New Reggae Girlz Head Coach Vin Blaine has selected a 23-member squad he believes is potentially the best group of players Jamaica has ever assembled.
During last Thursday’s press conference, Blaine announced the team, which will begin the hunt for a second-consecutive qualification to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Finals.
The team begins the preliminary rounds of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers against Bermuda inside Kingston’s National Stadium next Thursday at 7:00 p.m. in Group C action.
“We do have some good players, and I think it’s for us now to start the journey, start the training, start with our first game against Bermuda,” Blaine commented at the press conference.
“All the teams we are going to show respect to, everyone is doing what Jamaica is doing now. I think we have set the trend of bringing in overseas players to sure up our team, so it starts the 17th.”
Blaine is confident in the Reggae Girlz squad
Now in his second stint at the head of the women’s senior program, Blaine is pleased with the quality now at his disposal. He has high hopes despite some players being forced out due to documentation issues or pregnancy, like former skipper Konya Plummer and Chenya Matthews.
“Definitely, as I said before, we have good players. This is potentially the best team we have ever had or an assembly of players. They have experience, which makes it a little bit easier for me, tactically, they are more aware, it’s just for us to bond as a team now and also for me to earn their trust and respect to get them to the point where we want them in the World Cup,” noted Blaine. He served as assistant coach to Winfried Schaefer and the Reggae Boyz program.
To advance, Jamaica will have to win Group C consisting of Grenada, the Dominican Republic, and the Cayman Islands. They will play two games at home and two away. In the February match window, Jamaica will also take on Grenada away on February 20. The remaining games (the Dominican Republic and the Cayman Islands) they will play in April.
Photo: Patrick Green/CNW
Qualifier Groups
The preliminary round qualifiers consist of the following groups:
Group A: Mexico, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Antigua and Barbuda and Anguilla
Group B: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Saint Kitts, and Nevis, US Virgin Islands, and Curacao
Group C: Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Bermuda, Grenada, and the Cayman Islands
Group D: Panama, El Salvador, Barbados, Belize, and Aruba
Group E: Haiti, Cuba, Honduras, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the British Virgin Islands
Group F: Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, Nicaragua, Dominica, and Turks and Caicos Islands
The top finisher in each group will advance to the CONCACAF Women’s Championship, joining the top two ranked CONCACAF nations USA and Canada. They have received a bye straight to the Women’s Championship, which takes place in July 2022.
Fans allowed for Reggae Girlz’ matches
The Jamaica Football Federation has been approved to accommodate up to 2,500 fully vaccinated fans in the grandstand. Interested fans will have to be validated by the government’s electronic system, which will open soon. After validation, fans may purchase tickets for JM$3,000. Those fans already validated by the system can enter and buy a ticket. The JFF asks fans to observe strict COVID-19 protocols.
Blaine says he looks forward to the team doing well in the preliminaries as the core players have been around for the past few years.
“We are without a few players who were invited because of documentation issues, looking forward to having them in the near future… we still have a formidable squad with experienced players and some new faces I’m taking the opportunity to look at.”
Those new faces include twins Malikae and Mikayla Dayes from the University of Maryland and Kalyassa Vanzanten from the University of Notre Dame.
JFF looks forward to national support
Meanwhile, Jamaica Football Federation director and head of the Women’s program, Elaine Walker-Brown, called for support to push the team across the line to bring glory to the country.
“I urge all Jamaicans to come on board and give your support to this team. I ask for the pledge of corporate Jamaica, and we are seeking your full support because without corporate support we will not be able to make it to where we want to go, and it would be very, very difficult. Let us all as a nation give what we can to make history again; even your prayers will help.
“Come Jamaicans, come again, let’s do it with God’s help and with the support of all and especially Corporate Jamaica.”
The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 is slated for Australia and New Zealand.
Squad: Sydney Schneider, Rebecca Spencer, Yazmeen Jamieson, Chantelle Swaby, Logan McFadden, Vayn Sampson, Chinyelu Asher, Kayla McCoy, Khadija Shaw, Sashana Campbell, Allyson Swaby, Tiernny Wiltshire, Olufolosade Adamolekun, Trudi Carter, Tiffany Cameron, Jody Brown, Gabrielle Gayle, Kikayla Dayes, Malikae Dayes, Mireya Grey, Kalyssa Vanzenten, Dominique Blond-Flasza, Alika Keene.
The delegation is completed by Vinimore Blaine, head coach; Everton Edwards, assistant coach; Toni Cowan, assistant coach; Crystal Walters, team manager; Sanford Carabin, analyst; Clive Wedderburn, goalkeeper coach; Harry Nelson, strength, and conditioning coach; Jason Henry, high-performance coach; Devin Lawson, masseuse; Ronald Watson, equipment manager; Saundria Codling, physiotherapist; Gillian Lawrence, the team doctor.
