GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala (CMC) – Jamaica and Suriname, two of the Caribbean Football Union’s four teams at the CONCACAF Under-20 Boys’ Championship, lost their opening matches on Tuesday. The Jamaicans are looking to emulate their Under-17 compatriots and reach this age group’s World Cup to be staged in Colombia later this year.
But they made a rocky start, when Jhamie Hyde scored an own goal, and Guatemala’s Gerson Lima added an insurance item just before halftime to lead the home team to a 2-0 victory in the feature match at the Mateo Flores Stadium.
Suriname might have been inspired by a historic victory over the United States 25 years ago, but the Americans were not in a sentimental mood, and hammered them 4-0 in the opening match.
In the night cap match, a failure of the stadium lights that caused a near 20-minute stoppage in the second half failed to save Jamaica.
A defensive blunder gave Guatemala the lead in the eighth minute, when Young Reggae Boyz defender Oneil Fisher tried to clear a ball from the touchline near the benches, but Kendel Herrate blocked the attempt.
Herrate chased the rebound towards the Jamaica penalty area and sent in a cross that Hyde, attempting to clear, deflected the ball with his right foot at the edge of the six-yard box, and sent it past Jamaica goalkeeper Kemar Foster.
The Young Reggae Boyz settled down, and had their best chance in the first half, when Neco Brett beat the offside trap, and hit a right-footed effort that Guatemala keeper Jose Carlos Morales was able to tip onto the crossbar.
Jamaica’s comeback hit a snag, however, when Jose del Aguila sent Lima sprinting down the right side and into the area to stroke a feeble shot under Foster to double the Chapines’ lead after 35 minutes.
Both sides had their chances in the second half, which was marred when three banks of lights suddenly went dark in the 55th minute.
When play resumed, Jamaica’s frustration continued on the hour mark, when Allan Ottey drove a right-footed blast off the right post.
The hopes of the ‘Young Boyz’ faded further, when Hyde, who received his first yellow in the 42nd, was shown a second by Salvadoran referee Marlon Mejia for knocking over Cristian Lima with a high forearm to the face.
Jamaica will look to recover today, when they face Honduras, while Guatemala will complete Group-A play on Saturday against the Hondurans.
In the opening match, Suriname failed to put the United States under any pressure, and Bobby Wood got the Americans off the mark in the 20th minute, when Greg Garza was brought down along the right touchline.
Garza then whipped the resulting free kick towards the front of the goal, where Conor Doyle flicked it on towards the far post, and Wood used his chest to push the ball on the frame and it hit the back of net.
A giveaway at the top of the Suriname defensive third saw Joe Gyau double the American lead nine minutes later, when Doyle played the ball laterally to Sebastien Lletget, who sent the ball forward to Gyau.
The forward took a touch into the box and lined up a low shot that went into the far-side netting.
The Surinamese defence continued to come under siege, and four minutes before halftime, the Americans extended their lead, when Doyle, standing at the back post, headed down Kelyn Rowe’s cross.
Suriname net-minder Claidel Kohinor made the initial save, leaping to his left, but the ball slipped from his grasp, and dribbled across the line before defender Albert Nibte could clear it.
It was a small wonder that Suriname limited the United States to a single goal in the second half, with the Americans controlling most of the possession.
The CFU side’s work in the last 15 minutes was made more difficult, when second-half substitute Biorn Eduards was ejected for a lunging, studs-up tackle on Garza.
The Surinamese resistance finally broke in the 81st minute, when a wide open Rowe, lurking near the top of the 18-yard box, received a pass from Doyle, dribbled across the top of the area, and unleashed a low, right-footed shot that sailed past Kohinor inside the near post.
Suriname will play today against Panama, while the Americans close Group B on Saturday against the Panamanians.