KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Hosts Jamaica and Caribbean champions Trinidad and Tobago suffered damaging results in the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship when they both slumped to defeats on day five of the tournament here Wednesday.
While T&T went down 2-0 to Guatemala in the opening contest of the triple-header, the young Reggae Boyz crashed to a similar 2-0 defeat in the night’s feature at the National Stadium.
In the other game, United States thrashed Aruba 8-0.
The latest results left Jamaica without a win for the competition, and languishing one from the bottom of the six-team Group A on a single point. They have now lost twice and drawn once in three outings.
T&T, meanwhile, lie fourth on four points.
They were on the front foot early on, though, with the enterprising Duane Muckette forcing a save out of goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen.
Once the Central Americans asserted themselves, they put T&T under the pressure and their hard work paid off on 25 minutes when Mauro Portillo’s header from a Stheven Robles cross, took a deflection off defender Martieon Watson and went in.
Down 1-0 at the break, T&T tried to force their way back in the second half but without much success. The closest they came to scoring was when Levi Garcia got free down the right and set up Aikim Andrews in the box, but Hagen was alert to the danger and made a smart save.
Guatemala sealed the points in the 88th minute when Portillo capitalised on a goalkeeping error from Johan Welch, to score from close range.
Jamaica, meanwhile, in desperate need of a victory, found no redemption. There were hopes of a positive outcome following a goalless first half but they gave up an early goal on resumption and then one late in the contest to fall away.
Edson Samms was on target in the 56th minute when he beat goalkeeper Nicholas Nelson with a well-taken strike, after Fidel Escobar picked him out from midfield.
Jamaica could not find a way back and Ismael Diaz confirmed their misery with the second goal in the 86th minute.
In the other game, Romain Gall scored three first-half goals and Bradford Jamieson added one each on either side of half-time as the US ran out easy winners over minnows Aruba.
