Spragga Benz and Wayne Wonder for the pre-World Cup kickoff in Lauderhill, Florida

The Caribbean community in South Florida will get a taste of the upcoming World Cup in the United States, with the staging of two pre-World Cup kickoff games.

The games will take place on June 6 and 7, and Jamaican entertainers Wayne Wonder, Spragga Benz, Jahshii and Laa Lee are scheduled to entertain patrons at the end of each presentation.

Jamaican-born Richard Campbell, vice mayor of Lauderhill, told Observer Online on Monday that the pre-games will stir interest among the Caribbean community, including patrons, businesses and football fans.

“We are blessed and fortunate that seven of the World Cup games will be played in Miami. We are making maximum preparation for these games, and we intend that our young players are inspired by this occasion. We have been planning for the past 12 months to ensure that the community has this historic moment and experience with the World Cup. We have these two events to actually kick off this World Cup and we have invited local teams to participate in these events,’ said Campbell.

He added, “We have invited the Jamaica U-20 team to participate in these games. On June 6, here in the city of Lauderhill, in our sports complex, they will be playing Haiti U-20 in the feature game. On Sunday, June 7, they will be playing Miami United FC at the feature game at Broward County sports complex, commonly known as the Cricket stadium.”

“In addition to those feature games, we will be having a youth clinic for over 600 youngsters and maximising whatever exposure we can, to have this World Cup experience for our youngsters, for our communities, spectators and business folks,” Campbell stated.