Jamaica beat Puerto Rico to advance to CFU U-14 final
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica advanced to the final of the Tier 1 semi-final 2024 CFU Boys’ Under-14 Challenge series after coming from a goal down at half-time to beat Puerto Rico 3-1 in the semi-finals at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Trinidad.
Thanks to a brace from Kelvin ‘DJ’ Brown who was a second half substitute, the win was the fifth in a row for the Jamaicans who will face French Guiana or Trinidad in the final set for Sunday at the same venue.
Puerto Rico’s goal, which came in the 35 th minute of the first half, was the first conceded by the Jamaicans in the series.
Puerto Rico took the lead on the brink of half time through a Wilfred Reyes Rivera penalty after goalkeeper Marcodean Spence had fouled Fabian Salls Diaz on the edge of the box.
Brown, who replaced Kevaughn Halloway at the start of the second half, pulled Jamaica level in the 52nd minute when his shot from outside the 18-yard box, took a slight deflection off a Puerto Rican defender and crept under the body of the diving goalkeeper Martin Perez Colon.
Kyle Hussey gave Jamaica the lead in the 60th minute when a shot from Brown was partially blocked by the Puerto Rican goalkeeper but fell nicely for the Jamaican to fire into the wide open goal.
Brown added his second to cement Jamaica’s win in time added when Perez Colon mishandled a header from Carlando Morris and Brown headed it across the line.
-Paul A Reid