Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

ALREADY SET back by what coach Wendell Downswell describes as 'inadequate preparation time', Jamaica's 18-man Under-20 football squad heads for Brazil today for the Pan American Games.

"We've had a couple of training sessions but nothing to any great extent. We have only had the full squad for a week now," Downswell said.

"It's not a team that we have prepared. So I can't say that they will be able to be A or B, two weeks of preparation heading into a tournament of this magnitude."

"What can one say?" he went on.

"We haven't had any high-quality international games or anything like that so I guess we will just have to keep our fingers crossed and hope for some sort of positive results," he said.

The team has so far been hampered by the fact that the majority of the squad, the Under-17 and Under-20, players have being unavailable for practice due to various examinations during the period. The fact that the tournament was originally expected to have been for Under 23s has not helped things as, according to Downswell, at least four players who were originally considered have had to be left out of the squad.

Campaign against Colombia

Jamaica have been placed in Group C along with Argentina, Colombia and Haiti. They will kick off their campaign against Colombia on Sunday. Argentina and Colombia will be using Under-17 teams for the tournament.

"The good thing about this squad is that we are looking to keep it as an Under-23 squad for the next Olympic Games and they would be well ahead," said Downswell.

"Looking at it from that aspect, they will have had some exposure," he said.

The 18-man squad comprises seven Under-17 players and 11 Under-20s.

Squad: Goalkeepers - Dwayne Kerr (Reno), Dwayne Miller (Harbour View). Defenders - Ajuran Brown (August Town), Troy Smith (Village United), Eric Vernon (Portmore United), Jermaine Jarrett (Hotchkiss School - U.S.), Damaine Thompson (Bamboo United). Midfielders - Andrae Campbell (Jonathan Grant), Ricardo Cousins (Portmore United), Edward Campbell (Village United), John Ross Doyley (Glenmuir High). Norman Bailey (Meadhaven), Dwayne Smith (Meadhaven) Keammar Daley (Meadhaven), Obrian Woodbine (Reno).

Forwards - James Thomas (Portmore United), Alanzo Adlam (Excelsior High School), Draion McNain (Reno).