Magee among six off to talent showpiece in Portugal

Tyreek Magee, who was outstanding for the National Under-20 team at the just-concluded World Cup qualifiers, along with five other Under-19 players, left the island yesterday for a talent showpiece at the Braga Football Academy in Portugal.

The Braga Academy is teaming up with the Lank Academy from Sweden for the one-week training camp, and the local players have been invited to be part of the Swedish academy pool.

The players are Magee (19), Jabari Howell (17), Shadane Lopez (17), and Tyrese Williams (16) from Harbour View FC while Christopher Tate and Horace Ramsay are from the Onaje Bell MRI Academy.

General manager for Harbour View FC Clyde Jureidini, said the opportunity came from the relationship his club has forged with Lank Academy.

"Lank have been developing players from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and from Toronto, Canada, and this is just a continuation of this," Jureidini said.

He said that he hopes that the opportunity will not only enable the players to enhance their skills, but also to make an impression to secure a spot in one of these academies.

"I know these clubs have links to other clubs in Europe, so if they do well, they could get an opportunity to play with them or other clubs," he said.

He explained: "The Braga Academy will have two Under-19 teams and one Under-17 team, and the Lank Academy will have an Under-19 team and a guest team, where the players who are travelling with me are going to play."

Along with the practice sessions, the players will also play inter-squad matches.

The players will join four others from Harbour View who have been training with Lank Academy since September. The players already there are Garth Stewart, Noel Walker Jr, Oquassa Chong, and Rennardo Robinson. Both sets of players will return to the island on November 25.