DOB: September 25, 1978
POSITION: Midfielder/defender
CAPS: 100
GOALS: 9
DEBUT: 1996
CURRENT CLUB: Bolton Wanderers
PREVIOUS CLUB: Harbour View FC

Achievements:

Member of Jamaica’s historic squad which qualified for the 1998 World Cup in France, first home grown Jamaican since the legendary Lindy Delapenha to earn a professional contract in England.

Current national captain Ricardo Gardner or Bibi as he is fondly called, is the poster boy of focus, hard work and it rewards in Jamaican football. Not seen by many as the most naturally gifted of his generation, Gardner despite his slender frame put everything into his game.

The former Wolmer’s Manning Cup star made the decision, considered risky by some at the time, to choose football over academics to be a part of the Road to France campaign and has not suffered for it. Now a multi-millionaire in any currency, Gardener played a big part in Jamaica’s first goal in the World Cup finals with a sweet cross which Robbie Earle thumped into the back of the Croatia net.

Gardner's stellar performance in France, his attitude and his age found favour with then English First Division club Bolton Wanderers which gave Harbour View One million pounds to sever ties with the player. That made him the first locally grown Jamaican, in over fifty years, to sign a professional contract with an English League club. The legend Lindy Delapenha preceded him.

His time at Bolton has been eventful and has seen him unseat Scott Sellars as the first string left-back months into his contact, scoring spectacular goals including one on his debut against Hawthorns, with just two minutes left on the clock. He has had a number of serious knee injuries and maybe only Ricardo Gardner as a Jamaican international can rival him for the number of times he has been under the knife.

Now into his 12th year as a national player, approaching 100 caps and into his 10th year at Bolton and back to full fitness, the now dreadlocked “Reggae Lion” is ready for battle – once more.

DOB: November 21, 1972
POSITION: Defender
CAPS: 95
GOALS: 2
DEBUT: 1996
CURRENT CLUB: Tranmere Rovers 2004 - present
PREVIOUS CLUBS: Olympic Gardens 1994-1999, Hull City 1999-2002, Seba United 2

ACHIEVEMENTS:

Member of historic World Cup Qualifying team

After being largely ignored in the 2006 Germany World Cup campaign, Ian “Pepe” Goodison has forced his way back into the national reckoning with outstanding performances for his English club Tranmere Rovers. Following the return of Technical Director Rene Simoes, he was brought back into the fold by the man who gave him his debut in 1996 and who led the national team to its historic World Cup berth in France 1998.

Goodison held on to his place with the kind of performance which belies the fact that he is in his 36th year of life. After being brought back into the English game by Brian Little his former manager at Hull City, where he played alongside country man and one of the current national assistant coaches, Theodore Whitmore, Goodison has cemented his place in the team and worked his way up to club captain.

What makes Goodison stand out in any team despite his lack of pace is his timing, ability to read the game and a willingness to sacrifice himself for the team. In perhaps his most famous game for Jamaica, a hobbling Goodison showed the courage to stay on the field when lesser men would have quit and managed to head home the goal which gave Jamaica its first and only win over Mexico at the senior level and a place in the CONCACAF final round of qualifiers from they advanced to the finals in France 1998.

These qualities and more make this strong tackler who captained the national team to its historic win 2-1 win over Japan in the World Cup finals in which he played all three games. Younger and upcoming players would do well to take a chapter out of his book.

DOB: January 14, 1985
POSITION: Defender
CAPS: 34
GOALS: None
CURRRENT CLUB: Harbour View
PREVIOUS CLUBS: St Georges United, Portland Jamaica 2001 –2003

ACHIEVEMENTS: Lunar New Year Cup champions Jamaica 2007, Jackie Bell Knock Out Champions 2006/2007

Jermaine Taylor is an immensely talented player who can operate both in central midfield as well as the centre of defense. While he was largely unknown to the rest of the country he had earned a name for himself as a teenager in Eastern Jamaica where he played for St Georges alongside brother Ricardo before the club made its way to the country’s top flight football.

