Jamaica national football team
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| Nickname(s) | The Reggae Boyz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Jamaica Football Federation | ||
| Confederation | CONCACAF | ||
| Head coach | Theodore Whitmore | ||
| Captain | Ricardo Gardner | ||
| Most caps | Ian Goodison (113) | ||
| Home stadium | Independence Park | ||
| FIFA code | JAM | ||
| FIFA ranking | 82 | ||
| Highest FIFA ranking | 27 (August 1998) | ||
| Lowest FIFA ranking | 116 (October 2008) | ||
| Elo ranking | T 52 | ||
| Highest Elo ranking | 36 (February 1998) | ||
| Lowest Elo ranking | 146 (May 1984) | ||
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| First international | |||
.svg.png){kind=small} Haiti 1 - 2 Jamaica .svg.png){kind=small} (Haiti; 9 March 1925) |
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| Biggest win | |||
 Jamaica 12 - 0 BVI  (Grand Cayman, Cayman Isls.; 4 March 1994) Jamaica 12 - 0 Saint-Martin  (Kingston, Jamaica; 24 November 2004) |
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| Biggest defeat | |||
 Iran 8 - 1 Jamaica (Tehran, Iran; 2 July 2007) |
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| World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 1 (First in 1998) | ||
| Best result | Round 1, 1998 | ||
| CONCACAF Gold Cup | |||
| Appearances | 7 (First in 1991) | ||
| Best result | Third (shared) 1993 | ||
The Jamaica national football team is the national team of Jamaica and is controlled by the Jamaica Football Federation. After decades in CONCACAF obscurity, they gained many fans throughout the world after they qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Jamaica has won the Caribbean Cup four times (1991, 1998, 2005, and 2008), finished second twice, and came third twice.
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History
Early 20th century
Jamaica's first internaional appearance was against their Caribbean neighbors Haiti in 1925. They were invited to the French-speaking Caribbean island by Andre Chevalon, president of the then United Sporting Society and it was for a three-match series between the 2 countries. Jamaica won all three games by 1-0, 2-1 and 3-0. The following year Jamaica hosted their Haitians counterparts at Sabina Park and won by 6-0. The Haitians remained frequent opponents and it was not until 1932 that their run of defeats was broken with a 4-1 home win in Port-au-Prince.
Between 1925 and when Jamaica gained its independence in 1962, Jamaica had regular games with Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, Cuba and clubs like Racing and Violette from Haiti, Corinthians of Britain, the Tigers from Argentina, and even a series of matches with a Caribbean All Stars team in 1952. The Caribbean All Star team included such notables as Michael (The Ruin) Kruin from Suriname and also representing Jamaica were Lindy Delapenha and Gillie Heron. The four games were shared equally with Jamaica winning the second 2-1 and the fourth 1-0 and the All Stars winning the first 5-1 and the third 1-0.
Those friendly international games were the start of Jamaica's football journey with most of the home matches being played at Sabina Park. Many clubs were established during this time including Kensington, Melbourne, Kingston, Lucas and St. George's Old Boys, thus providing the talent Jamaica needed at the time.
Post-independence (1962)
In 1965 under the leadership of Brazilian coach Jorge Penna, Jamaica made its first attempt at World Cup qualifying. This was for the 1966 World Cup finals in England. The preliminary group included Cuba and the Netherlands Antilles. Jamaica's first game was against Cuba which they won 2-0 at Jamaica's National Stadium. In the qualifying match against the Netherlands Antilles, Jamaica also had a 2-0 victory with both goals coming. In the away games Jamaica was held to a goalless draw with the Netherlands Antilles and suffered a 2-1 defeat to Cuba. Jamaica then advanced to the final group of 3 which included Costa Rica and Mexico. The winner in this group would represent the CONCACAF region. Jamaica lost at home to Mexico 3-2 and in the return leg in Mexico City the high altitude proved too much for the Jamaicans and they were defeated 8-0. Jamaica lost 7-0 to Costa Rica in their first encounter and had a 1-1 tie when they played at home.
1970s
In 1968 coach George Hamilton took leadership as Jamaica made an attempt to qualify for the 1970 World Cup Finals in Mexico. Jamaica had only a couple remaining players from the previous World Cup team and had to rebuild because most of the players had retired or migrated to North America and England. Jamaica lost all of their qualifying games in that year. Jamaica's participation in the 1973 CONCACAF Championship qualification elimination saw the suspension of 17 players on the team because of poor behavior on a tour to Bermuda. Jamaica withdrew from the elimination in order to restructure their team.
For the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualifiying, Jamaica was eliminated by Cuba after two losses (3-1 at the National Stadium and then 2-0 in Havana).
