The Bermuda Under-17 side’s chances of advancing to the finals of the Caribbean Under-17 Championship are hanging by a thread ahead of today’s match against Haiti.

Finishing as the best third-place team is the only qualifying route available to coach Ray Jones’s side, who lost their opening two games 6-2 to Jamaica and 3-2 to host side Trinidad and Tobago.

Bermuda, whose squad includes several overseas-based players, face Haiti in their final group A game today at the Alto Bolden Stadium in Couva.

Jamaica lead the group ahead of second-place Haiti on goal difference with four points, while Trinidad are third on three points and Bermuda bottom.

Bermuda will need to beat Haiti by a comfortable margin and hope Trinidad suffer a heavy defeat against Jamaica in their final game today in order to progress.

From the eight-nation, two-group tournament, the top-five teams will advance to the Concacaf Under-17 Championship to be held from April 21 to May 7 in Panama City.

Bermuda fell behind in their opening game against Jamaica last Friday to a fifth-minute goal by Raewin Senior followed by a seventeenth-minute penalty from Kaheem Parris before pulling a goal back on the half-hour mark through Rahzir Smith-Jones.

Jamaica restored their two-goal cushion through Kendall Williams in the 36th before Nicque Delray added a fourth in the 42nd.

Parris scored a fifth in the 72nd before Enrique Russell struck Bermuda’s second in the 81st and then had the misfortune of scoring a last-minute own goal.

In Bermuda’s second game against Trinidad on Sunday, Russell gave Jones’s side the lead in the eleventh minute before adding a second in the 26th.

Trinidad, however, dominated the second half, scoring three goals through Che Berry and a brace from Jaydon Prowell to claim the victory.

Mark Wade, Bermuda’s assistant coach, admits the team were disappointed at surrendering their two-goal lead against Trinidad but insists they have not given up hope of qualifying.

“We had a tough start against a good Jamaica team who on the day were more clinical in their finishing,” Wade said.

“In the second match we improved, but a bit of inexperience cost us in the end and we weren’t able to hold on to a two-goal lead.

“The boys left it all on the pitch and they feel a bit down on themselves, but the effort they put in was fantastic.

“Mathematically, we’re still in it and have to get a really good result against Haiti. There’s still some hope there.”