Rebecca Spencer

It may seem far-fetched given the fact that she has more experienced counterparts Rebecca Spencer and Sydney Schneider to contend with, but much like Schneider rose to prominence during the Girlz World Cup debut in France 2019, the American-born Brooks knows it is by no means impossible.

In France, Schneider, then a 19-year-old rookie, pulled off a stunning penalty save in the Reggae Girlz opening game against Brazil, though they inevitably lost 0-3.

Brooks, 18, is yearning for a big break like that when the Girlz do battle in Group F against France, Brazil and Panama at the July 20 to August 20 World Cup, but until then, she is focused on putting in the necessary work to continue impressing Head coach Lorne Donaldson and his assistants.

"Of course, there’s a competition, and I'll certainly fight for that spot in the starting team which would mean a whole lot to me at this point in my career, but I just want what is best for the team. So even if I wasn’t the one, then that’s ok," Brooks told SportsMax.tv from her base in the United States. 

"I just have to put in the work. Plain and simple and I’ll do that without hesitancy, especially going to college now, I know that will no doubt take my fitness and lifestyle to another level, and I can’t wait for that as well," she added.

Though she is still basking in the fact that she was selected in Donaldson's final squad, Brooks, who earns her Island stripes through her mother Tandi Nelson-Brooks, revealed that celebrations will be low-key, as she braces for her freshman year at Washington State University.

"It’s a great feeling being selected for my first World Cup. There’s nothing like it, because it is the highest stage of competition in both the men and women’s game, so of course it’s a very big achievement. 

"Unfortunately, there are no real celebrations. I’m off to college so an eight-hour car ride is all the celebration I’ll be doing, but I’ll be happy to celebrate a little with my new teammates, who I'm sure are just as happy as I am," she shared.

Still, the sense of pride and accomplishment Brooks feels cannot be understated having successfully transitioned from Under-17 and Under-20 representation, where she showed immense ability, which caught the senior Reggae Girlz coach staff's attention since their historic tour of South Korea late last year.

"It’s extremely massive. It puts my name on the international map at the senior level at an early stage, but for me it just makes me hungrier to strive for more than a spot on the roster next time," Brooks declared. 

"I want to play and being around the senior players have shown me that there is always work to be done, but I’ll learn from those around me and use my own experiences along the way to get there. The aim is always to push as hard as possible and to be a better player and these experiences will help me to improve," she noted.

That said, the tall and agile goalkeeper admitted that the initial stages of her transition were nerve-wracking and did indeed test her mettle but credited her more senior counterparts for their guidance in ensuring she held firm.

"It definitely wasn’t easy and still isn’t. The team itself is great and very welcoming, but I personally struggle with my own confidence and that’s what can bring down my performance at times. The team recognized that and encouraged me instead," she explained.

"Becky [Spencer] and Syd [Schneider] are amazing. They are excellent players and even better people. Alyssa [Whitehead], our goalkeeper coach, is as well. All three of them inspire me and push me to be a better player whether they know it or not. That made it really fun, and they got me through even my physically tough training," Brooks ended.

The 31-year-old shot-stopper has been at the club since 2019 when she joined from West Ham.  The much-travelled Spencer who has also had stints at Arsenal, Birmingham, and Chelsea, believes she has settled in nicely at Tottenham where she has made 38 appearances, the most in her career at one club.

“Obviously, I am delighted to have signed a new contract. It was something that was on my mind coming back from the last international break and having that conversation nice and early made it really easy for me to make my decision,” Spencer told the club website.

The player explained that a major part of her decision to re-sign involved her work with head coach Rehanne Skinner.

“When Rehanne spoke to me it was a no-brainer for me. Just the direction the club is going in and the staff and the players and the fans equally have been amazing. They have made it really easy for me and I feel really comfortable and it really feels like a home now being here for three years now,” Spencer said. “Being here for that long it just feels like the right place for me to be.”

This is Busby's second stint with the team, having held the position from 2020 to 2021.

He was removed from the position when the JFF requested FIFA to investigate unsavory media reports originating in Europe. FIFA subsequently cleared Busby.

“The Jamaica Football Federation is pleased to announce that after careful consideration and due process, our technical committee has recommended the immediate reappointment of Hubert Busby as head coach of the Senior Women's National Team,” the JFF said in Friday’s release.   

“Based on his vast experience and knowledge of the squad, we think he is the perfect individual to take the team through the next stage of its development,” it continued.

