MONTEGO BAY, St James — Romario Jones’ first-half strike carried Jamaica’s Under-17s to a 1-0 win over Canada at Jarrett Park yesterday to share their two-match friendly series 1-1.

Canada won Sunday’s first game 4-2 at the venue, but the local team put in a much-improved performance to match the North Americans and gain much-needed confidence.

Canada finished the game with 10 men after top player Keven Aleman, who scored two goals on Sunday, was ejected by referee Dwight Royal in the 87th minute after picking up his second yellow card.

The Jamaicans made eight changes to the team that started on Sunday, while Canada made just one, bringing in goalkeeper Xander Higgins.

Jamaica’s head coach Wendell Downswell said the team’s performance was even more pleasing than the scoreline as it showed their work between Sunday and yesterday had paid off.

Admitting they knew little about the players in the camp on Sunday, Downswell said the coaching staff used a training session on Monday to evaluate the team.

“On Sunday we just used the game to evaluate the players as we really didn’t know them too well or what they could offer at the international level,” he said.

“The game was an excellent exercise… as we used 22 players and we saw the ones who could make the necessary transition and those who could compliment each and they responded magnificently, so what we saw… is a fitting testimony,” he said.

Downswell said yesterday the team was more “disciplined, kept their shape better and the organisation was improved,” but added that “the decision making could be a bit better, but overall this is a learning process”.

He said one of the big tactical ploy was seeing that Canada’s Aleman “was very special, so we shut him out and did not give him any opportunities, and also on Christopher Nanco. So from a tactical standpoint we did our home work and the boys carried out their jobs and this is what we want to see that they can carry out instructions, overall we were pretty satisfied with these two games”.

Sean Fleming, Canada’s head coach, said the Jamaican team “came up with physical, aggressive style” and they gave up the only goal of the game.

He added, however, that “this was good for us as we continue to get used to what is to come in the qualifying”, while adding that the game was “a good character test for us”.

After being outplayed for long periods on Sunday, Jamaica matched the Canadians and got off to the better start, but were forced to make a defensive change after Romario Thompson pulled up in the 10th.

Jamaica had their first chance in the 18th when Romario Williams wasted a cross from Troy Moo-Penn, waiting too long just inside the box and allowed the defence to clear.

The hosts went ahead in the 29th when Jones finished off a good move with a brilliant strike.

The play started on the left side and after several passes, was swung into the middle where Jones was waiting just outside the box and struck it powerfully past Huggins high into the goal.

Meanwhile, having seen the team in their first preparation game on Sunday, JFF boss Captain Horace Burrell announced yesterday that the team will take part in a three-week training camp in Brazil, starting mid-December.

Yesterday, Burrell told journalists the JFF was “serious about youth development and… as such… has decided that to send the Under-17 squad to a training camp in Brazil to properly prepare them.”

The 30-member delegation is to leave December 15 and return January 4. The team will play “at least eight games”.