SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras , CMC- A second half penalty from striker Nicholas Nelson spurred Jamaica to a one nil win over the United States in their final Group A match at the CONCACAF Under-17 Championship in Honduras Wednesday night.
Nelson converted from the penalty spot on 57 minutes, rolling his shot to the right of the U.S.A goalkeeper Will Pulisic, sending him the wrong way at the Estadio Francisco Moranzan Stadium in San Pedro Sula. The win, Jamaica’s third in the competition, had propelled the Junior Reggae Boyz to the top position in the group which would have sent them straight into the World Cup.
However host nation Honduras, who played the late game beat ten-man Guatemala 2-1, to secure the automatic qualifying spot by winning the group with 11 points.
The young Jamaicans finished second on 10 points, along with the United States who also ended on 10 points in third place.
Jamaica and the USA will play-off on Sunday against the second or third place teams from the other group for a spot to the World Cup in Chile in October and November later this year.
Earlier Wednesday, Cuba and Trinidad & Tobago played to a 2-2 draw in Group A action in a matchup of two teams that already had been eliminated from playoff contention.