1980s
Jamaica did not participate in the qualifyings for the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, in the former due to insufficient funds and a poorly prepared team, and the latter because the team was suspended for affiliation fees that were due to FIFA.
1990s
For the 1989 CONCACAF Championship qualification qualifying with coach Jeffery Maxwell, Jamaica won both preliminary games against Puerto Rico 1-0 in Jamaica and 2-0 at Puerto Rico. In the next round, the U.S]. were their next opponents and the first leg was a goalless draw. Jamaica lost the return leg in the U.S. 5-1, ending their qualifying attempt.
In qualification for the 1994 World Cup, Jamaica first beat Puerto Rico 2-1 and was then was put in a group with Bermuda, Canada, and El Salvador, from which two teams would advance to the final round. Jamaica tied 1-1 with Canada and Bermuda and then lost 2-0 to El Salvador, 1-0 to Canada, 2-1 to El Salvador. Jamaica then beat Bermuda 3-2 but did not qualify.
In 1994, Brazilian manager René Simões was hired, along with National coach Carl Brown, with the goal of qualifying for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Simões searched for players - discovering some working at hotels, British players of Jamaican descent, and Jamaicans who played in English clubs - and funding. The Jamaican team became a "Powerhouse" in the Caribbean region and received "Best Mover" award by FIFA in 1996. Jamaica made history in 1997 becoming the first English-speaking Caribbean country to qualify for a World Cup.[1]
In the 1998 World Cup, Jamaica ended in Group H, along with Argentina, Croatia, and Japan. Their first game was a 3-1 defeat to Croatia in Lens, with Robbie Earle scoring Jamaica's goal. It was followed by a 5-0 defeat to Argentina at Paris' Parc des Princes. Jamaica ended its participation with a 2-1 victory over Japan in Lyon, with Theodore Whitmore scoring both goals. The team finished 22nd out of the 32 teams.
2000s
In the 2002 World Cup Qualification, Jamaica finished 5th overall at the CONCACAF's final round.
The squad struggled in 2006 and 2007, leading some Jamaicans to dub them The Reggae Toyz. The team did not make it past the first stage of 2007 Caribbean Cup qualifying despite hosting the round, eliminating Jamaica from the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The team also fell during the second round of the 2006 World Cup qualification.
Theodore Whitmore lead the team to impressive victories over El Salvador and Guatemala in the latter part of 2007. However, with the return of former coach Renê Simões (who led Jamaica to the 1998 World Cup), there was heavy optimism in the Reggae Boyz camps. Jamaica started their Road To South Africa 2010 campaign in fine form beating Bahamas 7-0 at home, 6-0 away. They then fought to a hard 1-1 draw with Canada but lost to Mexico and Honduras due to what was considered poor team selection from Renê Simões, which then in turn lead to his firing. Jamaica announced that Jamaica-born John Barnes would take over as manager in November 2008, with former Reggae Boy Theodore Whitmore leading the team in the interim. Jamaica were at the bottom of Group 2 in the 3rd round, but high performances saw them move up in the table. The team battled hard to 1-0 victories over Mexico and Honduras. However, the Boyz fell just short of advancing to the final round. They managed an impressive 3-0 victory over Canada in their final third round match but failed to move on as Mexico advanced on goal difference after a 1-0 loss to Honduras.
After this Theodore Whitmore decided to begin early preparation for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. They vowed to played at least one friendly a month. The squad held South Africa to a goalless draw before 15,000 spectators at Vodacom Park, South Africa.
2010s
Jamaica played three friendly matches so far in 2010: a 1-0 win over Canada at the National Stadium in Jamaica during January, scored by Luton Shelton; a 2-1 defeat to Argentina at Mar del Plata on February, with Ryan Johnson scoring a goal; and a 2-0 defeat to South Africa in Germany on April. In August, Jamaica started their preparations for defending their Digicel Cup title with a comprehensive 3-1 win over Trindad and Tobago in Port of Spain.
Stadium
The team plays their games at Independence Park, known locally as The Office, which is located in Kingston. The stadium opened in 1962 and holds 35,000 people. It got its name The Office from their 50 match unbeaten run from 1995-2001.
Kits
The team is currently equipped by Italian kit provider Kappa, they debuted in their current set at the beginning of the World Cup qualifying campaign against The Bahamas. Previously there were outfitted by Uhlsport, a German apparel company. The home kit is a yellow shirt, black shorts, and green socks. The away is a green, yellow, and green set. There is also a black away kit, but this has yet to be worn by the Jamaica squad.
