Former coach Alfredo Montesso, Alanzo Adlam and André Clennon at a training session last year.- File

WHEN JAMAICA'S Under-20 Reggae Boyz started the journey for what it is hoped will be another appearance at a youth World Cup, they had plenty of national company. However, with the other teams falling by the wayside, it is they who bear both the honour and the burden of being the last men standing.

When last year started, the Under-15 and 17 women's teams, the Under-17 boys side and, of course, the Reggae Boyz all held hopes of taking Jamaica back to football's promised land.

"We saw them going out and one by one they came back, that puts us under a bit of pressure, but we spoke about it several times and we were determined to be the last ones left," says national Under-20 coach Donovan Duckie.

"It was also sad for us because the more options you have, in terms of teams on the international stage, the better it is for the country. But, we are hoping to provide at least one and I think we have a good opportunity to do so," Duckie said.

wins

The squad assembled in March of last year and kicked off its preparations with a series of matches against the island's confederation teams before heading for the Cayman Islands in June. There, the team registered wins over Bermuda, Puerto Rico and the home team in fairly comfortable fashion.

Up next for the young Boyz was a trip to Aruba, which saw them being placed in Group H alongside the hosts and Antigua and Barbuda. Again, the team snatched the top spot, booking a spot in the next round, which took place in St Vincent and the Grenadines earlier this month.

Although getting off to a slow start with a 1-1 draw against Haiti, Jamaica rebounded, registering a convincing win against the Dominican Republic (4-1) before tackling the hosts, who they beat 2-0 in the final match to top the group with seven points.

This saw the Boyz securing their spot in the CONCACAF final round where they will now face the United States, El Salvador and the winner of the play-off between Honduras and St Vincent in March. Alonzo Adlam is to date the team's leading scorer with seven goals followed by Dever Orgill, who has six.

"We have reached this far and we are now looking to go all the way," Duckie said.

"I think we have been able to develop an identity of winning. In 10 international games, we have won seven and drawn two, and I think that is a commendable achievement," he said.

But, in a sense, it will be a second go-around for Duckie and several members of the current squad, including Orgill, Andre Steele, Romario Campbell and Christopher Bonner, who were a part of the national Under-17 team, then coached by the now deceased David Hunt, who narrowly missed out on a spot in Youth World Cup following a loss to regional rivals Trinidad and Tobago.

motivational factor

"That really remains a big motivational factor for most of us. Unfortunately, on that occasion we just did not qualify and we had our hearts broken," Duckie, then also a member of the coaching staff, said.

"We are, however, grateful for a chance to make up for that and hopefully this time we will be able to make amends," he said.

The coach is, however, reluctant to take all the credit for the team's success and cites the work of former Brazilian coach Alfredo Montesso and current assistant coach Lenworth Hyde as instrumental in its achievements.

"There are a lot of people that have done so much for us up to this point. The entire JFF administrative staff, Aaron Lawrence, Clive Wedderburn, Sean Samuels and manager Roy Simpson, because the administrative aspects of team has been just as important as the work on the pitch and continues to be crucial in us going forward," Duckie said.

Donovan Duckie - File

Dever Orgill ... has tremendous goal-scoring ability.