Qualifier postponement could benefit Girlz
Published:Tuesday | October 12, 2021 | 12:08 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
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National senior women’s football team assistant coach Xavier Gilbert says that the delay in the start of World Cup qualifying gives an opportunity to the team to return to full strength as it seeks back-to-back Finals appearances. Concacaf...
National senior women’s football team assistant coach Xavier Gilbert says that the delay in the start of World Cup qualifying gives an opportunity to the team to return to full strength as it seeks back-to-back Finals appearances.
Concacaf announced on Friday that it is pushing back the qualifiers to February 2022. The tournament was originally set to start next month.
Concacaf said that the change was necessary because of travel challenges into and within certain countries in the region because of the COVID-19 pandemic and that the adjustment was “in the best interest of the tournament, players and officials”. While the shift means that Jamaica will now open against Bermuda on February 17, the scheduled first-round matches in April 2022 remain unchanged.
Gilbert says that the new dates will give much-needed breathing room to key players to get themselves healthy in time for the start of the campaign.
“It gives the opportunity for some persons who are injured to hopefully recover by then,” Gilbert told The Gleaner. “And the good thing about it is most of our players are currently playing in leagues right around the world. Some will be done by then [and] that is probably only a little bit of concern.
“It’s just to make sure that they are in shape. We just have to provide a programme so that they can stay on top of their game.”
The Reggae Girlz have mounting injury concerns as defender Deneisha Blackwood was ruled out for the rest of the season with her National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) club the Houston Dash in August because of a knee problem and midfielder Havana Solaun had to be substituted after a non-contact injury in her game for NWSL club the North Carolina Courage on Sunday. Additionally, midfielder Tiffany Cameron, who plays in Hungary, is also injured and will be unavailable for the Reggae Girlz’s international friendly against Costa Rica in two weeks.
POSSIBILITY OF LIMITED SELECTION POOL
While acknowledging the possibility of injuries limiting the selection pool during the four-month extension, Gilbert says that the staff are determined to get the team in the best shape possible for February.
“We just have to understand the time that we are in now and work accordingly and do our best to ensure that we prepare the girls as best as possible to represent Jamaica,” Gilbert said.
The delay means that the Reggae Girlz will have the November and January international windows, in addition to the Costa Rica friendly on October 24, to fine-tune their preparation.
Former Reggae Girlz head coach Charles Edwards says now there should be no reason why the team shouldn’t advance to the final round given the extra time to prepare.
“Now that they have pushed back the dates, it gives us a cushion to work with in terms of getting in camps, practice games, looking at the squad more because there are new members coming in,” he said. “It’s time for them to get going and it now eliminates the excuses.
“We should now start looking at the sort of opposition that can help the squad and start putting these dates in place and not wait until the last minute.”