Jamaica international Leon Bailey has vowed to silence his critics ahead of the new season after an underwhelming start to life in English topflight football.
The 24-year-old winger joined English Premier League (EPL) club Aston Villa last summer amid a flurry of high expectations for everyone involved in the deal. The player has, so far, failed to live up to many of those expectations.
Bailey’s problems have in the main stemmed from being unable to take the pitch. Two thigh injuries and an ankle injury saw the players miss significant time on the sideline. In fact, the forward has only been able to take part in 18 matches, with just 7 starts.
The player has given glimpses of his tremendous potential in a cameo against Everton last September, assisting one goal before scoring a belter. Bailey suffered a season-ending injury but has since returned to action for the Jamaica national team where he scored in the CONCACAF Nation’s League. It is a trend the forward intends to continue.
“Talk the same talk you did last season,” Bailey warned his critics via Instagram.
“New season incoming, I’m coming for everything they said I couldn’t achieve, mark my words.”
Reggae Girlz head coach Lorne Donaldson believes the team will have to play its best game against Haiti if it is to secure one of the automatic spots to the FIFA women’s World Cup from the Concacaf W Championship.
Locked on three points each after two games, the Caribbean teams are set for a winner-take-all showdown on Monday, which will see the victor secure a spot at the global football showpiece event next year.
The stakes of the game will be even higher for the Reggae Girlz who must win to advance as they will head into the encounter trailing but goal difference. By most metrics, the Haitian team has had a more impressive tournament to date.
The team began with a strong showing against the United States, who defeated them 3-0, a score that based on the run of play slightly flattered the Americans. The USA went on to defeat the Jamaicans 5-0. In their second match, the Haitians went on to devastate hosts Mexico 3-0. The Jamaicans had only defeated the Mexicans 1-0, albeit missing several other presentable opportunities to score. The Haitians unit has so shown a high level of fitness, skill, and extraordinary organization. It is a challenge Donaldson believes the team can meet.
“Coming into the tournament I always said Haiti would have a big part to play in this tournament. They have been to the last U-17 championship, and they have been to the last U-20 championship. So, people don’t understand the type of players Haiti has, they all play in France,” Donaldson said.
“Their fitness is what most impresses me, their discipline, they have been playing together as a group for a long time. They are well organized. We have to go in now and try to execute. We have to play one of our best games and we have to play football to win,” he added.
“If coming into the tournament, myself, the players if you had offered us this situation to be in, we would have taken it.”
Haiti leapfrogged Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz on the back of a five-star performance against Mexico, which saw them down the host 3-0 in the second match of the Group A Concacaf W Championship on Thursday.
This result also means the United States cannot finish lower than second place in the group and has officially qualified for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
The match started on a high for Haiti. In the 13th minute, Mexican defender Stephany Mayor committed a foul in the area and the referee awarded Haiti a penalty. Roselord Borgella calmly scored her first goal for Haiti in this round of the qualifiers.
Haiti kept pushing and in the 29th, Borgella scored what seemed to be the second goal of the match but after a VAR review, was judged to be in an offside position.
The irrepressible Haitians looked a constant threat and got another opportunity to add to the lead in the 65th minute when GK Emily Alvarado brought down Nérilia Mondésir in the area. Mondesir stepped up and scored the second goal of the match for her team.
Mexico’s faint comeback hopes received a fatal blow in the 77th minute when centre half Greta Espinoza received a yellow card but saw it upgraded to a red card after a VAR review.
A minute later, Sherly Jeudy stepped up to score a sensational freekick for Haiti, which flew over the wall and arrowed into the top left corner of the goal. The win was the first time that the Caribbean side has beaten Mexico in a CWC match and saw them move past Jamaica into second in the group on goal difference.
Mexico will close out group play with a match against the now-qualified USA, while Haiti will tackle Jamaica in a winner take all showdown for the next available spot from Group A.
Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz suffered a setback in the bid to qualify for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup following a 5-0 loss to world champions the United States, in the Concacaf W Championship on Thursday.