Following a move to Harbour View, the former St Mary Technical High School player was picked up on the country’s radar and cemented a place in the country’s Under-20 team where he formed an impressive partnership with Rodolph Austin. Continued impressive displays saw him being rewarded with his senior team debut and he fitted in like a duck to water. With great things predicted for him, he was seen as the natural successor to Goodison, he appeared to have lost his way and was out of the national setup for a little while.

In May 2008 he was part of a largely local squad called up by Technical Director Rene Simoes and he has hardly put a foot wrong since. This sturdily-built player is a good header of the ball, deceptively quick, a good passer of the ball, a good reader of the game and a natural leader. If he gets rid of his sometimes casual approach then a place in the national team is his to keep.

FACT FILE

DOB: June 1, 1985
POSITION: Midfielder/Defender
CURRENT CLUB: Portmore United
CAPS: 18
GOALS: 1

ACHIEVEMENTS:

Under-20, Under-23 caps

While not playing in a professional environment, Rudolph Austin is a model professional. While naturally gifted, he works hard at his game seeking every time to improve. Had it not been for injuries, this Clarendon native would have been a fixture in the national team and would have been secure in a professional contract abroad and most likely England. Austin is capable of filling a position anywhere in midfield or in defense but now appears most comfortable in a defensive midfield role, one which Jamaica has been struggling to find a successor for to the likes of the late Peter Cargill and Fitzroy Simpson.

He is a strong fearless tackler who packs a rasping shot from both open play and from the dead ball. Local clubs have paid for committing the sins of fouling his teammates from the region of about 25 to 30 yards from goal. He has also shown his class striking from distance for the national team.

He first came to the attention of the Jamaican masses playing for the country’s Under-20 team where he formed an almost impregnable defensive partnership with Jermaine Taylor. Though injuries have robbed him of good chunks of playing time in the past, he has rallied back with a vengeance. And while Jamaica’s current low ranking is deferring his dream of playing professionally in England, with Stoke City having no less than two work permit applications for him turned down, he still fights on.

If more local-based players had his attitude and desire then success in the game nationally and internationally would not be a matter of chance. It would be guaranteed.

DOB: 23.09. 1983
POSITION: Midfielder/Defender
CURRENT CLUB: Stoke City
PREVIOUS CLUB: Waterhouse (Jamaica)
CAPS: 27
GOALS: 4
ACHIEVEMENTS: National Premier League winner

Demar Phillips is a player many would consider as one punching above his weight if a boxing term was to be used to describe him. Standing at no more than 5 feet 6 inches and slimly built, the player who is capable of operating anywhere on the left side, does not back out of any challenge.

He has good skill, strikes the ball fairly well and is a also a decent crosser of the ball. His high work rate is also an asset to the team. This quality also makes him a natural fit to play alongside captain Ricardo Gardner as they cover each other.

On the recommendation of fellow national player, Ricardo Fuller, the St Thomas native earned a trial with English Club Stoke City, then in the League just below the Premiership. He impressed manager Tony Pulis who signed him to a three-year contract on August 31, 2007. He made the squad a number of times before earning his debut on November 10, against Sheffield United, the then club of fellow Reggae Boy, Luton Shelton. He went bon to make just one more appearance for the season.

With Stoke earning promotion to the Premiership, Phillips thought his chances of getting regular first team football would not be good and requested to go out on loan. He joined up with Oldham Athletic for a trial with a view to a season-long loan.

DOB: 15.12.1984
POSITION: defender
CURRENT CLUB: Shengdu
PREVIOUS CLUBS: Bull Bay, Portmore United, Royal White Star (Belgium)
CAPS: 8
GOALS: none
ACHIEVEMENTS:

Demar appears to be growing out of the shadow of his elder brother and may even be eclipsing him bas of late he has been preferred Stewart in the national squad.

The man who started his club career at Bull Bay under the guidance of former national defender Barrington “Cobra” Gaynor, shows a fearlessness in pursuing his dream of making a living from his passion. He is the first and only Jamaican plying his trade in China where he turns out for the Shengdu team following a stint in the Belgian lower leagues with Royal White Star.

