Howard Walker, Staff Reporter

Burchell Gibson

The Reggae Boyz have been invited to a four-team tournament in the United States of America (USA) and besides the hosts, they could play a match against World Cup finalists Switzerland on March 27, pending negotiations.

The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has been having discussions for nearly a month and should confirm their participation soon.

"We have been invited to a tournament in Miami and we have not confirmed as yet. We have been talking for about three weeks," Buchell Gibson, general secretary of the JFF, told The Gleaner yesterday.

"It will be a four-team tournament involving Colombia, Switzerland, Jamaica and another team," added Gibson.

Busy schedule

With Jamaica's poor run in 2006 which saw them missing out on the 2007 Gold Cup and with World Cup qualifiers slated for early 2008, the JFF has decided on a busy schedule of international games.

Currently, a Reggae Boyz team comprosing senior and mainly Olympic (Under-23) players, is in Hong Kong and qualified for the final of the Lunar New Year Cup, set for tomorrow.

The Under-20s left on Monday for Mexico where they will be trying to qualify for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Canada in June.

The Under-17s will host a five-team Confederation of North, Central America and the Carib-bean Associations of Football (CONCACAF) final round Group B qualifying tournament from which the top three teams go directly to the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in South Korea in August.

In 2006, Jamaica's Reggae Boyz played nine matches - defeating St. Lucia, Haiti and Canada, while losing four times to Ghana, England, Canada and St. Vincent and The Grenadines. They drew twice against the USA and Peru.

Send comments to howard.walker@gleanerjm.com