NATIONAL Under-17 assistant coach Omar Edwards said the team’s chances of qualifying for a second-straight World Cup championship are “great” based on the quality of players in the 20-member squad.

The team, which is under the tutelage of veteran youth coach Wendell Downswell, includes eight foreign-based players.

The entire 26-member delegation is scheduled to depart later this afternoon for Panama for the April 6-19 CONCACAF Under-17 Championship, and Edwards said that those players, along with the ones seasoned on local soil, provide a good combination for success

“The team’s chances are great… we have a total of eight players playing overseas so they have some experience and knowledge. The mixture with the local players is very good, and the squad looks good playing together,” Edwards told the Jamaica Observer on Tuesday.

The four semi-finalists at the tournament will automatically qualify for the 2013 FIFA Under-17 World Cup to be held in the United Arab Emirates from October 17 to November 8.

The Jamaican squad held a light training session yesterday at the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) Technical Centre at the University of the West Indies, Mona.

Jamaica made it to the Under-17 World Cup twice before — in 1999 in New Zealand and two years ago in Mexico.

Though not having the extensive international exposure like they did in the build-up to the 2011 edition, Edwards insisted the home-based preparation was “adeqaute”.

“In the preparation two years ago when we qualified for the World Cup in Mexico we spent a total of six weeks in Brazil and players got in some quality games.

“We didn’t have the luxury of an international camp this time around, but what we have done locally is to play against Premier League teams. So the players got a whole heap of match practice against players who are bigger and are mentally tough. I do believe it is adequate, in the sense that they played against senior players,” he explained.

The Jamaicans are scheduled to play their first Group A match against hosts Panama on the opening day of the tournament before facing Caribbean Football Union (CFU) rivals Barbados two days later.

Group B consists of Canada, Costa Rica and Trinidad & Tobago, while Group C includes Guatemala, Haiti and CONCACAF giant United States.

Reigning Under-17 World Cup champions Mexico headline Group D, which also includes Honduras and Cuba.

The top two countries from each group will progress to the quarter-final stage.

Squad — Ryan Miller (St George’s College & Cavalier SC), Oneil Anderson (Camperdown High & Santos FC), Junior Flemmings (Jamaica College & Tivoli Gardens FC), Raffique Bryan (Jamaica College & Arnett Gardens FC), Maalique Foster (Jamaica College & Portmore United), Donald Francis (Clarendon College & Santos FC), Seigle Knight (Clarendon College & Portmore United), Iishmale Currie (Garvey Maceo & Portmore United), Nathaniel Leslie (Spanish Town High & Waterhouse FC), Imani Beckford (Marcus Garvey Technical & Volvo FC), Rushane McClymont (St Elizabeth Technical & Appleton Estate FC), Tyshan Hill (Spot Valley High & Wadadah FC), Michael Seaton (DC United), Malcolm Dixon (Montclair Academy & New York Red Bulls), Khallil Stewart (Collins High & Concord Fire), Malcolm Stewart (K12 Academy & Georgia United), Zachary Jones (K12 Academy & Georgia United), Nicholas Nelson (Nat University Virtual & Georgia United), Martin Davis (Caxton College & Sagunto FC), Luca Levee (Caxton College & Valencia Huracan FC).