JAMAICA’S National Under-17 squad will play two international friendly games against their Costa Rican counterparts on February 21 and 24 in Costa Rica.

These two games will be the final warm-up matches for the squad ahead of their travel to Honduras for the 2015 CONCACAF Under-17 Championship.

The Young Reggae Boyz are drawn in Group A of the CONCACAF Under-17 World Cup Qualifiers alongside the USA, Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala, Cuba and Honduras.

Costa Rica are drawn in Group B alongside Canada, Mexico, Haiti, St Lucia and Panama.

Coach Andrew Edwards’ squad has been in preparation since March 2013, with week-end and weekly camps, as well as an extended camp at Jakes Hotel in St Elizabeth.

They have also participated in three tournaments with the following results:

CFU Preliminary Qualifiers, where they won three games from as many starts; CFU Final Round in Haiti where they won three of four, losing the final 2-0 to Haiti; and the CASA Youth Classic in Florida where they won three of four, losing the final 4-1 on penalties.

The Jamaica Football Federation has also engaged a performance coach, who has been working with the squad as a unit as well as with individual players. A tutor also travelled with the squad to Haiti to assist with academic work.

The coaching staff has scouted most of the teams in Group A with Edwards attending Guatemala qualifying matches.

The squad has been involved in some 20 practice games locally against mainly senior men’s teams.

Jamaica’s delegation departs the island on February 19 at 3:00 pm en route to Costa Rica. They depart Costa Rica on the 25th for Honduras for the CONCACAF Under-17 Championship for their opening game against the host nation on the 27th.

The squad plays a practice game against Premier League leaders Arnett Gardens FC today at 5:00 pm, at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex.