Trinidad and Tobago pair Joevin Jones and Kenwye Jones, along with four Jamaicans, were named in the Best XI from the recent CONCACAF Gold Cup which were selected by the American Fox Sports network.
Joevin Jones, 24, plays for the Chicago Fire in the USA, and was selected as the best winger in the tournament.
“Several wingers impressed during this tournament,” according to the Fox poll, “Garath McCleary offered plenty on the right for Jamaica, for example and Jones takes the one berth allotted to them. His mixture of delivery and output made him the primary supply line to the T&T front two.”
Veteran Kenwyne Jones takes on of the three forward positions in a 3-4-3 system, along with tournament top scorer Clint Dempsey (USA) and Jamaican Giles Barnes.
“The veteran captain (KJ) led T&T by example through the four matches,” Fox Sport said. “His robust, willing work up front provided a touchstone in desperate need of a reliable presence up front. It came as no surprise to see him score in the quarterfinal against Panama and then sweep home the fifth penalty in that protracted shootout.”
Rodolph Austin, last year’s Caribbean Cup MVP, and defender Kemar Lawrence were the only island-born players of the four Jamaicans selected. Their selection including the pair of Wes Morgan and striker Barnes, who were among 10 England-born players in the Jamaican squad.
Voted the best overall player, Guardado finished second on the scoring charts with six goals, but his influence permeated throughout the ranks. His consistency supplied a necessary touchstone as Mexico lurched through the tournament.
Those displays culminated with his role in the final. Guardado scored the opening goal in the 3-1 victory over Jamaica on Sunday and served as the fulcrum of El Tri’s best performance of the tournament. He ended his tournament by collecting Golden Ball honours and lifting the Gold Cup trophy on the field at Lincoln Financial Field.”
“Guardado takes his expected place in our Gold Cup Best XI. The assembled group represents five of the eight quarterfinalists with performances in the group stage and the knockout round both playing a part in cobbling together our team,” Fox said.
FOX SPORTS CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI
Goalkeeper: Jaime Penedo (Panama)
Defender: Kemar Lawrence (Jamaica)
Defender: Wes Morgan (Jamaica)
Defender: Roman Torres (Panama)
Midfielder: Michael Bradley (United States)
Midfielder: Rodolph Austin (Jamaica)
Midfielder: Joevin Jones (Trinidad and Tobago)
Midfielder: Andres Guardado (Mexico)
Forward: Clint Dempsey (United States)
Forward: Giles Barnes (Jamaica)
Forward: Kenwyne Jones (Trinidad and Tobago)