( L - R ) Evan Taylor, Davion Thorpe - photo by LeVaughn Flynn

One minute they were on top of the world - fresh-faced teenagers drafted by the Reggae Boyz to inject youthful buzz into a World Cup qualifying campaign filled with towering expectations.

The next, Evan Taylor and Davion Thorpe found themselves branded by the public, teammates and even football administrators as not ready for football's highest level.

Eventually they were cast aside as Jamaica scrambled desperately to salvage a failed 2010 campaign.

Now Taylor and Thorpe - longtime friends, school and clubmates - claim they have rebounded. The midfield partners are lynchpins in Jamaica's current under-20 team, trying to transform their bittersweet stint with the seniors into fuel that will boost Jamaica's bid for a place in this year's FIFA Youth World Cup finals. There have been positive signs.

"You can see a distinct difference in the way Thorpe and Taylor are playing," said Jamaica's former technical director, Wendell Downswell, who coaches both players at Digicel Premier League club Reno. "It (the senior team rejection) is going to be a blessing for the under-20s."

Under-20 national coach Donavan Duckie agreed.

"Now I think their demeanour is different," Duckie said. "They speak and dress like professionals. Their relation with other players is different. Their communication is different, in terms of a leadership role. Their confidence has risen exceptionally ... They've tasted a lot of sweetness from the senior team."

RAISED EYEBROWS

That sample came unexpectedly, raising eyebrows among local football observers.

Taylor and Thorpe were plucked from the under-20s by Brazilian René Simoes last year to join the senior Boyz. While Thorpe did not play in the qualifiers, Taylor started in central midfield, a crucial role for a teenager lacking previous senior team exposure against high-class competition.

During the early games of the campaign, it hardly mattered.

Taylor, who admitted to being nervous about his fast rise, fit comfortably against lower-rated teams, including home fixtures against The Bahamas, which Jamaica trounced 13-0 on aggregate.

The equation tilted dramatically in the CONCACAF semi-final round of qualifiers.

Jamaica looked tentative in the first group game against a Canada team laced with professionals, drawing 1-1 in Toronto. Jolting away losses to Mexico and Honduras followed and Taylor - fairly or not - was slotted among the scapegoats.

"The coach showed way too much faith in the younger, local players," a veteran Reggae Boy lamented as he looked back at the single point earned from a possible nine in the first three matches. "They were not ready."

By the time the return leg fixtures began, Simoes had been fired. Theodore Whitmore was named interim coach. Overseas pros ignored by the Brazilian returned. Jamaica played well and won all three home games. But the Boyz failed to advance. What was once youthful spice was now blamed as costly immaturity, even if by then Taylor and Thorpe had returned to the under-20s.

Both youngsters confirmed that they received encouragement from the senior squad members. Thorpe absorbed the benefits of being among quality players.

"It was a very good experience, just playing with my Jamaican idols, like (Ricardo) Fuller, (Ricardo) Gardner," he said. "They taught me a lot."

Downswell noticed the rewards.

"They're more tactically aware and technically better," he said.

Yet the duo also acknowledged that the senior level may have been beyond what they expected and, to an extent, could have coped with.

"It was the first time playing in front of so many people," Taylor admitted. "It's very tough."

The return to the age group team was not easy either. With crucial CONCACAF under-20 qualifiers on the horizon, an urgent repair job was needed on Taylor and Thorpe.

"At first, they came back and thought they were disappointed. You could see it in their body language," said Duckie, who has helped to guide Jamaica to the final round of qualifiers.

"We showed them the positive scenario that can come out of this ... We spoke of the chance of going to a FIFA World Cup, just like the senior team. We also told them about the professional opportunities going to the under-20 World Cup could bring."

The strategy appeared to work. With the support of their teammates, including Taylor's brother Dennis, a goalkeeper in the squad, the duo "started to have fun again", according to Duckie.

"After maybe three, four weeks with us, they awoke to the reality that they were back with us and put everything in proper perspective," the coach said.

With Taylor and Thorpe making heavy contributions, Jamaica advanced through the Caribbean Football Union under-20 qualifiers.

The young Boyz are now in Group A of the CONCACAF round with the United States, El Salvador and either St Vincent and the Grenadines or Honduras. Group B features Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), Canada and Mexico. T&T will host the round from March 6-15 with the top-two teams from each group advancing to the World Cup finals in Egypt this September.

The midfield pair from neighbouring communities in Westmoreland, that once played together at Godfrey Stewart High School, now fully understand their roles.

On the field, they are expected to take control of the team. Off it, the expectations have risen as well. The under-20 players look to Taylor and Thorpe for leadership, the same way they had turned to the senior Boyz. The two, in turn, have embraced the responsibility.

"I just have to bounce back and encourage my players at the under-20 level," said Taylor. "I was disappointed (being dropped from the senior team), but I know I have to face the sacrifices."

Thorpe, too, prefers to look at the rejection in a positive way, more like a learning curve.

"I would have liked to continue (with the seniors)," he said. "They did what they had to do. But I'm only 19."

EASIER ROAD

The competition at the age group level should be simpler to handle for both. But past experiences have taught them nothing is guaranteed, despite their comfort level in the earlier rounds.

"It's kinda a little bit easier against the Caribbean," said Taylor, who suffered another setback recently when one of his brothers was shot and killed. "But I don't know how it will be in CONCACAF."

Either way, Taylor and Thorpe believe they will always have the senior team experience to call on. The nervousness that plagued Taylor against much better teams during World Cup qualifiers should not affect him.

Downswell, while not admitting the senior team call-up of Taylor and Thorpe came too soon, believes the timing could not have been better for what the duo faces now.

"The under-20 is a drop in class," he said. "So that should be an extremely good boost for them ... They've grown."