Xavier Gilbert, who was acting in the role of Head Coach since October 2023, will revert to his previous role as assistant coach.

Busby's first task will be to take charge of the 23-member squad which will play two international friendlies against Brazil on June 1 and June 4 in Brazil.    

Eighteen members of the group for the two games were members of Jamaica’s history-making 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup squad, while former Liverpool midfielder Jade Bailey makes a return to the team which is missing prolific striker Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw and Kalyssa 'Kiki' Van Zanten due to injuries.

The squad is set to depart for South America on May 26. 

Squad: Chantelle Swaby, Konya Plummer, Jade Bailey, Denesha Blackwood, Kayla McKenna, Allyson Swaby, Drew Spence, Atlanta Primus, Vyan Sampson, Peyton McNamara, Page Bailey-Gayle, Trudy Carter, Kameron Simmonds, Tiffany Cameron, Sydney Schneider, Rebecca Spencer, Niya Cardoza, Liya Brooks, Amelia Van Zaten, Jody Brown, Israela Groves, Davia Richards, Lauren Reid

A positive start in which they kept Canada at bay gave the Reggae Girlz and the moderate spectator turnout at the National Stadium hope that they could have pulled off a big win.

But when it mattered most, they lacked accuracy in the final third, and that, coupled with amateurish defending at times, resulted in Nichelle Prince (18^th) and the menacing Adriana Leon (90+3), putting Canada in the driver’s seat to secure the coveted spot to next year’s Olympic Games in Paris.

While the Bev Priestman-coached reigning Olympic champions will be confident heading into Tuesday's second leg, to be played before a sold-out crowd at BMO Field in Toronto, Donaldson and his team will have to pick up the pieces and get their offensive and defensive shape right in their bid to achieve an improbable win in hostile environment.

“Canada is a team that played like 100 games together. We are a team that is coming together, and we are still searching for some combinations that we think can work. Scoring goals is very difficult. I mean, we haven’t played anybody who is a slouch, so we have to get games that are winnable games for us that we can start building and building.

“But it doesn’t come easy when you play teams like Canada, France, and Brazil among others, but hopefully we can find a way to get through this situation and start scoring some more goals,” Donaldson said in his post-game press conference.

Reflecting on the performance, Donaldson pointed out that he had nothing to be satisfied with, especially in a loss where the team’s execution fell below expectations.

The Girlz throughout the contest, had some half chances fall to Cheyna Matthews, Jody Brown, Tiffany Cameron and Konya Plummer, in the latter stages. From a defensive perspective, the score could have been much wider in Canada’s favour had it not been for some excellent work from goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer.

“We had a couple of chances, and we didn’t finish them. Canada got their chance, and they finished it. For the first 50 to 60 minutes they [Canadians] were better than us moving the ball around and they did some stuff that really caught us off guard tactically. We made the adjustments but chasing a one-goal lead a lot of time you then gave up another one and that’s what happened,” Donaldson reasoned.

“There’s not a lot of satisfaction when you lose games. We weren’t as good as we should be. Maybe for first 10 or 15 minutes we got two chances that we should have done something better with.

“Canada had one and they finished it and so right there it could have been a big difference. Chasing the game is very difficult at times when you play good teams. Canada are the defending champions and I think we had forgotten that," he added.

With the situation being as it is now, Donaldson like many Reggae Girlz supporters at home and abroad, hope it will serve as added motivation for the players. 

Being more committed and focused, the tactician believes will lead to lead to a better second-leg performance, especially as they now have a very specific aim which is to not just win but win by two or more clear goals, if they are to achieve another historic feat of being the first Caribbean team to qualify for women's football at the Olympic Games.

“I think everybody should be okay and ready to go because we have to now go to Canada and change our fortunes and make something happen differently,” Donaldson declared.

Should the Girlz fail to overturn the deficit, they will next be in action against Panama and Guatemala where victories would secure their berth in next year's Concacaf Women's Gold Cup.

Canada...2

Prince (18th), Leon (90+2)

Jamaica's senior Reggae Girlz dreams of an historic Olympic Games qualification is all but up in smoke, as they suffered a 0-2 defeat to Canada in their first-leg playoff encounter at the National Stadium on Friday. 

Goals from Nichelle Prince in the 18th and the menacing Adriana Leon in the 90+2 minutes was enough to lift the Bev Priestman-coached reigning Olympic champions to a crucial advantage heading into Tuesday's second leg which will be played before a sold-out crowd at BMO Field in Toronto.

