this month's Pan American Games qualifying matches and probably the rest of the season after a motorcycle crash left the youngster in hospital with severe facial injuries and other minor abrasions.

Belboda, who recently returned with the squad from a two week tour of Germany, was said to have "blacked out'' while riding near Devonshire Recreation Club on Wednesday and lost control of the vehicle before falling to the road.

And although yesterday he could not recall the exact chain of events that led to the accident, witnesses confirmed the account.

A 12-inch scar running the length of his face, together with a closed left eye, road rash and a bandaged left hand stood as visible evidence of what had transpired.

However, the worst damage rests below the skin as Belboda has several broken bones around the cheek area, which will prevent his participation in any activities involving body contact.

It's estimated that it will be about a week before Belboda is able to open the eye and then several weeks or possibly months for the other facial injuries to heal sufficiently for him to make a return to the soccer pitch.

This rules out any chance of his participation in the upcoming Pan-Am Games qualifying matches against Canada early next month in Jamaica and a replacement will likely have to be found to fill his spot on the team roster.

"It's just disappointing that I won't be able to go,'' said Belboda yesterday, resting at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital after having undergone surgery the previous day. "The tour got the guys motivated and ready to deal with what we have to face.

"It was good preparation. All I would say to them is to go out and beat Canada.'' Meanwhile, Belboda's father Jerome Sr., at bedside yesterday, was "counting his blessings'' in that his son had survived the accident. Another of his sons was killed in an road crash more than a year ago.

Bermuda Under-23 coach Mark Trott expressed sorrow at the speedy right-back's misfortune, noting the loss to the team and the reshuffling it would cause.

"To have this happen to any player that is involved in the national squad is a loss, but fortunately in the national squad we have players who can play in the position,'' said Trott.

"He'll be a miss... we don't want to be missing any players because of road accidents. But it would be more of a major problem if there was nobody to fill the void.'' Kris Martin, the Dandy Town midfield schemer involved in an accident almost two weeks ago has reportedly been released from hospital and is recuperating at home.

All Bermuda Under-23 squad players are required to be at the BFA office between 5-6 p.m. today to have team photographs taken for the upcoming Pan-Am Games. A training session will follow at 6.30 p.m. at Devonshire Rec.