Honours
- Caribbean Cup: 4
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- 1991, 1998, 2005, 2008
Manager history
| Name | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Geoffrey Maxwell |
1989 | 1990 |
| Carl Brown |
1990 | July 1994 |
 Rene Simoes |
August 1994 | February 2000 |
| Sebastião Lazaroni |
March 2000 | May 2000 |
| Clovis De Olivera |
June 2000 | September 2001 |
| Carl Brown |
December 2001 | August 2004 |
| Sebastião Lazaroni |
August 2004 | November 2004 |
| Wendell Downswell |
November 2004 | August 2006 |
| Carl Brown |
September 2006 | October 2006 |
 Bora Milutinović |
November 2006 | November 2007 |
| Theodore Whitmore |
December 2007 | January 2008 |
| Rene Simoes |
January 2008 | October 2008 |
| Theodore Whitmore |
October 2008 | November 2008 |
 John Barnes |
December 2008 | May 2009 |
| Theodore Whitmore |
June 2009 | Present |
World Cup record
- 1930 to 1962 - Did not enter
- 1966 to 1970 - Did not qualify
- 1974 - Withdrew from qualification
- 1978 - Did not qualify
- 1982 - Did not enter
- 1986 - Withdrew in qualification semi finals
- 1990 to 1994 - Did not qualify
- 1998 - Round 1
- 2002 to 2010 - Did not qualify
CONCACAF Championship record
- 1963 - 1st round
- 1965 - Did not enter
- 1967 - Did not qualify
- 1969 - 6th place
- 1971 - Did not qualify
- 1973 - Did not enter
- 1977 - Withdrew
- 1981 - Did not enter
- 1985 - Withdrew
- 1989 - Did not qualify
Gold Cup record
- 1991 - Round 1
- 1993 - Third place shared
- 1996 - Did not qualify
- 1998 - Fourth place
- 2000 - Round 1
- 2002 - Did not qualify
- 2003 - Quarterfinals
- 2005 - Quarterfinals
- 2007 - Did not qualify
- 2009 - Round 1
Caribbean Cup record
- 1989 - Did not qualify
- 1991 - Winners
- 1992 - Second place
- 1993 - Second place
- 1994 - Round 1
- 1995 - Round 1
- 1996 - Round 1
- 1997 - Third place
- 1998 - Winners
- 1999 - Third place shared
- 2001 - Round 2
- 2005 - Winners
- 2007 - Round 1
- 2008 - Winners
Panamerican Games record
- 2007 Panamerican Games - Silver Medal
Coaching staff
| Name | Nat | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Theodore Whitmore | |
Head coach |
| Bradley Stewart | |
Assistant coach |
| Patrick Walters | |
National Coordinator |
| Leebert Halliman | |
National Coordinator |
| Warren Barrett | |
Goalkeeping coach |
| Howard Bell | |
Manager |
| Open | Equipment manager | |
| Open | Physiotherapist | |
| Open | Team doctor | |
| Pablo Camargo | |
Massage therapist |
| Open | Head of delegation |
Players
Current squad
The following list of players have been called for the Costa Rica on September 5th in Kingston and versus Peru on September 7th in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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Recent call-ups
The following players have also been called up to the Jamaica squad in the past 12 months.
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Jamaica results and fixtures
Matches in last 12 months, as well as any future scheduled matches
| Date | Opposition | Result | Score | Jamaican Scorers | Opposition Scorers | Competition | Host/(Venue) |
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| Aug 12, 2009 |  Ecuador |
D | 0-0 | Friendly |  New York |
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| Aug 16, 2009 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis |
W | 1-0 | Devon Hodges | Friendly | Basseterre |
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| Nov 17, 2009 |  South Africa |
D | 0-0 | Friendly | Bloemfontein |
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| Jan 31, 2010 |  Canada |
W | 1-0 | Luton Shelton | Friendly | Kingston |
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| Feb 10, 2010 |  Argentina |
L | 1-2 | Ryan Johnson | Martin Palermo, Ignacio Canuto | Friendly | Mar del Plata |
| Apr 28, 2010 | South Africa |
L | 0-2 | Surprise Moriri, Siyabonga Nomvete | Friendly |  Frankfurt |
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| Aug 11, 2010 |  Trinidad and Tobago |
W | 3-1 | Dane Richards, Rudolph Austin, Kavin Bryan | Devon Jorsling | Friendly | Port of Spain |
| Sep 5, 2010 |  Costa Rica |
- | Friendly | Kingston |
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| Sep 7, 2010 |  Peru |
- | Friendly | Fort Lauderdale |
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| Oct 10, 2010 | Trinidad and Tobago |
- | Friendly | Kingston |
References
External links
- Jamaican Football Federation
- The Reggae Boyz Supporterz Club (Official Site)
- Reggae Boyz 2010 World Cup campaign theme song
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