For Lorne Donaldson and his Girlz it will be a case of pulling off the improbable win in a hostile environment, if they are to progress.

The Girlz started out fairly disciplined, as they were quick on the ball and did well to contain Canada in the early exchanges. 

In fact, the Girlz looked more threatening in opening play, but their first real chance in the final third came from Deneisha Blackwood’s teasing 10^th-minute free kick, which had to be mopped up by the Canadian defenders. 

Such was the Girlz discipline when they gradually gained the ascendancy that Canada was hardly allowed to play their usual fluent passing game to get into the final third.

Instead, they were on the back foot and almost found themselves a goal down in the 14th minute. This, as Jody Brown was sent on the break by Atlanta Primus, but the diminutive forward’s shot was charged down by a defender. 

All the Reggae Girlz hard work was undone in the 18th when poor positioning by Blackwood allowed Ashley Lawrence to slip further down the right channel and deliver a weighted cross, which was expertly headed in by Prince, giving Rebecca Spencer no chance at a save.

Still, the Girlz fought on and again went close in the 29^th courtesy of Brown, who orchestrated a tidy build up and picked out Cheyna Matthews on the left, but the run amounted to nothing.

Matthews again went on the break five minutes later, as she shook her defender and should have initially struck a left footer, but was hesitant in doing so. When she belatedly got a shot off her favoured right foot, her marker had already recovered and averted the danger.

Though the score remained unchanged at half-time, the Jamaicans seemingly failed to recover from the manner in which they ended the first half. A defensive lapse immediately on the resumption allowed Leon through on goal and it took a tidy save from Spencer to deny her.

Canada again went close from the resulting corner with Prince's effort from the top of the 18-yard box rattling the crossbar. 

By virtue of pushing a high line in their probe for the equalizer, the Girlz absorbed some amount of pressure from Canada's break, as Leon got by Konya Plummer a couple of times but found Spencer in her way.

The Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper did her utmost best to keep the Girlz in the game as she was again called upon when Cloe Lacasse got away down the left channel in the 64th and struck a left-footed effort which Spencer had to parry at her near post.

The Girlz had their best chance of the second half a minute later when substitute Tiffany Cameron’s shot from a rebound went just over the crossbar, after Khadija “Bunny” Shaw's initial effort was thwarted by Vanessa Gilles. 

But just when the moderate turnout in the stadium may have harboured a glimmer of hope that the Girlz would pull one back, Leon broke their hearts with a cheeky finish at Spencer’s near post from a Julia Grosso cross to put Canada 2-0 up.

Despite being down, the Jamaicans continued the push to at least reduce the deficit, but when Plummer fired a tame left-footed effort straight at Canada’s goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, deep inside added time, it all but summed up their lukewarm evening.

Teams: Jamaica -Rebecca Spencer, Allyson Swaby, Konya Plummer, Tiernny Wiltshire, Deneisha Blackwood, Vyan Sampson, Drew Spence, Jody Brown (Solai Washington 55th), Atlanta Primus (Kayla McKenna 71st), Cheyna Matthews (Tiffany Cameron 55th), Khadija Shaw

Subs not used: Sydney Schneider, Liya Brooks, Sashana Campbell, Chantelle Swaby, Kameron Simmonds, Olufolasade Adamolekun, Trudi Carter, Shaneil Buckley, Paige Bailey-Gayle

Booked: None

Canada -Kailen Sheridan, Sydney Collins, Kadeisha Buchanan, Rebecca Quinn, Ashley Lawrence (Gabby Carle 82nd), Vanessa Gilles, Nichelle Prince (Jordyn Huitema 64th), Jessie Fleming (Julia Grosso 79th), Adriana Leon, Cloe Lacasse, Jade Rose (Shelina Zadorsky 79th)

Subs not used: Lysianne Proulx, Sabrina D'Angelo, Olivia Smith, Marie-Yasmine Alidou, Evelyne Viens, Christine Sinclair, Simi Awujo, Bianca St-Georges 

Booked: Gillies (54th), Grosso (90+5)

Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva (USA)

Assistant referees: Kathryn Nesbitt (USA); Felisha Mariscal (USA)

Fourth official: Natalie Simon (USA)

Match Commissary: Techell McLean (SKN)

Mainstay forward Khadijah Shaw got the all-important goal in the 8^th minute, but Spencer made an equally telling impact between the sticks for the team.  The goalkeeper proved to be an assured presence in controlling the area and also proved highly effective with her distribution ability.

