Uphill battle
Reggae Girlz face United-States-sized hurdle for Under-17 World Cup qualification
Published:Wednesday | May 4, 2022 | 12:09 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
National under-17 women’s head coach, Dane Chambers, was adamant that Jamaica would have to beat the best to realise their dream of qualifying for the Under-17 FIFA Women’s World Cup - today he will have to do just that.
The United States, who the young Reggae Girlz face this afternoon in the quarter-finals of the Under-17 Concacaf Women’s Championship at the Estadio Panamericano in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, at 3:00 p.m., are just that, the best.
It will be the second meeting between Reggae Girlz and the Americans in tournament history and their third meeting overall. Their last Concacaf Under-17 Championship encounter was in 2013 when Jamaica lost 8-0 in the third-place play-off. Jamaica was the host country that year and their fourth-place finish remains, to this day, their best-ever effort.
Jamaica have had an unbeaten run to the quarter-finals, finishing group play with wins against Bermuda and the Dominican Republic and a draw against Canada and proceeded to the round of 16 where they dispatched Cuba 4-0 on Sunday. Despite that run, Chambers believes his team is capable of further improvement.
“It’s a team effort. They are working together, they are enjoying the moment and I think that the best is yet to come for this team. And I know that they can do much better than what you are seeing now,” Chambers told The Gleaner.
This United States team is a relatively new batch, formed because of the constraints placed by the COVID-19 pandemic. All members of the squad made their international debuts during this tournament.
Despite their international inexperience, the United States have been relentless on their road to the quarter-finals. They have scored 49 goals in their four games, including an 11-0 thrashing of Curaçao in the round of 16.
Chambers is hoping that forward Natoya Atkinson can continue her goalscoring form against the Americans. She currently leads the team with five goals from four games.
Atkinson started on the bench for Jamaica’s first two games but has eased her way into the starting 11 for the last two fixtures, her play a big reason for Chambers to give her starting duties.
“We knew we had to get her in early, so I chose to start her(vs Canada) and she has been playing really well,” Chambers said.
Chambers understands that his charges are massive underdogs, but still the coach believes this is not a foregone conclusion.
“I’ve always said to them that they must remain humble, be honest but remain hungry and focused. Because if you are here for a championship, if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. If you want to get to the World Cup, that’s what it takes,” Chambers said.
Jamaica will have to find a way to deal with the United States’ Amalia Villarreal, the team’s top scorer with seven.
But in addition, the young Reggae Girlz will have to deal with a United States line-up that has found goals from 14 different players in this tournament.