Jamaica's U-20 Reggae Girlz Head Coach, Hugh Bradford, is gearing up for what he believes will be one of the most challenging and demanding Concacaf Women's Under-20 Championships in the country's history. However, Bradford remains confident in the depth of his 20-player squad, which he expects to showcase their competitiveness and secure a historic spot at the FIFA Women's Under-20 World Cup next year.
In the first phase of qualifiers, the young Reggae Girlz displayed their prowess by defeating Anguilla 6-0, Bermuda 2-0, and Honduras by a similar scoreline, securing the top spot in their group. However, their upcoming matches in Group A will prove to be tougher, as they face the defending seven-time champions, the United States, along with another powerhouse, Canada, and Panama.
Their campaign kicks off against Canada on Wednesday at 3:00 pm, followed by a clash with the United States two days later at 5:00 pm, and concluding with a match against Panama on Sunday at 2:00 pm. Meanwhile, Group B will witness Mexico, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and the host nation Dominican Republic battling it out.
To strengthen the team's chances, Bradford made eight changes to the squad that excelled in the first phase of qualifying. These alterations indicate his determination to secure one of the three World Cup spots up for grabs.
"Our expectation is to qualify, but we are aware of the challenges that lie ahead due to the tough draw. Therefore, we are taking it one game at a time and aiming to perform at our best in each match," stated Bradford. He emphasized the importance of depth at this stage, noting that the young ladies, especially those who were part of the previous tournament in Nicaragua, have demonstrated their determination to fight for World Cup qualification.
Among the new additions to the squad are defender Amelia Van Zanten, sister of senior Reggae Girlz winger Kalyssa "Kiki" Van Zanten, and West Bromwich Albion's Una Moy Lue. Additionally, players such as Canada-born Taijah Fraser, as well as American-born athletes Kaitlyn Ennis, Anaiyah Robinson, Njeri Butts, and Njeri Lewis, have caught Bradford's attention.
Despite facing challenges in achieving team cohesion due to unavailability for a planned camp before departure, Bradford remains optimistic about his team's ability to overcome the stiff competition. He explained that while it's beneficial for players to get touches on the ball, the local league doesn't fully prepare them for the tournament's intensity. Consequently, Bradford incorporated new players into the squad to bring a fresh dynamic to their gameplay. He believes that with the right application, the team will compete strongly in the tournament, which promises to be both demanding and exciting.
Following the round-robin stage, the two best teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage. The finalists and the third-placed team will secure qualification for next year's World Cup.
Jamaica's highest placement in the Concacaf Women's Championship, during its 12 appearances, was a fourth-place finish in 2006. Jody Brown, a diminutive forward, holds the record for the country's all-time leading scorer in the tournament, with nine goals.
Squad: Andrene Smith, Shaneil Buckley, Una Moy Lue, Davia Richards, Liha Williams, Taijah Fraser, Tiny Seaton, Kaitlyn Ennis, Natoya Atkinson, Destiny Powell, Akeila Johnson, Janiel Mignott, Amelia Zanten, Liya Brooks, Avery Johnson, Maya Raghunandanan,
Jamaica’s Under-20 Reggae Boyz secured a spot in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Concacaf Under-20 Championship on Sunday with a 2-1 win over Haiti at the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano in San Pedro Sula.
Reading striker Jahmari Clarke gave the Jamaicans an early lead in the fourth minute, a lead they held for the rest of the first half.
Five minutes after the restart, however, Steevenson Jeudy got Haiti’s equalizer before Tarick Ximines scored Jamaica’s winner with six minutes remaining.
Jamaica will tackle the Dominican Republic, which advanced following a thrilling 5-4 victory over El Salvador last Wednesday.
The other quarterfinals will see the USA opposing Costa Rica and hosts Honduras squaring off against Panama on Tuesday while the second game on Wednesday will see Mexico battling Guatemala.
Jamaica’s Under-20 Reggae Boyz suffered a humiliating 5-0 defeat to hosts Honduras in their second game at the Concacaf Under-20 Championships at the Estadio Francisco Morazan in San Pedro Sula on Monday.
The hosts took an early lead through a Marco Aceituno header in the third minute.
The lead was doubled when Aceituno got his second of the game after Jamaican goalkeeper Coniah Boyce-Clarke failed to block his left-footed strike from inside the box.
The young Reggae Boyz’ task was made more difficult when they were reduced to 10 men after Lamont Rochester was sent off in first half stoppage time.
The start of the second half brought no extra luck for the Jamaicans as Isaac Castillo slotted home to make it 3-0 for Honduras in the 48th minute.
The hosts got a fourth in the 58th minute through substitute Jefry Macias.
The scoring was completed in the 84th minute when Macias got his second goal to make it 5-0.
Honduras now leads Group D with six points from two games while Jamaica sits third with one.
Costa Rica got a 3-0 win over Antigua and Barbuda in Monday’s other Group D game to move to four points while their opponents have two losses.
Wednesday will see Jamaica play the Antiguans while Honduras will do battle with Costa Rica.
Jamaica's young Reggae Boyz have been drawn in Group H of the Concacaf U20 Championship, which will take place in Honduras later this month.
The fixture will see the team play Costa Rica on June 18, hosts Honduras on June 20, and Antigua and Barbuda on June 22 in the preliminary round.
After Group Stage play the top three teams in each of the groups will advance to the Round of 16, joining the four CMU20C Qualifiers winners (qualifiers between the lowest-ranked nations took place in November 2021).
The 16-team Knockout Stage will begin with the Round of 16 (June 25-26), followed by the Quarterfinals (June 29), Semifinals (July 1), and Final (July 3).
The top four teams will qualify for the FIFA Men’s U-20 World Cup in Indonesia in 2023. Jamaica qualified for the FIFA World U20 Championship in 2001.
Jamaica U-20 squad
Haiti and Guatemala confirmed their progression from Group B of the CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship after playing out a 1-1 draw, at the San Cristobal Pan-American Stadium, in the Dominican Republic on Monday.
The Guatemalans took the lead in the 21st minute through Celsa Sandoval before Haiti got their equalizer on the stroke of halftime through Rose-Alya Marcellus. Both teams got one red card each with Lesly Hernandez being dismissed for the Guatemalans and Withmilla Alcide seeing red for the Haitians.
With three teams advancing from each group and one match left in group play, Haiti and Guatemala both have four points to be first and second, while Jamaica are third on three points. Cuba sits last in the Group without a point.
The young Reggae Girlz will now go into their last match with Haiti knowing that a win, draw or a Cuban loss to Guatemala will be enough to send them through to the round of 16 stage. Both matches will be played on Wednesday.
Suriname, The Cayman Islands, Curacao, and Bermuda all automatically advanced to the round of 16 through the qualifying tournament, while the other 12 teams to advance alongside them will be determined by group play.
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