CATHERINE HALL, St James — Mexico coach Leonardo Cuellar Rivera says his team’s 1-1 draw with Jamaica that saw both advancing to the semi-finals of the CONCACAF tournament in Montego Bay has sent a strong message to powerhouses the USA and Canada.

“It was a very good game,” he said in a post-game interview. “The fans enjoyed the competition; it was a very close game and could have gone either way and most important is that both countries sent a message to USA and Canada that it will not be easy for them (in the semi-finals on Thursday).”

Jamaica and Mexico advanced as the first and second-placed teams from Group A of the CONCACAF Women’s Under-17 Championship, while the USA and Canada were to meet Monday night at the Montego Bay Sports Complex to decide Group B after both had won their first two games convincingly against Guatemala and Trinidad and Tobago.

Coming into the tournament that started last Wednesday, the USA who had won the previous three Under-17 tournaments and Canada were seen as the likely finalists that would take the two qualifying spots in next March’s FIFA World Cup to be staged in Costa Rica.

Cuellar Rivera had high praise for the Jamaican team on Sunday, saying they were “a big challenge for us due to physicality of the Jamaican team”.

“…Their size, strength and speed… we had to be well organised to contend and at the same time we had some quick players to lead the encounter and create chances,” he said.

Despite their history of football, he said the women’s programme was still developing and they had more work to do.

“We must create the structure to start at the elementary schools… and we need to create structure for them to give them a chance,” Cuellar Rivera said.