4 hours ago
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DUAL CARIBBEAN citizen Jalmaro Calvin is excited about the prospect of wearing the colours of the country of his birth as he anticipates his debut for the Reggae Boyz in their international friendlies against Trinidad and Tobago, the first of which takes place today at the Montego Bay Sports Complex.
The 7:30 p.m. game is to be followed by a game on Sunday at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex, beginning at 8 p.m.
The striker has been selected off the back of an impressive season to date for reigning Jamaica Premier League (JPL) champions Cavalier, for whom he has scored 12 goals from 18 games.
Even with performances like that, the selection came as a bit of a surprise, as the striker had seemingly committed his international future to Antigua and Barbuda.
Calvin, who is eligible to play for Antigua, turned out for the Caribbean nation’s under-20 team during the 2022 Concacaf Men’s U20 Championships.
He also made his senior debut for Antigua last year in a 1-1 draw against Bermuda during their World Cup Qualifying campaign.
However, Calvin stated he and his family are excited ahead of his potential debut, as Jamaica is the country where he was born.
“It’s a proud moment to represent the country I was born in. Obviously, I went overseas for a while and I played for Antigua, but coming back and getting the chance to represent Jamaica is a proud moment. My family is proud of me and I’m really glad to represent the country.”
Calvin’s selection for the Reggae Boyz, however, does not close the door on his potential future for Antigua.
According to FIFA eligibility rules, international friendlies do not count towards a player’s commitment to a specific country.
This means, should Calvin take to the field for Jamaica during their friendlies against Trinidad and Tobago, he will still be able to represent Antigua in the future, should he choose to do so.
The fixtures will be the third in as many years the two Caribbean rivals have met in a pair of international friendlies.
In their last meeting, played in Trinidad, Jamaica won the first encounter 1-0 before playing out a 0-0 draw in their second fixture.
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