March 20, 2007
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State sophomore Omar Persad (Louisville, Ky./Trinity HS) is back in San Diego after playing three games at the international level for the Jamaican Under-20 national team.
Persad started for Jamaica in its 1-1 tie against St. Kitts and Nevis in Culiacan, Mexico, on Feb. 25. Against host Mexico on Feb. 23, Persad played the entire second half in Jamaica's 2-0 loss to the eventual Group B champion. Persad was on the roster but did not play in Jamaica's 2-0 loss to Costa Rica, which finished second in the group qualifying to join Mexico in the U-20 World Cup.
"(The U-20 World Cup qualifying) was a great experience for me," Persad said. "It's nice to bring back to the guys on the team what I learned there. But I don't think we (SDSU) are that far off from the good teams like Mexico. We're athletic and talented enough, we just have to put it all together."
The U-20 World Cup will be held in six cities (Edmonton, Burnaby, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Victoria) across Canada from June 30-July 22.
Persad, who previously played for the United States U-16 team, started three of the 19 games he appeared in last year, tying for fifth on the team with six points on two goals and two assists. Over his two seasons at SDSU, Persad has recorded three goals and four assists.