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History of Jamaica's Football

In 1893, Jamaica's first football club, the Kingston Cricket Club, was formed.[4] In 1910, the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) was formed and controlled all of the games; in 1925, Jamaica was invited to play Haiti in a three match series with the team winning all three games 1–0, 2–1, and 3–0.[4] In 1926, Jamaica hosted Haiti at Sabina Park and won 6–0.[4][5] At the 1930 Central American Games in Cuba, Jamaica made its first international tournament appearance and lost both games in its group.[6]

The Jamaica squad in 1936 taking on Trinidad and Tobago
From 1925 to 1962, Jamaica had regular games with teams from Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, and Cuba, as well as with clubs like the Haitian Racing CH and Violette AC, the British Corinthians, and the Argentinean Tigers.[4][5]

In 1952, the Caribbean All-Star team was formed with players from Trinidad, Cuba, Haiti, and Suriname. The team played four matches against Jamaica in Sabina Park. Jamaica won the second game 2–1 and the fourth 1–0, and the All-Stars won the first game 5–1 and the third 1–0.[7]

Caribbean triumph and World Cup appearance

Jamaica entered the final round of the 2010 Caribbean Cup after a 0–0 draw with Costa Rica.[52] After finishing first in its group, Jamaica won against Grenada in the semi-finals, then defeating first-time finalists Guadeloupe in a penalty shoot-out. Jamaica earned its fifth title, and coach Theodore Whitmore became the first to win the Caribbean Cup as both player and coach.[53][54] In the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Jamaica finished first in its group, beating Grenada 4–0, Guatemala 2–0, and Honduras 1–0 before being eliminated by the US, with goals from American players Jermaine Jones and Clint Dempsey.[55][56]

In qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Jamaica started in the third round and earned seven points in the first three games, which included a historic 2–1 win over the United States at home which was their first win over the Americans.[57] Jamaica later qualified with a 4–1 win over Antigua and Barbuda, finishing two goals ahead of Guatemala in its group.[58] After the team finished last in its group for the 2012 Caribbean Cup[59] and failed to record a win in six matches in the fourth round of qualifying, team manager Theodore Whitmore resigned and was replaced by German coach Winfried Schäfer.[60][61] After a 2–0 loss to the US, Jamaica finished in last place and was eliminated.[62]