Youth and Experience

With a return of the core from their historic 2019 campaign in France, former national assistant coach Andrew Price and former national coach Charles Edwards have both expressed satisfaction with those who made the final cut to represent Jamaica at next month’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The final roster was revealed yesterday with 11 players on the France squad making their return including captain Khadija Shaw, Jody Brown, Cheyna Matthews, Chantelle and Allyson Swaby and Havana Solaun who scored Jamaica’s lone goal at the tournament. Head coach Lorne Donaldson has also brought youth to the team with call-ups of Kameron Simmonds, Peyton McNamara, Kalyssa van Zanten, Liya Brooks and Solai Washington. Sashana Campbell has been named an alternate.

Price said that given Donaldson’s mindset during the last few months, the squad encompasses the direction that he envisions.

“If you look at the direction that the squad has been going for the last eight, nine months, you could see the direction the coach has been going. I believe that the players have equipped themselves and played well. We have some tough teams in our group. Everybody has to be on board and ready to play a part,” Price told The Gleaner. “It is blessed with a lot of experience and talent and I believe it is the best squad that could have been chosen.”

What has pleased Price is the return of Konya Plummer who makes it back into the team after getting back to fitness from maternity leave.

“Konya worked very hard during her maternity leave with Arnett Gardens, training with the team regularly and it was shown in the most recent camp that she is now up to speed. And I am sure that the coaching staff has decided that she will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the World Cup,” Price said.

Donaldson had alluded previously to his pride in the young players who have made a strong impression during the process, culminating in their recent local camp that ended on Tuesday.

“They have done great this week and not only this week, they have done great in all the camps. And you see that some of the older players are taking those younger players under their wings and they are nurturing them and that is what we want,” Donaldson said on Tuesday. “We want players to be nurturing players. When the other players are gone, they are the leaders. But some of the younger players will be very good in the World Cup.”

Edwards says that the main priority is to get the squad mentally prepared and avoid further hurdles in the final stretch after a local camp that has been hampered by issues off the field.

“We should give a pretty good account of ourselves. But I think with the recent set of hiccups we have been having, the key thing is to get the players mentally tuned and ready for the campaign. If not you are going to see 75 per cent 80 per cent effort from the players on the pitch,” Edwards said. “Which is not going to augur very well because the opposition alone is tough enough. To have mental issues from your federation is going to make it even tougher.”

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com

Jamaica Women’s World Cup Squad

Allyson Swaby, Atlanta Primus, Chantelle Swaby, Allyson Swaby, Chenya Matthews, Deneisha Blackwood, Drew Spence, Havana Solaun, Jody Brown, Kalyssa Van Zanten, Kameron Simmonds, Kayla McKenna, Khadija Shaw, Konya Plummer, Paige Bailey Gayle, Peyton McNamara, Rebecca Spencer, Solai Washington, Sydney Schneider, Tiernny Wiltshire, Tiffany Cameron, Trudi Carter, Vyan Sampson and *Sashana Campbell.

* denotes alternate