Swaby glad to be back for Brazil clash
Published:Saturday | June 1, 2024 | 12:08 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
STAND-IN captain and veteran defender Allyson Swaby says she’s not only excited to be back in the Reggae Girlz set-up, but also to lock horns with the formidable force of South American giants Brazil. The Reggae Girlz will play the first of two international friendlies today against the number-10 ranked Brazil at 3 p.m. Jamaica time.
“I’m really excited to be back with the group as it’s been a while since some of us were able to represent Jamaica. So, it’s just the excitement to be back here and to play an opponent like Brazil is an exciting task,” she stated.
Swaby who plies her trade in the Italian Serie A for AC Milan shared that matches against quality opponents, such as Brazil will only help Jamaica’s senior women’s team to get better on the pitch. She added that it was worth noting that Brazil saw it fit to play against the Reggae Girlz as they fine-tune their preparations for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France.
“I think the better competition will help us. So, I think the more we can get games against really quality opposition, the better we will be in the long run. It’s massive to play a team like Brazil and to know that they feel like we’re a good team for them to prepare against to send them off to the Olympics,” she explained.
Owing to the fact that this crop of players hasn’t featured for the national team since the 2023 World Cup, Swaby shared that, at present, the mindset is different now compared to when the team last played Brazil. She explained that the aim now as a unit is to properly jell together in order to be at the usual best with major tournaments on the horizon.
“We can’t be naïve as this group of players hasn’t been together for a while. Therefore, the expectations are a bit different and I think it’s now to find the grove again and look at the big picture of the World Cup in another three years. So, we have to make sure that we’re building so that when we arrive there, we are where we want to be when it gets to that bit of qualifying,” she noted.
With the Reggae Girlz on a 14-game winless streak, Swaby isn’t perturbed as the team has a bigger focus.
“It’s less about the results in this moment in time and more about being able to establish a real identity for ourselves,” Swaby said.