Audley Boyd, Assistant Sports Editor
GEORGE TOWN, Grand Cayman

STRIKER MARLON King and midfielder Andy 'Bomber' Williams have been ruled out of Jamaica's squad for the CONCACAF Golf Cup.

"Yes, it's a certainty, he's definitely out," head coach Theodore Whitmore told Star Sports in response to queries about King's inclusion in the final selection for the Gold Cup, after he had stated, "We've to make a decision in leaving Marlon King out the squad."

Whitmore added: "He says he has a hamstring injury, but we don't have time."

He added: "Andy Williams is out because of family commitments."

Jamaica's Reggae Boyz will kick off the CONCACAF Gold Cup Finals against Canada at the Home Depot Centre in Los Angeles next week Friday.

provisional squad

Whitmore says the exclusion of both players will affect the team's roster, as the cut-off date for registering its provisional squad of 23 players has passed.

That squad is to be reduced to 20 for the tournament. This means they now have only 21 players from which to choose the final 20-man squad.

"We registered 23 players and two of the players who we needed are out at this moment and we can't replace them. That's the situation right now."

The team is in The Cayman Islands, where it is going through the final stages of a one-week training camp.

Both King and Williams, as well as several other players, have not been involved in the camp.

King was said to be holidaying in the United Kingdom, where he is based, while Williams is in the United States, competing for Major League Soccer outfit Real Salt Lake City.

life-threatening illness

Williams' wife has been battling a life-threatening illness for some time.

Both players, as well as others based in Europe and the United States, were expected to join the team in America for the Gold Cup.

Jamaica will climax its preparations in The Cayman Islands with a match against The Cayman national senior team tomorrow.

They have been here since last Tuesday and have trained twice daily, except yesterday morning when it rained continuously and Thursday night, when they battled a Cayman Islands all-star team. The Reggae Boyz are due to return to Jamaica on Monday morning, then depart the following day for the United States.