Young Reggae Girlz behind the eight ball
JAMAICA’S UNDER-20 World Cup qualifying future is at stake as they face regional powerhouse the United States in their second group game of the Concacaf Under-20 Women’s Championship at the Estadio Felix Sanchez at 5:00 p.m. Jamaica time.
The young Reggae Girlz are coming off a 4-0 defeat to Canada on Friday where unforced errors were the main cause of their performance and were only able to produce two shots throughout 90 minutes.
The opener was pushed back from Wednesday’s scheduled start because of inclement weather and a waterlogged field.
In the toughest group of the final round, Jamaica will have to get at least a draw to keep their hopes of a berth in the semi-finals alive.
Meanwhile, the United States have one foot in the semi-finals after dispatching Panama 6-0 in Friday’s opening game with three goals in each half. The young Reggae Girlz’ last meeting in tournament play was five years ago when they lost 2-1 at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, Trinidad and Tobago.
Jamaica would go on to finish at the bottom of a group that also featured Mexico and Nicaragua with only one point.
“You will see that fighting spirit from the Jamaica players. They will fight gallantly, and that is something that we are happy about.”
READY TO GIVE EVERYTHING
National Under-20 head coach Hugh Bradford said earlier this month when the draw was made that the team was ready to give everything for the cause even in a group that he termed the group of death.
“These young ladies have been fighting, and they want to fight for this opportunity. So I expect them to come in and be ready to push themselves,” Bradford said in an interview on May 9.
Jamaica Football Federation Technical Director Wendell Downswell further cemented Bradford’s opinion, believing that the team would not spare any effort.
“There is no doubt about that. You will see that fighting spirit from the Jamaica players. They will fight gallantly, and that is something that we are happy about,” Downswell said in a Gleaner interview on May 26.
At a minimum, a draw against the United States, would still leave Jamaica with a chance to qualify for the semi-finals regardless of the other group game between Canada and Panama. However, a defeat would eliminate them from contention before their final group game against Panama on Tuesday.