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Coach gears up for ‘group of death’

Jamaica land toughest path to 2023 World Cup

Published:Wednesday | April 20, 2022 | 12:10 AM
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Vin Blaine.
Ricardo Makyn
Vin Blaine.
Jamaica’s Tiffany Cameron (left) is chased by Dominican Republic’s Nadia Colon during a Concacaf Women’s Championship qualification match at Sabina Park on April 12.
Gladstone Taylor
Jamaica’s Tiffany Cameron (left) is chased by Dominican Republic’s Nadia Colon during a Concacaf Women’s Championship qualification match at Sabina Park on April 12.
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JAMAICA WILL have the hardest path to qualify for the 2023 Women’s World Cup. However, national senior women’s interim head coach Vin Blaine says that he is still optimistic about their chances if their preparation matches their ambition.

Yesterday’s final round qualifying draw saw the Reggae Girlz paired with reigning world champions, the United States, Mexico and Haiti in Group A, three months before they begin their final push at the Concacaf Women’s Championship in Mexico this summer. Olympic champions Canada were drawn with Costa Rica, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago in Group B.

The magnitude of the challenge was not lost on Blaine, who said that being able to get more time with his team would be critical to their chances.

“As far as the group is concerned, we can probably look at it as the group of death. But our mind has to go away from that and we have to prepare properly,” Blaine told The Gleaner.

“I still think we have a chance. I think we have the team and players that can do it, once we put our heads to it and the training sessions and the camps to allow us to be together for a while.”

Blaine, who took over in December, said there are plans in the works to guarantee more time with his team. According to the coach, he is optimistic about getting that time, since the camps would have been necessary regardless of their opponents.

ORGANISATIONAL STAGE

“We never had more than three or four training sessions before. Now we want camps that we can have training sessions and games. We are in talks with the Jamaica Football Federation. It is in the organisational stage, but I think it’s going to happen from what I’m being told and conversations that I have been having so far,” Blaine said.

Jamaica qualified for the final round, topping their first-round group with four straight wins.

The final international match window before the start of the Concacaf Women’s Championship (July 4) is from June 20-28.

The top two teams from each group will qualify automatically for the 2023 World Cup, while the third-place teams would contest a continental play-off. The tournament will also be used as a qualifier for the 2024 Olympic Games.

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com

Final Round Draw Results

Group AUSAMexicoJamaicaHaiti

Group BCanadaCosta RicaPanamaTrinidad and Tobago