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McKenna: We want to find our groove again

Published:Wednesday | May 29, 2024 | 12:09 AMGregory Bryce/Staff Reporter
Reggae Girlz striker Kayla McKenna (right), goalkeeper Liya Brooks, and Solai Washington walk out of a tunnel at the National Stadium for an Olympic qualifier against Canada on September 22 last year,.Jamaica vs Canada in the Senior National Women’s Olym
Gladstone Taylor/Multimedia Photo Editor
Reggae Girlz striker Kayla McKenna (right), goalkeeper Liya Brooks, and Solai Washington walk out of a tunnel at the National Stadium for an Olympic qualifier against Canada on September 22 last year,.Jamaica vs Canada in the Senior National Women’s Olympic Qualifier held at the National Stadium in St Andrew, Jamaica, on Friday, September 22, 2023.

REGGAE GIRL Kayla McKenna is looking forward to reuniting with her international teammates after months of inaction with Jamaica set to play Brazil on June 1 and June 4 in a pair of international friendlies.

McKenna was among the group of players that withdrew their services following disputes with the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) but has been selected for the Hubert Busby-led squad set to face Brazil.

McKenna said she is excited for her return to national service and believes a good performance against Brazil is important for the team to continue their good run of form after a historic World Cup campaign.

“It’s obviously been a while since we had a chance to train together and play together,” she said.

“I think all the girls are really excited to get into camp and get our groove back. I think we left the team on a high and we left with good momentum.

“We played well together, we were comfortable together and so, we’re just really happy to be back here and find our groove again and pick up right where we left off.”

The Brazil games will have special significance for McKenna, as the girlz will be without talismanic striker and captain, Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw.

Shaw has been ruled out of the squad having picked up an injury during her season with Manchester City. McKenna, who normally plays as an understudy to Shaw, is expected to spearhead Jamaica’s attack.

According to McKenna, she is not concerned with the pressure as the team has proven they are capable of playing their roles even in the absence of key players.

“Obviously, ‘Bunny’ is a big miss for us. She’s a massive part of the team but we’ve all, in the past, had to play our parts at different times and stepped into our roles, so we’re just going to do the best we can with it. So I’m excited hopefully to have a chance to get some minutes on the field and do the best we can and have a good game.”

McKenna is especially eager to show what she has learnt in her first season with Spanish side Villareal.

McKenna joined the Spanish club after leaving Scottish outfit Rangers FC last season, bagging 11 goals in 28 league appearances.

“It’s my first season in Spain and I’ve been playing with Villarreal and we have a couple games left to go in the season,” she said.

“Personally, I’ve had a good season. As a team, I think we’ve been struggling a bit. We’ve put ourselves in a tough situation going into the last couple games of the season needing some wins.

“But I think individually I’ve been happy with how I’ve been able to perform in a new environment and a new team. I’m hopeful I’ll be able to help my team in these last couple of games.”