In addition, the custodian’s acrobatic save from Mexico’s Carolina Jaramillo not only kept the Jamaicans in front but might be one of the best of the tournament so far.

“It was all about the team yesterday.  I think from front to back and obviously, the subs also came on and made a big impact in the game. So, yesterday was a real team performance,” Spencer said.

“I thought the game was good it was a really good team performance.  Scoring early on and to have the lead so long was certainly a big one for us,” she added.

The appearance was Spencer’s fifth for the national team.  The Jamaicans will next be in action against the United States on Thursday.

The victory for Australia meant that Australia would win the trophy in the four-team tournament that also involved Spain and the Czech Republic.

Goals from Katrina Gorry, Alex Chidiac and Caitlin Foord settled the matter for Australia against the Caribbean team that played well enough but for the second of three matches, failed to find the net.

The Reggae Girlz started well with Jody Brown, Spence and Kayla McCoy-McKenna posing threats that Australia managed to thwart. In defence, especially in the first quarter of the match, Jamaica were organized, repelling Australia’s attacks with aplomb.

Australia, however, broke the deadlock in the 28^th minute with a 25m rocket from Gorry that flew past Rebecca Spencer in the Jamaica goal.

Growing in confidence, the hosts took a 1-0 lead into the half-time break.

Australia would double their lead in the 56^th minute after a brilliant build up that saw Gorry take the ball to the byline before pulling it back to Chidiac who beats two defenders and power the ball into the roof of the net from five metres.

Australia sealed the issue in the 69^th when Foord and Sam Kerr execute a 1-2 pass at the edge of the box around Jamaica’s defence after which Foord curled one from 20m past Spencer.

Jody Brown was denied a consolation three minutes from time when goalkeeper Arnold parried her shot from just inside the box around the upright.

Unlike the first leg at Jamaica’s National Stadium where they were easy 2-0 winners, Canada, the reigning Olympic champions, came from behind on this occasion, to wrap up a 4-1 aggregate win and join United States as the confederation’s representatives in next year’s Paris Games.

Cloe Lacasse (39th) and substitute Jordyn Huitema (50th), did the damage for Bev Priestman’s side, after Drew Spence’s 33rd-minute strike offered Lorne Donaldson and his Reggae Girlz a glimmer of hope.

While Canada, by virtue of the win, also confirmed the second automatic spot in the Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup, the Jamaicans will have to quickly regain their confidence for meetings with Panama and Guatemala next month, which represents their opportunity to secure Gold Cup qualification.

Tuesday’s task for was always expected to be a difficult one for the Reggae Girlz, as Canada, playing at home for the first time in over a year, were brimming with confidence on the back of a two-goal advantage from the first leg.

Though Donaldson ringed in the changes, five to be exact, with talismanic striker Khadija "Bunny" Shaw and Jody Brown, out with injuries, it meant little to the Canadians, who went about business in a no-nonsense manner.

They required only two minutes to fire the first warning shot, as Adriana Leon unleashed from just outside the 18-yard box, but the effort was swallowed up by Rebecca Spencer, who produced another workmanlike performance in goal for Jamaica.

As Canada continued to show enterprise and mounted early pressure, the Reggae Girlz held their own defensively, as they ensured the opponent’s hunt for goals turned out fruitless at that point.

In fact, the Jamaicans were not without hope on the attacking front, and it was one of their occasional push forward that resulted in the opening goal.

Atlanta Primus’s initial effort from a distance was handled at the top of the arc by a defender and it was left for Spence to step up and convert a delightful free kick beating Kailen Sheridan diving full stretch to her right.

Canada launched a series of attacks in their probe for the equalizer and almost pulled level in the 35th, as a corner kick taken by Leon was headed on by Deneisha Blackwood. Fortunately for the Jamaican left-back, the crossbar was in the way.

The host again went close when Ashley Lawrence drove a stinging right-footer from a distance that Spencer tipped unto the crossbar and Primus, who dropped back to assist with defending, forced the ball out for a corner.

Leon served up a perfectly weighted delivery from the resulting corner and Lacasse rose above her markers to head home from close range to make it 1-1 heading into the break.

Though the Reggae Girlz were chasing the game, the manner in which they came out on the resumption said otherwise.

