Donaldson to focus on youth ahead of World Cup preps

With an eye toward roster positions for next summer’s Women’s World Cup finals in Australia and New Zealand, senior women’s coach Lorne Donaldson says that he will focus on youth players for the next two international windows as the evaluation process begins with their upcoming friendlies against South Korea.

Donaldson released a 23-member squad on Wednesday for their international series against South Korea on September 3 and 6. The squad features players, such as Tiffany Cameron and Marlo Sweatman, who did not make the team for the Concacaf Women’s Championship last July, also features four players – Kameron Simmonds, Liya Brooks, Siobhan Wilson and Maliah Atkins – who are yet to make their senior debut.

Maliah Atkins featured in the Under 20 Concacaf Women’s Championship in March and Donaldson said that while he was aware of the task in building a squad with players in form, he is adamant about giving the younger players their opportunity to fight for places in the World Cup squad.

“We have to make sure that when we bring players in, that some are in good form and then we want to have some kind of continuity. We don’t want to leave the World Cup and say ‘what has happened to our young players?’ We didn’t give them a chance,” Donaldson told The Gleaner. “So we have to look at our young players also. Whether they can perform at this level or not we don’t know yet. But we have to bring in some and expose them to this kind of competition. (In the) next two windows we will see even younger players coming in and with other players that didn’t make this trip.

With a key area of concern being the full-back position, Donaldson said that the inclusion of Atkins as well as Wilson who plays for Birmingham City in England presents an opportunity to improve the position as well as other places in midfield and the attack.

“Atkins was the captain of the Under 20s so she has made some progress. We know Konya Plummer just had a baby and will return. Siobhan is a left-back that we can use. We are looking to strengthen that department,” Donaldson said.

With more games available for the Girlz because of the changes to the international window Donaldson has stressed the importance of club form in increasing their chances to make the World Cup team, with the talent pool more vast than the last cycle.

“I don’t think we will have camps (in between windows). We want to come in and play games. All the players should be training and playing somewhere because if they are not playing and training somewhere it’s no use bringing them in. So players have to be fit and playing at a club and then they can be invited in,” Donaldson said. The squad is scheduled to assemble in Hwaseong, South Korea on Tuesday.

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com

Jamaica squad: Sydney Schneider (Kansas City Current), Yazmeen Jamieson (Simcoe County Rovers), Chantelle Swaby (FC Fleury 91), Allyson Swaby (Angel FC), Vyan Sampson (Charlton Athletic FC), Chinyelu Asher (AIK Stockholm), Kayla McCoy (Rangers FC), Atlanta Primus ( London City FC), Marlo Sweatman (Szent Mihaly), Khadija Shaw (Manchester City), Tiernny Wiltshire (Houston Dash), Drew Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), Mireya Grey (Unattached), Trudi Carter (FC Gintra), Olufolasade Adamolekun (University of Southern California), Deneisha Blackwood (GPSO 92 ISSY), Tiffany Cameron (ETO FC Gyor), Shania Hayles (Bristol City), Kameron Simmonds (University of Tennessee), Liya Brooks (Hawaii Surf), Siobhan Wilson (Birmingham City), Giselle Washington (University of Tennessee), Maliah Atkins (University of South Dakota).