Jamaica’s national under-17 Reggae Boyz are in high spirits ahead of their departure on Saturday for Mexico where they have been invited to participate in the second edition of the Torneo del Sol.

The seven-day competition features 16 teams divided into groups of four and is scheduled to take place from January 5-11 at the facilities of the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) in Toluca.

Participating teams include tournament host Mexico, Guatemala, Panama and representative teams of Mexico’s Professional Third Division League.

The young Jamaicans who have been drawn in Group C will open their campaign on January 6 against Bajio Selection and then face the North Selection on January 7 before meeting the Liga Premier Team on January 8.

The Group Phase will include three days, to be held from Monday 6 to Wednesday 8 January, with four simultaneous duels, at 9:30 and 12:30 hours; in case of a tie, a batch of penalties will be played to deliver an extra point.

The top two teams from each of the four groups will advance to the quarterfinals, which will be played on January 9, with the semifinals to take place on January 10 and the grand final on January 11.

The Jamaican squad is being led by head coach Altimont ‘Freddie’ Butler who emphasized the importance of this preparation phase as the team approaches the critical stage of their World Cup qualifying campaign.

“This tournament provides the perfect platform for us to compete against top-level national teams, which is crucial as we approach the final stretch of preparation for the World Cup Qualifiers in Guatemala. Playing at this level will allow us to assess our players in a high-pressure environment and make the necessary adjustments as we fine-tune our squad,” said Butler.

The 24 man squad is as follows: Goalkeepers: Justin Murray, Johnoi Steadman, Defenders: Jaquan Brown, Damarley Williams, Zienodean McLean, Jabar Johnson, Cai-Anthony McLean, Keiran Smith, Alexander White, Midfielders: Oscar Dawes, Nyron Allen, Earl Dennis, Dario White, Cadriano Marsh, Ayden McFarlane, Javaughn Anglin, Owen Jumpp, Forwards: Orell Miller, Giovanni Taylor, Jahmarie Nolan, Axel Grimaud, Nehmani McNamee-Burke, Seymour Garfield-Reid and Raequan Campbell-Dennis.

The competition is being used to finalize preparations for the Concacaf Under 17 World Cup Qualifiers which is set to begin in Guatemala in February.

Group A: México, Club Deportivo Guadalajara, Selección Centro, Selección Monarca

Group B: Guatemala, Equipo Liga TDP, Selección Metropolitano, Selección Orient

Group C: Jamaica, Equipo Liga Premier, Selección Norte, Selección Bajio

Group D: Panamá, Equipo Sector Amateur, Selección Sureste, Selección Occidente