PORTO FELIZ, Brazil — Jamaica's Reggae Boyz opened their two-match training camp at the Traffic Football Academy here in Brazil with a 2-0 defeat to top Brazilian club Palmeiras FC yesterday.

Joao opened the scoring for the Palmeiras FC reserve team on the stroke of half-time, and just after the hour mark, Amaroso added another from the penalty spot. The Palmeiras FC first team is reported to be playing Botafogo FC today, so Luiz Felipe Scolari and his 'first teamers' did not travel to Traffic Football Academy for yesterday's practice game.

Jamaica had a few decent chances to get on the scorecard, but the strikers, particularly Luton Shelton, who tormented the Brazilians with his skill and pace, proved wasteful.

Still, assistant coach Alfredo Montesso gave the team a passing grade for its efforts under the challenging conditions.

"Generally, it was a good performance, though the result was not too good. We were compact in defence and we had the players marking in front, but the transition from defence to midfield and attack was not too good, and some of the players were confused with the rotation we taught them at practice on Thursday," he said.

Typical of the great technique associated with Brazilians, the Palmeiras FC second stringers displayed calm and composure, while injecting bursts of speed both in attack and defence, as they sought the early advantage.

But the Boyz appeared compact as they tried to match their aggressive and sometimes overly exuberant opponents. Midway the half, Shelton cleared his way to fire narrowly wide of the target from the edge of the penalty area with his right foot.

Moments later he sped past a standing central defence, but his dribble took him away from the centre of goal and that put paid to any opportunity he might have had at goal.

At the other end, goalkeeper Duwayne Kerr was called on twice to keep his team in the game. First he palmed away a powerful 35-yard shot, and then Damion Williams, who had a below par game in central midfield, gifted away possession in the danger area, but Kerr came to his rescue with another brilliant blocked save.

Williams then made amends when he drove forward from midfield, and with the defenders backing off, he let fly a torrid left-footer which sailed narrowly wide of the goalkeeper's right hand post.

Shelton then had possibly the best chance of the game when Demar Phillips left-sided free-kick deep to the back post was expertly served up centre of goal six yards out by Ryan Johnson, but the wily striker's powerful downward header went agonisingly wide of the target.

As if to make the Boyz pay for their profligacy, Palmeiras FC countered and the skilful Joao picked off a through ball in the centre of defence to race clear of his challengers before calmly slotting the ball under the advancing Kerr in goal.

A defensive error accounted for the second goal when Shavar Thomas played a pass back to Kerr, and the big shot-stopper fumbled, which forced him into a hurried clearance, that landed at the feet of a striker just on the edge of the penalty box.

The players advanced on Thomas, who brought him down, resulting in a penalty. Amaroso made no mistake from the spot in the 63rd minute.

Jamaica should have reduced the deficit immediately after the restart when they moved the ball exceptionally well, but Shelton dummied a through pass directed at him at the penalty spot, and a grateful goalkeeper accepted and averted the danger.

Five minutes from the end, Johnson rifled a goal-bound shot which the goalkeeper did well to block, as the visiting club side defended stoutly. The referee, who had a hard time keeping control of the game, primarily through the cynical fouls and unsporting 'dives' of the Brazilians, ejected a Palmeiras FC player, but had him replaced as the end drew near.

The Jamaicans will now turn their attention to a recovering training session at the gym and swimming pool this morning, before a second practice session in the evening.

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