China Under 23 vs. Jamaica B-Team

3-0 (1-0)

The jamaican B-team lost the friendly game in Zhangzhou/China against the chinese under 23 0-3.

"We were unfortunate not to score a goal, because we got the first chance with Richard West in the 10th minute, who got away in a one-on-one situation but the goalkeeper made a spectacular save," Downswell told Sporting World yesterday.

The Jamaicans, he noted, got close to scoring again but the goalkeeper was at his best.

"Jermaine Hue had a beautiful freekick, but again the goalkeeper made another brilliant save, and I think those two saves kept them in the game," he added.

After holding the hosts to one goal in the first half, the Jamaicans were not able to build on that, giving up two further goals to the better-conditioned Chinese.

Out of it came positives, as a Zhangzhou professional club has expressed interest in Hue and Shane Crawford.

"But based on what I have heard they will probably be getting some definitive words by next week," said Downswell, who is also the technical director of Reno FC of Westmoreland.

Downswell said 19 year-old striker, Jermaine Taylor, was the most outstanding player on the tour. "Hue was also impressive," he noted.

He praised the concept of having this squad in training, and suggested it would provide a great opportunity for those players on the fringes of breaking into the senior national team to get valuable exposure and experience in their development.

"I think it is a good initiative to have this team and we hope we can get the necessary experience. If we can establish a squad like this with players under 25 years old, then this would be good," Downswell said.

At the senior level, he stated, some of these players would get only a few minutes of action and would be pressured to prove their worth in this brief period.

"...But with a squad like this they can spend more time to prepare and play longer during games, so probably in about six months when the World Cup campaign gets into full gear, most of them would have gained some international experience and would be able to make the transition," he added.

Football agent, LogoSports, which represents a number of Jamaica players, was said to be impressed with the performance of the squad in Asia and could be looking to get further games for the team on the continent.

"We now need to get the squad established so the players can have something to look forward to. This can be a new thrust for the team in terms of getting preparation, and we'll be making recommendations to the federation from a technical and tactical standpoint as to what we can do in terms of developing the squad into a formidable unit," Downswell suggested.

With Ryan Thompson, Jermaine Taylor and Nicholi Findlayson, the Reggae Boyz have 3 players from the Under 19 tour in Oberndorf/Germany 2003.

Team: Ryan Thompson, Shawn Sawyers, Kasai Hinds, Jermaine Taylor, Nicholi Findlayson, Christopher Jackson, Fabian Dawkins, Alex Thomas, Lovell Palmer, Seon Giveons, Lenworth Hyde Jnr, Roland Dean, Roen Nelson, Oneil Thompson, Teofore Bennett, Richard West, Jermaine Hue, Shane Crawford, Marlon Bennett and Weston Forrest.