The loss was the first for the team in group A, after opening its campaign with a 1-0 over hosts Mexico. It did not take an industriously starting United States long to get on the score sheet as they broke the deadlock in the 5th minute courtesy of the boot of Sophia Smith.
The player doubled the lead just three minutes after with a lob over the head of Jamaica goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer, which looked to have been cleared off the line, but was judged to have crossed it.
A dominant performance for the Stars and Stripes continued in the second half when Rose Lavelle fired wide of Spencer after a 14-minute spell of resistance for the Jamaicans. With the game winding down substitute Paige Bailey-Gayle brought down Margaret Purce and Kristie Mewis scored the resulting penalty in the 84th minute. Substitute Trinity Rodman completed the rout with a goal two minutes later. The win saw the United States stay at the top of the group with 6 points, while Jamaica were second with 3 but with Haiti and Mexico yet to play in the later game.
Jamaica Reggae Girlz head coach, Lorne Donaldson, is hoping for sharper finishing in front of goal against the United States but expects that to continue improving as the team gets more games under its belt.
The Jamaicans kicked off the Concacaf W Championship in impressive fashion with a 1-0 win over hosts Mexico on Monday. The team, however, in all likelihood could and should have won by a bigger margin having created several clear-cut opportunities throughout the match.
Most notably, Khadijah Shaw scored the all-important goal but also hit the upright in the second half, while attempting to chip Mexican goalkeeper Emily Alvarado. Forward Jody Brown was also guilty of a bit of profligacy, after being played through clean on goal on three occasions but picking out the keeper with all three attempts.
With the Reggae Girlz scheduled to tackle the world's number one ranked the United States on Thursday, such opportunities are likely to be few and far between. Donaldson was quick to point out, however, that attacking coordination and finishing in front of the goal takes time to develop and time is a luxury that the team did not have in its preparation for the tournament.
“The sharpness up front takes time (to develop) and we had no games coming in. Two weeks of preparation was all we had to get the group together. Some of the team came in a little unfit so we tried to spend some time getting the fitness up,” Donaldson said.
“So, for that sharpness, hopefully, our instincts will kick in, because the hardest part of the game is to get your finishing touch and we saw that. So hopefully, we will have a bit more luck and do a better job in that department.”
The top two teams from each group will advance to the next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Substitute Julia Grosso scored a brace as a rampaging Canada attack eventually wore down Trinidad and Tobago in a 6-0 win at the Concacaf W Championship on Wednesday night.
Talismanic striker Christine Sinclair was in the right place, in the 27th minute, to meet an Ashley Lawrence cross to score the first goal for the Canadian side. The goal moved Sinclair to 190 goals in 311 international games.
Canada kept pushing and in the 32nd minute, after a VAR review, the referee Katia Garcia awarded a penalty for Canada. Jessie Fleming stepped to the spot but missed the chance to extend the advantage by sending the shot over the crossbar.
Canada didn’t slow down in the second half though and kept trying to add to their goal count, but the Trinidad & Tobago defensive line, led by GK Kimika Forbes, stood firm and kept it a one-goal game past the hour mark.
But in the 67th, after enterprising play and a backheel pass from Jordyn Huitema, Grosso managed to extend the team’s lead with a good finish for her first international goal.
Grosso didn’t stop there. In the 78th, she scored her second goal of the night, increasing the Canada lead to 3-0. Fleming then redeemed her earlier miss and scored the fourth goal for Canada in the 84th.
After positive attacking play all match, Janine Beckie made it 5-0 in the 86th and then stepped into the role of playmaker in the 91st, assisting Jordyn Huitema, who scored the sixth goal of the night for her fifth career CWC goal.
The Olympic champions will next face Panama to try to remain Group B leaders, while Trinidad & Tobago will be tested against Costa Rica.
Jamaica Reggae Girlz goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer expressed satisfaction with the strength of the team’s overall performance in an opening day win over hosts Mexico in the Concacaf Women's Championship.
Mainstay forward Khadijah Shaw got the all-important goal in the 8th 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.
Reggae Girlz coach Lorne Donaldson has commended the team’s work ethic and fighting spirit in an important 1-0 over hosts Mexico to kickstart the Concacaf Women’s Championships on Monday.
