ST THOMAS, US Virgin Islands — The midfielder from Guyana who scored that blistering 20-yard shot on Jamaica’s Tajay Griffiths in their Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Group Four World Cup qualifying game on Friday, has something Jamaican about him.

Up close, it was not the unmistakable Jamaican swagger or the colourful accent that distinguished him, but the revelation that Roberto Sewell-Case’s father is a son of the soil.

And according to his dad Roberto Snr, they are cousins of former Reggae Boy and France 1998 World Cup campaigner, Dean Sewell.

“Dean is a cousin of mine, but as far as the name goes, my birth name is Roberto Sewell, but I got the name Case when I was adopted, but I never gave up my birth name,” he explained to the Jamaica Observer on Sunday night.

His son, Roberto Jnr, drew attention here when he scored a peach of a goal in the 31st minute to level the scores 1-1 in the opening game between his team Guyana and Jamaica at the Lionel Roberts Stadium on Friday.

The tied scoreline gave his team a line of sight to victory, but in the second half the Young Reggae Boyz exploded to eventually win the game 4-1.

Scoring against his ancestral home was a source of delight for Roberto in the first instance, but more importantly, the effort was sweeter for the fact that it was his first international strike.

“It was special scoring against Jamaica, as they are one of the top teams in CONCACAF, so scoring against a top team means a lot to me,” he said.

“Scoring in my first international tournament, that goal meant a lot to me, but important also that was the goal that tied the score against Jamaica,” Roberto added.

The 16-year-old, who was born and lives in Canada, admitted that he and his team went into the game against Jamaica with respect for their opponents.

“It doesn’t matter which game I go into, I always respect the opponent, so I went into it with respect for them… but playing against Jamaica was good,” he noted.

Roberto, speaking with the Observer in the lobby of the Windward Passage Hotel with his brooding father sitting close by, said he would have wanted to play for Jamaica, but was unable to make contact in time.

“It was disappointing being too late to try out for Jamaica, but life goes and I will have to try my best, and who knows where I will be playing in the next couple of years.

“Canada, Jamaica and Guyana are teams I could and would play for, but at the end of the day I am here with Guyana and I am proud of it. So I am just looking forward to just playing and working hard for them,” he said, drawing a nod of approval from his father.

Roberto, who attends Cardinal Ambrozie Secondary School in Brampton, Ontario, says he thinks Jamaica’s football is on the up.

“In Jamaica’s football, I have seen a lot of development in the youth and the players coming through the ranks, and that is good for their football. When it comes to the senior team they have quality players like Wes Morgan of Leicester City,” he noted.

With Jamaica leading the group here with maximum six points from two games and with one set of matches remaining, Roberto remains hopeful that by some means his team can find a way through the CFU finals scheduled for Trinidad and Tobago in September.

In the six-group Caribbean play-offs, only the winner of each group and the best overall runner-up team will advance to the decisive round of the Caribbean play-offs.

“I still think we have a chance… all we need to have is hope, as we are a good team and it’s a good environment, but what we must do now is work hard and we can do anything,” he expressed.

Guyana have only three points, so too Antigua and Barbuda, but the latter lead with a plus-two goal difference. Guyana are in the red by a negative two goals.

Hosts US Virgin Islands are without a point after a 5-1 battering by Antigua and 0-1 loss to Guyana.

But should Guyana come up short in their quest to advance, Roberto is already looking ahead.

“I will just keep working hard in the off season and during the season, and then I will evaluate all my options and keep moving forward and hopefully to go professional,” he noted.

“My dream is to play for Real Madrid in Spain, but that first step to play professionally it does not matter where you play, but from there you are in the door and you can move around,” Roberto reasoned.

He believes his qualities as a midfielder will position him well as he chases a pro career in one of the respect leagues of the world.

“I am very good at winning the ball and to see plays before they happen, but also going forward I think I am an excellent passer of the ball and I will score a couple of goals when needed,” said the Global Soccer Satellite Academy player.

Among his role models in the sport are Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham and Andres Iniesta.

As far as football in his homeland Canada goes, Roberto is of the view that it has come a long way.

“When I started out playing football in Canada it was not the best as it (football) wasn’t the main priority, but over the past couple of years it has really developed in coaching and the training, and I think in a couple of years, it could be one of the top countries (in CONCACAF),” he said.