As such, their hopes of mounting a comeback were dented five minutes in, when Blackwood’s unforced error, allowed Lawrence to float a cross in for unmarked substitute Huitema to nod home.

Canada should have added another in the 62nd as another defensive error by captain Allyson Swaby, allowed another substitute, Christine Sinclair through on goal, but the legendary striker failed to add to her 190-goal tally, as her effort went straight at Spencer.

In the 72nd, Sinclair again found space in the 18-yard box for a right-footer that went just wide of the left upright.

The Girlz tried to play their game but were unable to cause any real problems in the attacking third. Instead, it was Canada, who asserted authority in the latter stages, and it took another big save from Spencer, who left her line well, to deny 19-year-old substitute Olivia Smith in time added.

The England-born goalkeeper, who started her career in the youth system at Watford before moving to Arsenal, also spent time at Nottingham Forest and Gillingham on loan, after which she travelled to France where she had a stint with ASJ Soyaux.

Spencer later returned to England and had spells at Birmingham City, Chelsea and West Ham United, but later found the right fit with her current employers Tottenham Hotspurs. 

Along the way, she was capped by England at Under-19 and Under-20 levels and also received a call-up to the senior England squad in 2016.

However, in June 2021, Spencer, who qualifies to represent Jamaica through her grandparents, made her senior international debut with the senior Reggae Girlz and was instrumental in the team’s second-consecutive World Cup qualification, as she paraded her goalkeeping skills with much gusto, particularly, at the Concacaf Women’s Championship in Mexico.

At 32 years old, the vastly experienced Spencer has no qualms in admitting that she is at a ripe age in her career, especially in an era when bright young prospects are unearthed at an increasingly earlier age, which is why she is intent on making the most of this opportunity.

In fact, she is currently facing stiff competition from 23-year-old Sydney Schneider to decide who will be the Reggae Girlz number one shot-stopper at the showpiece, with 18-year-old Liya Brooks as their understudy.

The Lorne Donaldson-coached Girlz are currently engaged in a local camp after which the tactician and his assistant Xavier Gilbert will decide on the final 23-player squad for the July 20 to August 20 World Cup.

"Personally, I want to have the best competition of my life, obviously I'm 32, so I'm not getting any younger. But you know, nothing really phases me in any situation, I kind of have a lot of experience obviously playing in England so long, so I hope I can bring that experience to the World Cup and help the team," Spencer said.

"So, I am look forward to it and hopefully I can just do my Job and be there for the team and the rest of the team will put their best foot forward as well. Like coach said our team is probably the best we have ever had so I am really confident in what we can do when we get to the World Cup. We could surprise everyone that's there," she added.

Having joked about her age declaring that some days she is reflective, it is left to be seen if Spencer will push her career to possibly make another World Cup appearance in 2027, but until then she is living in the moment and, as such, is firmly focused on steadily building towards the upcoming tournament.

"Obviously it would be a very proud moment, but I haven't thought that far ahead as yet, we still have a lot more preparation time to go that I've not let that part of it sink in as yet," Spencer said.

"I'm just focusing on camp-to-camp and at the moment my mind is fully here not the World Cup as yet. I want to get this training week out of the way and obviously, if selected, when we get to Amsterdam, it's going to give a feel of how things are going to be when we get to Melbourne. Once we get to Amsterdam, then its go time for us," she reasoned.

Many may not be aware, but Spencer, like many before her, initially started out as a striker, before finding comfort in goalkeeping, a complex position that requires physicality, strong mentality, and a highly unique set of skills. 

While every good goalkeeper must be able to produce a range of different saves, there’s a lot more to it than just technical ability. Spencer would tell you that a top goalkeeper needs to be brave, an excellent communicator, focused, determined, and, more importantly, willing to endure the criticisms and disappointments that come with the job.

"Playing football at the highest level is challenging in every moment, there are plenty of ups and downs but it's also very rewarding because I measure success through personal growth. So yes, there are disappointments but if I set certain goals for each season or a tournament and I achieve them, that's certainly a success for me," she shared.

Finally, Spencer, who pointed out that if it wasn't football, she would have enjoyed working in health care, because she enjoys taking care of people in need, welcomed the initiative by FIFA which guarantees all players at the World Cup at least US$30,000 in prize money.

"Obviously it's excellent, it's a big incentive for players and we are going to be geared up to get out of the group stages which means it could be more, but for us as players, we don't normally think about that, we normally focus on the football, but FIFA has done a great thing by doing that," she ended.