Country: Jamaica

Official website: www.jamaicafootballfederation.com

Nickname(s): Reggae Boyz

Manager: Theodore Whitmore (2009)

Gold Cup appearance(s): (7) 1991, 1993, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2009

Best finish: Third place (1993)

After failing to qualify for the 2007 Gold Cup, Jamaica has reached this year's competition by capturing the Digicel Caribbean Championship in December. Luton Shelton's pair of penalty kicks led the Jamaicans to a 2-0 victory against Grenada in the final in Kingston. It was the Reggae Boyz fourth Caribbean title. After sharing third place with Costa Rica in the 1993 Gold Cup, Jamaica twice has reached the quarterfinals -- in consecutive appearances in 2003 and 2005. Of course, the nation's crowning glory came in 1998 with Jamaica's first appearance in the FIFA World Cup. Jamaica failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, and the results that led to its elimination prompted the hiring of John Barnes, a Jamaican-born former England national team player, to replace Brazilian Rene Simoes in November. Barnes was replaced in early June by Theodore Whitmore.