Brown shines for Jamaica - 16-y-o wins 'best youngster' award as Girlz book World Cup spot

Jamaica's 16-year-old standout Jody Brown was yesterday named as the Best Young Player of the Concacaf Women's Championships, after helping the country to a spot at the FIFA Women's World Cup set for France next year.

Brown, who replaced Italian league-bound winger Trudi Carter in the starting line-up, came to life in the tournament with a hat-trick for Jamaica during their 9-0 trouncing of Cuba in their final group game, which ensured a spot in the semi-final.

She followed that up with a strong performance in the third-place play-off win against Panama yesterday, scoring a goal and providing another, as the Jamaicans defeated the Central Americans 4-2 on penalties, after a 2-2 scoreline, following full and extra time.

The Lime Hall, St Ann, native, who now attends Montverde Academy in Florida, came on as a 71st minute substitute in the team's 2-0 loss to Canada in their opening group game and was unused in the team's 1-0 win over Costa Rica.

She started in a widely changed Jamaican line-up against Cuba and retained her spot in the 6-0 semi-final loss to the United States.

Brown is the only Jamaican that received an individual nod by the technical committee of the competition, as eight players from champions, the United States, were selected to the tournament's best XI.

Panama's 17-year-old goalkeeper Yenith Bailey, who also impressed against the Jamaicans, received the Golden Glove award, while American striker Alex Morgan won the Golden Boot, as the tournament's top striker with seven goals.