‘Keeper Nicole Mcclure happy to give it real shot
MCALLEN, USA — With this being her best and possibly last chance to qualify for the Fifa Women’s World Cup, goaltender Nicole Mcclure has returned to the Reggae Girlz set up to offer another steadying presence at the back.
Mcclure, who made her senior team debut in 2009 and last represented the country during the 2015 Olympic qualification phase, has since been improving her craft at the professional level in and around Europe.
Now armed with a higher level of experience, Mcclure is hoping to be a stabilising force in the last line of defence for the Reggae Girlz team during their Concacaf Women’s Championship campaign here.
“It is a lot different from two years ago. Of course the player selection is completely different and the vibe is a little bit different because the whole set-up is different, and that makes a huge difference,” Mcclure reasoned.
“So the change in the dynamics from four years ago to now had a lot to do with my decision to come back, and I feel like the team has a real shot this time.
“This might be our last chance (at qualifying for the World Cup), who knows because anything can happen? And also it has always been a dream of mine to represent Jamaica at the highest level, so it was an easy decision to come back,” she told the Jamaica Observer.
With her steady play coupled with excellent positioning and quick reflexes, Mcclure, 28, is now rubbing shoulders with Sydney Schneider and Yazmeen Jamieson as perhaps the most important factors for the Hue Menzies side.
Their gloves separate them from the rest, bearing the maximum responsibility for stopping an opponent from scoring, and if they were to fall apart, then the rest of the team would find victory hard to come by without them.
“I always knew I had something in me to play at the highest level but I had to get a little bit of push from my college coach because she is the one who really instilled in me that I can do this for a living. So here I am now playing professionally and representing my country again.
“The competition (in the team) is a little stiffer now because almost every player is playing at the highest level they can at the moment, so you can see the competitive spirit in every single position. But I am just here to do my best to help the team in any way I can,” Mcclure reasoned.
Born in Jamaica, Queens in New York to a Jamaican father Charles and an American mother Sharon, Mcclure has always aspired to make the most of her God-given ability.
She made her intentions clear during a storied junior career where she represented teams such as East Meadow Shooting Stars, Cardozo Judges, Hawaii Rainbow and South Florida Bulls, and made her first national appearance in the Under-20 set up in 2008.
Since then Mcclure has not missed a beat and later transitioned to Europe, where she paraded her skills for UMF Selfoss and HK Vikingur in Iceland, FC Neunkirch in Switzerland, and now plies her trade for second-tier Sundsvalls DFF in Sweden.
The soft spoken goaltender also had small stints in Israel, France and Norway, and is now aspiring to make it to the big stage in Sweden, Germany or France, “where it is very competitive”.
“It was pretty smooth transition between each team. The only difference would be the language barrier, but everyone speaks English for the most part and the lifestyle was different from where I was.
“So it has been pretty good. I really love it because I learn something new with each team and I am hoping to make it to the highest level in the near future,” she shared.
However, for now her focus is pinned on the Reggae Girlz’ Concacaf Women’s Championship campaign, where they bid for qualification to the 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup in France.
The Girlz were yesterday scheduled to get their Group B fixtures under way against powerhouse Canada at the HEB Park in Edinburg, Texas. Costa Rica and Cuba are the other teams in the group.
“I think we have a good chance; we have the athleticism, the smarts and the organisation will also be a key factor. So it should be a good competition and I hope at the end of it we will be celebrating.
“The coaching staff is very knowledgeable, very organised, and they seem to be one step ahead of things, so that is also good,” Mcclure ended.
Defending champions USA opened their Group A fixture with a 6-0 beating of Mexico, while Panama blanked Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 in Cary, North Carolina, on Thursday.
Following the group stage all matches will be played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
The top three teams in the tournament will automatically qualify for the Fifa Women’s World Cup France 2019, with the fourth-placed team having an opportunity to secure qualification through a play-off with Argentina of CONMEBOL.
The two semi-finals are slated for October 14, while the third-place play-off and final are scheduled to take place on October 17.