The Reggae Boyz of Jamaica turned into men with their very admirable performances in two international tournaments last year. They now set their sights on even more surprises in the 2016 Copa America Centenario, which begins with a matchup against Venezuela. La Vinotinto is hardly a South American superpower, but it will still be a slight favorite to begin its Copa America campaign with a win.
Get a full examination of both teams heading into their opening group game with our preview below. And for more Group C coverage, check out our preview of the big Mexico vs. Uruguay clash.
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Jamaica vs. Venezuela Preview
Where: Soldier Field, Chicago
When: Sunday, June 5, 5:00 PM ET
Line: Jamaica +175 vs. Venezuela +142, tie +200; total: 2.0 – view all Copa America lines
TV Broadcast: FOX
Betting on Jamaica (+175)
Last year was quite an eventful one for Jamaica. Despite losing all three games and crashing out in the group stage, the Reggae Boyz gained some crucial experience in their first-ever appearance in the Copa America. And just weeks later, they shocked the CONCACAF world by knocking out the mighty USA and crashing the final of the Gold Cup.
However, they weren’t blown out of the water in last year’s tournament despite facing some tough teams like Argentina and Uruguay, as their defense – led by Leicester City’s English Premier League-winning captain Wes Morgan – kept them in all three matches.
The Reggae Boyz got a great result in their final tune-up match, a 2-1 win over reigning Copa America champions Chile. That should help give them the belief that they can topple a Venezuelan team that is decidedly less fearsome than the other South American sides they’ve faced.
Betting on Venezuela (+142)
Venezuela’s Copa America history is pretty awful. They’re just one of two South American countries along with Ecuador never to have won the tournament, and have escaped the group stage just twice. In last year’s edition, they failed to capitalize on a shock 1-0 win over Colombia in the tournament opener as they lost their next two games to Peru and Brazil and exited in the group stage.
The Venezuelans are in the middle of a dreadful 15-game run which has resulted in just one victory. However, they are very much capable of halting that horrific skid against Jamaica. That’s because La Vinotinto will have the best attacking player on the pitch in Salomon Rondon.
The West Bromwich Albion striker already has 16 international goals in 49 caps, making him the country’s third most prolific goalscorer ever. One of those 16 goals was the lone strike in their aforementioned win over Colombia last year.
Meanwhile, 22-year-old midfielder Juanmi (six caps) may still be inexperienced in this level of international competition, but he’s definitely got the quality to be one of the standout performers along with Rondon against the Reggae Boyz.
Writer’s Prediction
Jamaica still fails to score, but does earn its first ever Copa America point with a 0-0 draw (+200).
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