DOB: 11.11. 1985
POSITION: Forward
CURRENT CLUB: Valerenga
PREVIOUS CLUBS: Harbour View (Jamaica), Helsinborgs (Sweden), Sheffield United (England)
CAPS: 35
GOALS: 21

ACHIEVEMENTS:

Under-17, Under-20, Under-23 caps

Since his days as schoolboy at Wolmer’s High School, Luton Shelton was marked for success. There, the natural goalscorer terrorized many with searing pace and eye for goal. These qualities he took to the various Jamaica age group teams as he worked his way up the Jamaican football ladder. He always played above his age group but still proved effective.

Alligned to the Harbour View club, he was seen as the next export following Ricardo Gardner and Keith Kelly on overseas contracts. That opportunity would come in August 2005 English Championship club Burnley made on offer after a successful pre-season trial. His failure to get a work permit scuppered the move and in the following year he joined Helsingborgs IF where he proved a hit playing alongside Swedish legend Henrik Larrsson.

Shelton scored nine goals in 19 games in the despite playing irregularly due to repeated injuries. He scored a total of 17 goals in 28 competitive matches, including five goals in four Swedish Cup matches on the way to Helsingborg's victory in the competition.

Those performances made him a wanted man and again British clubs expressed an interest. He signed with Sheffield United on a three-and-a-half year contract for a fee of £1.85 million on 15 January 2007.

He joined Valerenga in late July and made a goalscoring debut on August 2 to give his team a 1-1 draw.

NAME: Keneil Moodie
DOB: 29.07.1986
POSITION: Defender/Midfielder
CAPS: 8
GOALs: None
CURRENT CLUB: Seba United
PREVIOUS CLUB: Reno
ACHIEVEMENTS: Jamaica Under-17, Under-20, Under-23 caps

DOB: July 13, 1982
POSITION: Forward
CURRENT CLUB: Colorado Rapids
PREVIOUS CLUB: Duhaney Park, Rivoli United
Caps: 4
Goals: None
DEBUT: July 26, 2008 against El Salvador
 

ACHIEVEMENTS:

While not a particularly young player, 26-year-old Omar Cummings is largely unknown is his own country having not played a lot on home soil in the past five years. The forward who stands at about 5 feet 10 inches tall played for Johnathan Grant in the Manning Cup before joining his mentor Bradley Stewart at Duhaney Park. He also played under Stewart’s leadership at Rivoli in the National Premier League.

In the year 2000, he earned a late call up to the country’s Under-20 team then preparing for their historic competition in the 2001 World Youth Championship in Argentina. While impressing, he was not chosen as the coaches did not want to disturb the already established chemistry in the squad. He was born and raised in Old Harbour and is a cousin to fellow national players Wolry and Rafe Wolfe as well as Kemeel who represents Harbour View in the National Premier League.

He was drafted to the MLS in 2007 by the Colorado Rapids.

Cummings was due to make his national debut In June when Technical Director Rene Simoes invited him for a series of friendlies prior to the World Cup qualifiers against the Bahamas on June 15 and 18 but club commitments ruled him out. He impressed on his belated debut which had Simoes singing him praises especially for his movement on and off the ball.

DOB: 22.10.1983
POSITION: Midfielder
CAPS: 1
DEBUT: July 26, 2008
CURRENT CLUB: Sporting Central (Clarendon, Jamaica)
PREVIOUS CLUBS: None
ACHIEVEMENTS:

At his club, Sporting Central he is regarded as the engine because of his tireless work and never-say-die attitude. It was that attitude and the pride he has in himself which makes him one of, if not the fittest local-based player.

As a schoolboy he captained the then unfashionable Garvey Maceo in the daCosta Cup competition. He made his debut, coming on as a substitute against El Salvador in an international friendly on July 26, 2008, in Frisco Texas. He could earn his second cap against Canada in the August 20 fixture in that country.

