Swaby backs experience of Reggae Girlz

Reggae Girlz centreback Allyson Swaby believes the team is experienced enough to find a way out of their group and qualify for the second round of the Women’s World Cup currently on in Australia and New Zealand.

The Reggae Girlz play their opening game this morning against France in Group F and Swaby said getting into the right mental frame was the main focus ahead of the game.

“Obviously, everything that we are doing now is in preparation for France. I think the mindset of the team is to fine-tune some details. Things that we have been working on in training are no longer heavy on our bodies, but really require us to be mentally locked in. So those are the things we start to focus on now,” she pointed out.

The 26-year-old defender has been a mainstay of the Jamaican defence since making her debut in 2018, helping the team qualify for back-to-back World Cups, and with at least half the squad consisting of players who were at the previous tournament, she said the aim is to do better than they did before.

The Girlz have been grouped with France, Brazil and Panama and despite not being one of the favourites to progress from the group, Swaby said part of their motivation includes trying to get to the next stage.

“The motivation right now is to improve on our previous performance. To come back and say we did better is one of the biggest motivating factors. The biggest difference now (with the team) is the experience (the players have gained). Obviously, we are still a young team but we have players who have just experienced more, especially on a professional level.

“So we are just coming back with more knowledge as individuals. So for us, the expectation is to try to find a way to get out of this group,” she said.

The Angel City player, who spent the second half of the season with Paris Saint Germain in France, added that she has also set personal targets for the tournament. “Personally, I want to keep getting on the right track in terms of consistency in a team and build on every opportunity that I can get.”

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com

Today’s World Cup Schedule

Sweden vs South Africa – 12:00 a.m.

Netherlands vs Portugal – 2:30 a.m.

France vs Jamaica – 5:00 a.m.