The team’s talismanic strike Khadija Shaw got the decisive goal in the 8th minute and secured all three points, which could yet prove telling in the competition’s group of death.
With the top-seeded United States and Haiti still to come, in the competitive group A, maximum points was a welcome start for the Jamaica team who have not had the smoothest build-up to the tournament.
“We came into this game without even playing a practice game, but we went to Colorado and we trained a bit,” Donaldson said.
“I’m very proud of the girls, proud of the way we fought all night and I think the training we did in preparation helped. I’m very proud of the girls, I give them all the credit, I just stand on the sideline and point my fingers and they do all the work.”
The Jamaicans will next be in action on Thursday when they tackle the world’s top-ranked women’s team The United States.
The second match of Day 1 in Group A action at the 2022 Concacaf W Championship in Monterrey, played on Monday at the Estadio Universitario, saw Jamaica down host nation Mexico 1-0.
Jamaica got their goal early from Khadija Shaw in the 8’ via a free kick by Deneisha Blackwood, with the ball finding Shaw and the forward scoring with a header to open the Jamaican goal count in the CWC. With this goal, Shaw ties Jody Brown for most CWC goals by a Jamaican player with four.
Mexico looked to respond and in the 15’ Diana Ordonez almost equalized the game with a header but was denied by the goalpost.
Jamaica GK Rebecca Spencer came up with a big save in the 28’ by denying Carolina Jaramillo a goal after she tried a long-distance shot, resulting in a corner kick that the Mexican side didn’t take advantage of.
In the 35’, after a VAR review, the referee ruled in favor of a penalty for Jamaica after Mexico’s Casandra Montero committed a handball in the area. Havana Solaun was the one who took the ball, missing the chance of extending the Jamaica advantage by sending it over the crossbar.
They were more chances starting in the second half, as Shaw tried to surprise the Mexican front again, but was denied the 2-0 lead by the goalpost. Ordonez, in the 54’, had the equalizer again, but barely missed a header that would have been an assist by Bianca Sierra.
Mexico kept pushing as Joseline Montoya, subbed on in the 80’, put a ball in the area but the Jamaican defense were there, ready to cover it.
With this result, Jamaica earned their first win over Mexico in a CWC match, making their overall record 1W-0D-3L.
The next opportunity for Mexico will be against Haiti, while Jamaica's next challenge will be against the United States.
West Indies coach Phil Simmons was satisfied the team was on the right path in the first T20 international against Bangladesh before the match was called off due to rain.
Pace bowler Romario Sheperd had captured 3 for 21 and led the way for the West Indies who reduced Bangladesh to 105 for 8 from 13 overs after the match had been reduced to 14 for each team after early showers delayed the start of play.
When play did begin, Munim Shahriar was dismissed in the first over, putting Bangladesh immediately on the back foot at 2 for 1. From there the team lost wickets at regular intervals, with Shakib Al Hasan providing the most resistance with 29 from 15.
Hayden Walsh Jr was the next most successful bowler for the West Indies after taking 2 for 24.
“I think we are getting to where we want to be. The aggression was there, the guys ran in and hit the wicket. They made Bangladesh play,” Simmons said after the match was called off.
“We took four wickets early on and I think we did the right things today. In the field we took all the catches that came to us, so we did all the right things.”
The teams are scheduled to play the second match of the series on Sunday at the Windsor Park Stadium in Dominica.
West Indies Women all-rounder Deandra Dottin has been signed by Lancashire Thunder ahead of the start of the team’s T20 competition for the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.
Dottin recently missed out on taking part in the CG Insurance Regional Super50 championship, for Barbados, after taking time to recover from an injury. The player, however, left for England earlier this week and is expected to be available for the team’s first match against Northern Diamonds on Sunday.
The all-rounder will be available for the team’s first four matches in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy before joining up with Manchester Originals for The Hundred at the beginning of August. For her part, the player is looking forward to joining the team for the inaugural competition.
“I am really excited to be in Manchester and ready to play in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for the first time with the Thunder,” Dottin said.
“I already know a few members of the squad following my time in the KSL six years ago and it will be a good opportunity to reunite with them and have some more fun playing cricket here.
