Jamaica’s Under-17 Reggae Boyz assistant coach, Vassell Reynolds, expressed optimism while acknowledging areas for improvement as he lauded the team for a commendable campaign at the Torneo del Sol in Mexico.

The young Reggae Boyz showcased moments of brilliance amid valuable learning experiences in a series of challenging matches during the tournament, which served as preparation for next month’s Concacaf Under-17 Championship qualifiers.

They began with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Selección Bajío, fell 0-2 to the Selección Norte Under-19 team, and bounced back to dominate Liga Premier 3-1. However, their journey ended in the quarterfinals with a narrow 1-2 loss to the Metropolitan team.

“The performance throughout the tournament indicates to us that, as a team, we are getting to where we want to be in a few weeks’ time in terms of our overall preparation for the qualifiers. But there are areas that definitely need fine-tuning, both from an individual and team performance perspective,” Reynolds, a deputy to head coach Altimont ‘Freddie’ Butler, told SportsMax.Tv.

In fact, Reynolds pointed out that the tournament served as a proving ground for the young Reggae Boyz and revealed both the strengths and weaknesses of each player. Seymour Reid was among the standouts, as he scored all three goals in the win over Liga Premier and the Jamaican’s lone goal in the loss to Metropolitan.

“We have recognized that most of the players are capable of performing in the kind of environment that will warrant a high level of mental capacity,” Reynolds explained.

“We have also seen where we need to get a few other players up to that level in terms of their technical awareness, which will improve our quality as it relates to the depth of our squad,” he added.

That said, Reynolds emphasized that the experience provided valuable insights to guide the team’s development, as their performance also served as a source of inspiration for both players and coaching staff.

The young Reggae Boyz are drawn alongside El Salvador, the Cayman Islands, and St Lucia for the qualifiers, which will see only the top team from each group booking a spot at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in November.

“The coaching staff have recognized how valuable this experience was, as it presented for us the kind of high-level practice that will go a long way in our preparation,” Reynolds stated.

“The overall performance we got from the team gave us that extra motivation to have that belief and to continue to work assiduously to get the team to that level that will bring success for us as a team and, by extension, the country,” he ended.