2 months ago
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REGGAE GIRLZ assistant coach Deon Burton wants his charges to take advantage of the experience from playing three of the teams ranked within the top 20 of the FIFA Women’s World Rankings.
The Reggae Girlz have played in several high-level fixtures over the past year, coming face to face against France, ranked 11th in the world, Brazil, ranked eighth, and the United States, ranked first.
Along with an upcoming fixture later this month against England, ranked fourth, Burton said it is a positive sign for the team to be competitive against several of the world’s best teams.
“The calibre of opposition that we have been playing recently shows that one, we’re privileged to be able to play them and be asked to play them in certain situations, but also be able to pit our wits against top-quality opponents and it will only make us better,” Burton explained
The Girlz have not had a good record against high-level opponents though, failing to secure a positive result.
Jamaica’s only victories over the past two years have come in their international friendlies against South Africa and Peru, ranked 54th and 77th respectively.
Burton said while results are important, the objective from their games is to gain experience.
“No matter the result, the experience and putting ourselves into unknown territory as such with great opponents, it can only benefit us in the long run,” Burton said.
“We’re all professional, we all want to win and no one wants to win more than me. But we have to look at the bigger picture, like I keep coming back to, it’s as long as we’re developing and learning and the information is getting in to the players and they’re understanding their jobs and responsibilities,” he continued.
“The end goal is the World Cup Qualifiers, so these friendlies are just a facilitation of that and to help us on our journey to get us where we want to get.”
His sentiments were echoed by the Girlz defensive leader and captain Allyson Swaby.
Swaby believes as a professional player and as a team, it is always important to test yourself against the best opponents available.
She said the experience against the world’s best teams will only prove beneficial when the team is competing in major tournaments.
“I think ultimately as a high-level player, you always want to have the opportunity to test yourself against the strongest oppositions,” she said.
“I think for us, it is just about using this as an opportunity to build and to be prepared for major tournaments when we will face world-class calibre oppositions.”
The Concacaf W Championship, which serves as qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, is set to begin in November next year.
The Reggae Girlz, who are unlikely to qualify as a seeded team due to their FIFA ranking, will have to first compete in the Concacaf W Championship Qualifiers set for October this year.
English (US) ·