FRANCE98 – Jamaica Team Page

31^st Qualifier CONCACAF

Land area: 10 991 km²

Population: 2 551 000

Capital: Kingston

Main cities: Montego Bay, Portmore, Spanish Town

System of government: Parlementary Monarchy

Head of state: Prime Minister : Percival J. Patterson

Currency: Jamaican Dollar

Time difference: 6 hours ahead of Paris

CONCACAF, Final Group

2 March 97 Jamaica – USA 0-0

13 April 97 Mexico – Jamaica 6-0

29 April 97 Canada – Jamaica 0-0

11 May 97 Costa Rica – Jamaica 3-1

18 May 97 Jamaica – El Salvador 1-0

07 September 97 Jamaica – Canada 1-0

14 September 97 Jamaica – Costa Rica 1-0

03 October 97 USA – Jamaica 1-1

09 November 97 El Salvador – Jamaica 2-2

16 November 97 Jamaica – Mexico 0-0

14 points

7 goals scored

12 goals conceded

Goalkeeper : BARRETT (age 27, 117 caps)

Defenders : BROWN (age 33, 110 caps) DIXON (age 26, 88 caps) GOODISON (age 24, 35 caps)

GARDENER (age 19, 16 caps)

Midfielders : MALCOLM (age 27, 40 caps) SIMPSON (age 22, 6 caps) WHITMORE (age 26, 69 caps)

CARGILL (age 33, 59 caps)

Strikers : BURTON (age 21, 6 caps)
HALL (age 22, 6 caps)

Number of players used during the qualifying rounds: 31

National team colours: yellow, black and green

FIFA ranking (on 19 November 1997): 39th

World Cup: never participated

René SIMOES
René Simoes, a Brazilian, has led the Jamaican national team since 1994 with remarkable success. The ” Reggae Boys ” reached FRANCE 98 by qualifying firstly from the preliminary stages and then from the final qualifying rounds of the CONCACAF zone (twenty games in total). In true Brazilian fashion, Simoes’ team plays a stubbornly offensive game, in a 3-5-2 formation.