JOHN BROWN has earned five scholarships for secondary-level footballers to pursue degree courses in the areas of their choice at the University of the West Indies and the University of Technology.

He opens the application process to students in Montego Bay high schools and 100 boys take up the offer. They all fit the criteria, with a minimum of five 'O' and four 'A' level passes, all hopeful they will succeed.

Along with their applications, they make the necessary preparations to have transcripts sent to the tertiary institutions, among other things. Carefully, they dot the 'i's and cross all the 't's', then clasp their hands, relieved and confident that they have done everything they need to. The rest is out of their hands.

Out of their hands

The scenario is no different for that of Jamaica's Reggae Boyz.

After drawing with Canada (1-1), then losing matches to Mexico (3-0) and Honduras (2-0), they gave up control over their destiny in the CONCACAF semi-final round Group Two World Cup qualifying series.

It is now rather precarious, with a maximum six points there for the taking in the two rounds to come and Mexico and Honduras already five points ahead.

Of the four teams, only two will qualify for the next phase and the losses to Mexico and Honduras helped in advancing their points tallies way above that of the Reggae Boyz.

Yet, there is still hope. But to keep the fire burning and their chances for elevation, there is but one criterion that the Boyz need to satisfy - win.

Difficult task

Of course, that goal consists of its fair share of 'i's and 't's, part of which was satisfactorily handled on Saturday in a 1-0 victory over Mexico at the National Stadium.

It took guts as much as performance to accomplish a most difficult task against a rival who also badly wanted to win the confrontation.

Though not in a desperate position, Mexico were hungry to qualify. Their coach, Sven Goran Eriksson, has been, and is still, under pressure from the country's people who have not quite warmed to the Swede.

And mighty Mexico, who had just slipped from their long-held position as CONCACAF's number one team, at number 24, did not want their pride dented any further by the Jamaicans who are drifting off the radar of FIFA's world rankings at 116, their lowest ever.

So the Central Americans went hard and were spilling their guts, too, reflected in the hard, desperate lunges and series of tough fouls that earned them a flurry of yellow cards as they were running out of time and trailing.

The Boyz matched them in intensity, and even superseded them when they needed to, mixing it up with speed, quality and the maturity of their professionals who are used to playing in high-pressure occasions brought on by mere point standings, crowds full of expectation and World Cup qualifying.

Chance to qualify

It will be no different tonight when the Boyz face Honduras. Criterion: win.

It would be great if they can surpass the 2-0 defeat meted out at the Estadio Olimpico Metro-politano in San Pedro Sula, as beating Honduras by a bigger margin than they did would further enhance opportunities for the Boyz's matriculation, should the teams finish with the same number of points.

According to the permutations, both teams can finish the preliminaries with 10 points apiece and, quite interestingly, the first option as a differential being used by FIFA now is the result of head-to-head match-ups.

One could also be hopeful that Canada pull off a shocking win over Mexico to set up a three-team race to the wire, with Honduras and Mexico going at each other's throat.

The chance to qualify is very much on the table and the competition for spots is still open. It is now up to the Boyz, again, to do what they have to do.