DOB: 26.08.1989
POSITION: Midfielder
CAPS: None
DEBUT:
CURRENT CLUB: RENO (Westmoreland, Jamaica)
PREVIOUS CLUB: None
ACHIEVEMENTS: daCosta Cup winner, Jamaica Under-20

Thorpe’s performance for the country in the first round of the Under-20 qualifiers, justified the belief placed in him and he was duly summoned to the national squad upon his return from the Cayman Islands at the end of July where he was pivotal in Jamaica U-20 Men's Team winning their zone and qualifying for the next round of the Qualifiers. He is expected to play a key role in the Jamaica Under-20s’ continued progress to towards the next year’s World Championship.

DOB: December 27, 1979
POSITION: Midfielder
CAPS:
CURRENT CLUB: Cardiff City FC
PREVIOUS CLUBS: Queens Park Rangers FC, Cardiff City, Queens Park Rangers, Luton Town
ACHIEVEMENTS:

He had his first outing for Jamaica in May 2002, in a friendly international against Nigeria’s Super Eagles, then World Cup bound.

In the game played at his then Loftus Road home ground, hew as then with Queens Park Rangers, he did not disappoint. Having had a taste of the international game and feeling the rhythm, the England-born Langley committed to the land of his father’s birth. He earned his full international status on November 9th 2002, against Barbados in the CONCACAF Gold Cup Qualifiers.

Injuries, particularly to his knees, have not been kind been kind to Langley. He has worked hard to regain fitness and form and is on the bounce back up.

D.O.B: 11.1.88
Position: defender/midfielder
Caps: 5
Debut: 26.3.2008
Goals: none
Age: 20
Place of Birth: Westmoreland Height:

Football is O’Brian’s life and his willingness to reinvent himself speaks to his desire, commitment and willingness to serve the team. In his earlier years, this utility player was known for his attacking attributes as he terrorized opposing defenders with his searing pace, tantalizing dribbles and accurate crosses. Often time his mazy runs would see him finishing off some of these moves himself.

His preferred position was that of winger and he adopted the moniker and number of his favourite player, England’s David Beckham. In his remodeling, this Reno representative has taken on the character of fallen Reggae Boy, Steve “Shorty” Malcolm. Woodbine now considered more of a defender embraces his role at either right or left wing back. Woodbine has also taken on the Number two, worn by his Jamaican hero, Malcolm. This despite the number two being taboo in Jamaica, especially among young people.

Outside of his senior team debut, Woodbine greatest moment so far was his role in Jamaica’s silver medal performance in the CAC games in 2007 in Brazil. On their journey to that performance, the Young Boyz defeated Colombia, Argentina, Haiti, Mexico (on penalties) but lost to Ecuador in the finals, this after taking the lead.

D.O.B: 25.1.1989
Position: midfielder
Caps: 7
Debut: 3.6. 2008
Goals: none
Age: 19
Place of Birth: Westmoreland Height:

He caught the eye of Technical Director Rene Simoes in May of 2008 while playing a game for the country’s Under-team against a local-based senior squad at the Half Moon Hotel field. Though one of the youngest players on the field and still a schoolboy at that time, he was easily the best player on the field. Operating out of central midfield, his robust play saw him breaking up tackles, distributing the ball well and striking a few torrid shots from distance.

As if to test him, the Technical Director asked that he be switched to the senior team were he was just as imposing. He was tried in different positions in the midfield as well as wingback and on each occasion he would shine. Following that game, without being named, Simoes spoke glowingly of him and the possibility that he could compete for a place in the World Cup squad and be the new Ricardo Gardner.

Later in the month he was invited to a training camp at the Braco Hotel in Trelawny where almost all the overseas-based professionals would be present. He was similarly impressive. There his reputation grew as he was not awed by the presence of the established stars. He again earned the praise of Technical Director Simoes and the fans who, showed up to watch training. Among the things Simoes praised him for was his attitude. He was never late for any engagement be it meals or training.

In physical appearance and physique he reminds one of Ghana and Chelsea stalwart, Michael Essien and was soon called by that name and while this diamond is still in need of some polish, he continues to go through the process with his value increasing each day. He already has more caps for the national team than for the Under-20s, a talent rich bunch.