was ideal," Downswell said.
"We are satisfied with the effort the players put in, especially this morning (yesterday). The emphasis was on educating the players, to become good students of the game through a number of video sessions. They were conditioned to play tight and compact as a unit... especially defensively. Offensively, the emphasis was on ball possession and good decision-making.
"The response was good, the level of discipline was commendable. The first two sessions were lethargic, but they improved as the sessions went on."
The Boyz will have to display a high level of concentration if they are to get the better of the 43rd ranked South Americans, who have played no less than eight games since the beginning of this year.
The slick-moving Chileans, who employ the usual free-flowing short, snappy passing game of the Latinos, face Jamaica with a year-to-date record of three wins, three draws and two losses.
The seven-time World Cup Finals contenders, have enjoyed victories over South American neighbours Venezuela (1-0), Cuba 3-0 and 2-0; draws against two-time World champions Argentina (1-1), Costa Rica (1-1) and Haiti (0-0); and losses against the world's most dominant team Brazil (0-4), along with Costa Rica (0-2) in their most recent encounter on Saturday.
Chile were expected in the island last evening, and the squad was said to have the luxury of a number of players who exhibit their skills in foreign leagues. Some of the players with the more familiar foreign names are Claudio Munoz, who plays in La Liga in Spain for Real Sociedad; Matias Fernandez (Villarreal), and Pablo Fica (Celta de Vigo), also in Spain.
"This squad has a high percentage of local-based players and this is a great opportunity for them to prove themselves," reasoned Downswell late yesterday.
In the opening exhibition match, The Masters team will be selected from Clive 'Busy' Campbell, Richie Murray, TC Campbell, Dean Shepherd, Jah Mike, Hugh 'Bingy' Blair, Allan 'Skill' Cole, Peter Moses, Andrew Price, Audley Boyd, Lincoln Taffe, Zachary Harding, Lenny Hyde among others, while the Entertainers will be selected from Spragga Benz, Lexxus, Kiprich, Assasin, Captain Barkey, Luciano, Idona, Wayne Marshall, Vibes Kartel, Peter Prendergast, Capleton among others
Jamaica (from): Andre Redwood, Mario Harrison, Allien Whittaker, Nicholy Finlayson, Jermaine Taylor, Demar Phillips, Donald Stewart, Richard McCallum, Fabian Taylor, Lovel Palmer, Wolry Wolfe, Christopher Harvey, Mario Swaby, Richard Edwards, Adrian Reid, Damion Stewart, Keneil Moodie, Luton Shelton, Donovan Davis, Sean Fraser, Fabian Davis, Ricardo Fuller and Xavian Virgo.
Chile (from): Claudio Bravo Muñoz, Hector Sanhuez Medel, Nicolás Peric Villarreal, Jode Cabion Dianta, Rodrigo Meléndez Araya, Alvaro Ormneno Salazar, Manuel Iturra Urrutia, Gonzalo Fierro Caniullan, Carlos Villanueva Rolland, Sebastian Roco Melgarejo, Matías Fernández Fernández, Ismael Fuentes Castro, Jorge Valdivia Toro, Pablo Contreras Fica, Luis Jiménez Garcés, Jorge Vargas Palacios, Arturo Vidal Pardo, Reinaldo Navia Amador, Rodrigo Tello Valenzuela, Humberto Suazo Pontivo, Roberto Gutiérrez Gamboa. .
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