Jamaica vs Guatemala live stream soccer video sopcast online on HD TV

Jamaica vs Guatemala live stream soccer video sopcast online on HD TV

Time and Date:08/06/12 20:30 Local Time

Venue:Kingston

Jamaica vs Guatemala live

Jamaica profile:
Qualification history
Historically one of the top talent-producing nations in the Caribbean, Jamaica only began attempting to qualify for the FIFA World Cup™ finals in the 1966 cycle. Poor organisation, weak funding and inconsistent results were the usual order of those early days and the Jamaicans withdrew from qualifying entirely in the 1980s.

Everything changed in the run-up to France 1998. Brazilian manager and self-styled footballing philosopher René Simões scoured the island’s most obscure corners and went overseas to find players of Jamaican descent or Jamaican-born players at professional clubs in England. Suddenly the stars aligned and Jamaica became the first English-speaking side from the Caribbean to reach a World Cup finals, edging out Costa Rica by two clear points and joining USA and Mexico in the French finals. Since those heady days, however, the magic formula has never been recreated, with the team even failing to reach the final round of qualifying for the last two FIFA World Cup preliminary cycles.

FIFA World Cup finals history
The Reggae Boyz were a sensation on French soil, becoming almost at once the neutrals’ favourites for their colourful kits and cool island charms. Drawn into a difficult Group H, though, they opened with a 3-1 loss to eventual semi-finalists Croatia and then lost by a lopsided 5-0 scoreline against Argentina. They lifted spirits back home in Kingston in their third game, a 2-1 win over Japan in Lyon, with current head coach Theodore Whitmore scoring both goals in what remains the nation’s only win at a FIFA World Cup finals. 

The current crop
Coach Whitmore has opted to rebuild the Jamaican side with the aim of reaching those dizzying heights of 1998 once again on a foundation of talent, organisation and determination. Choosing youth over experience, the coach spends his days training with a new generation of locally based players. The approach paid dividends too as he left out old talismans Ricardo Gardner and Ricardo Fuller and saw his young and inexperienced side win their fifth Caribbean Cup trophy. Next up, at the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the coach’s brave young Reggae Boyz also put in a respectable performance to reach the quarter-finals of the region’s showpiece competition.

The key players
When included, Ricardo Gardner wears the captain’s armband and acts as the team’s spiritual leader, while England-based Ricardo Fuller will likely also be called back into the team and act as the main goal threat alongside Luton Shelton during qualifying. New York Red Bulls speed merchant Dane Richards spearheads a cadre of USA-based players, including LA Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Rickets.

Coach: Theodore Whitmore
Best performance in a FIFA competition: FIFA World Cup France 1998 (Group stages)
Former stars: Robby Earle, Theodore Whitmore, Onandi Lowe

Guatemala Profile:

Qualification history
Guatemala have been on the brink of FIFA World Cup™ qualification on more than one occasion, but unlike traditional Central American rivals El Salvador and Honduras, have never qualified for the big show. Due to lacklustre results in the semi-final round of 2010 qualifying, including just one win over Cuba and two draws with Trinidad and Tobago for a grand total of five points, Los Chapines finished behind the USA and T&T for a place in the final ‘hexagonal’ round.

The Central American’s enjoyed a better run of results leading up to Germany 2006 as they advanced to the final qualifying round. The Guatemalans cruised past Suriname with a 4-2 aggregate victory in the second stage, and battled past regional rivals Honduras and Canada to seal their final round appearance alongside neighbours Costa Rica. A poor run of five losses, including two defeats to Mexico, kept Guatemala out of yet another World Cup finals tournament as they watched the USA, Mexico and Costa Rica advance.

The current crop
Since experiencing a high in quality five years ago in 2006 qualifying, manager Ever Hugo Almeida was tasked with rebuilding Guatemala’s prowess in the CONCACAF region. Headlining the coach’s call-ups was Carlos Ruiz, who had retired in 2009. The veteran striker joined Guatemala for the 2011 Copa Centroamericana (Central America’s cup of nations), where the tough-tackling and physical Guatemalans sealed a place in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup where they ended up only just losing out in the quarter-final round to eventual champions Mexico.

The key players
Los Angeles Galaxy's 2005 MLS Cup hero Guillermo Ramirez is Guatemala’s most experienced player and captained the team during 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying. Carlos Ruiz, known as El Pescadito, plays for Philadelphia Union in MLS and while among the top ten scorers in that league's history, is also the all-time leading goalscorer for his country. At the other end of the field, Guatemala are relying on veteran defender Gustavo Cabrera to lead an otherwise young and inexperienced backline.

Current coach: Ever Hugo Almeida
Best performance in a FIFA competition: Men's Olympic Football Tournament Mexico City 1968 (Quarter-finals)
Former stars: Juan Carlos Plata, Oscar Enrique Sanchez, Byron Perez