“I am looking forward to playing at Emirates Old Trafford again, one of my favourite grounds in cricket.”
Polish Indoor champion Ewa Swoboda is looking forward to facing decorated Jamaica sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce at the Wanda Diamond League in August.
The duo has been booked to face off in the 100m, an event that the Jamaican has so far shown strong form in this season. Fraser-Pryce has clocked the fastest time in the world so far this season, courtesy of a 10.67 clocking in Nairobi in May, which was equalled, in France, in June.
Swoboda, for her part, improved her personal best to 11.05 in Paris last month.
"I feel proud to have my name mentioned alongside Shelly-Ann's. She is an icon," Swoboda said.
"Each athlete dreams of achieving at least half of what Fraser-Pryce has and to stay at the top for this long,” she added.
"I hope it will be the best women's 100m race ever to take place on Polish soil. On 6 August I would like to finish as close to the legend as possible."
The two could, however, could also meet at the Oregon World Championships later this month, where Fraser-Pryce will be looking to defend her world title.
American-born Andrew Hudson will not be able to represent Jamaica at the upcoming World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, despite winning the 200m event at the Jamaica National Championships.
Hudson stunned onlookers at the country’s national trials after finishing ahead of pre-race favourite and 2011 World Champion Yohan Blake, with Nigel Ellis finishing in third place.
Hudson was one of three athletes who applied to the Jamaica Athletic Administrative Association to switch allegiance and were approved to compete at the championships. The JAAA was optimistic regarding the athlete being given clearance to represent the country before the World Championships in Oregon.
According to a release, however, the athletes will not receive clearance in time for the games. Hudson will as a result not be eligible to compete for Jamaica until July 28th and has been replaced by fourth-place finisher Akeem Bloomfield in the 200m. The JAAA also released the rest of the squad.
Jamaica international Ravel Morrison will once again be on the move after announcing his departure from English club Derby County.
The 29-year-old former standout youth prospect signed with the then Championship club at the start of last summer, following his release by Dutch side ADO Den Haag. The midfielder went on to have a decent campaign for derby, scoring 5 goals in 37 appearances.
Following the club’s relegation from the second division, however, a number of players and the team’s manager, former Manchester United star Wayne Rooney, have announced their departure. The Reggae Boy confirmed his departure from Pride Park via social media platform Instagram.
Thank you @dcfcofficial all the players, staff & fans for making me feel at home, was a season full of ups and downs but was a real honour to be part of such a wonderful club," Morrison wrote.
"I wish everyone at the club success moving forward."
The player has had loan spells with Birmingham City, QPR, and Cardiff City and spells aboard with Lazio, Atlas, and Ostersund. He returned to Sheffield United in 2019 for a season, before another single season in the Netherlands concluded with him moving to the East Midlands.
Grenadian Javelin World Champion Anderson Peters is convinced the upcoming edition of the tournament in Eugene, Oregon will be an open affair with several men capable of winning the title.
On Thursday, Peters threw 90.31 to win the event at the Stockholm Diamond League meet, ahead of Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra of India who recorded 89.94 for a new personal best and national record. Germany’s Julian Weber was third with 89.08 and The Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch, who has thrown the second-longest distance this season, was fourth.
It is Peters who has put together the most impressive resume this season, however, holding the world lead of 93.07 and winning 8 of 11 events he has taken part in so far. The thrower, however, believes he is yet to discover his best form and admits he is not yet fully fit.
“I am not really in a great shape - I have suffered a back injury. It is still getting better but I hope to be back in really good shape soon,” Anderson said following the meet.
“Getting the 90m throw was really good, I was very much motivated by Neeraj to get a 90m throw because he started the competition with a PB and a NR and that was pretty good for the start,” he added.
Ahead of the event in Oregon, the thrower is hoping to be in top shape.
“I am thinking about it - not having the minor injuries and I hope when I am like 100 percent fit, I want to see what the result would be. When I am able to get the technique, to get the rhythm, and my body would be 100 percent ready, I really want to see the result,” Peters said.
“The more I compete, the better I become…In Eugene, it will be anybody´s game”
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