PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Jamaica Women’s Under-20 head coach Hue Menzies confirmed yesterday that recovering squad Captain Khadija Shaw will not start today’s Caribbean Football Union (CFU) final against Haiti at the Stade Sylvio Cator.

Kick-off is scheduled for 6:00 pm (5:00 Jamaica time), while the third- and fourth-place play-off between Trinidad & Tobago and Puerto Rico is set to begin at 2:00 pm Jamaica time.

Shaw has led the team with four goals so far in the tournament. But she remained on the substitutes’ bench for Wednesday’s 2-1 semi-final win over Puerto Rico due to an injury to her right knee sustained during the group game against Trinidad & Tobago on Monday.

Menzies said the versatile midfielder will start on the bench for the defending champions.

“We’ll use her if we need her. She wants to play, but we have to look at the long-term factor because she’s one of the best players in the world at her age,” Menzies told reporters.

Under treatment from team physiotherapist Ronnet Scarlet, the 18-year-old Shaw was able to take part in stretching exercises as team members went through recovery sessions to prepare them for the final — their fifth match in a torturous nine-day span.

In Shaw’s absence, Deneisha Blackwood popped up with the game-winner against Puerto Rico for her third goal of the tournament. Forward Simone Wark, who arrived in Haiti this week, scored in her first game of the tournament against the Puerto Ricans.

Menzies said he and the rest of the staff have been thorough in ensuring the players are ready for the challenge.

“We have the physio working on some of the ones that need the work and obviously we are doing a lot of individual evaluations to put in that psychological component. We are doing group meetings to go over their responsibility in the game and just reinforcing some things,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Jamaica and Haiti have secured automatic berths to the CONCACAF Round of World Cup qualifying by virtue of reaching the CFU Women’s Under-20 finals. However, the Jamaican head coach wants to go a step further by retaining the Caribbean title.

“We want to win, so we have some things we need to do to counteract what they are doing… we’ve watched them twice,” he said.

Jamaica have been unbeaten in the tournament, recording wins over St Vincent and the Grenadines and Curacao, then drawing against Trinidad & Tobago during the group stage, before clipping Puerto Rico in the semis.

Haiti lost to Puerto Rico, but rebounded to beat Bermuda and topped their three-team group before defeating Trinidad 2-0 on Wednesday.

“It’s going to be difficult and it’s going to be another test for these kids who I think have persevered through a lot of things being here. It will be good to see what some of these kids are made of from a mental standpoint to deal with the host country. Obviously there will be the crowd and noise and they [Haiti] will come in with a bit of sting on their end. They have a couple of special players, they have been a good host team and the coach has done well with them,” Menzies said.

— Sanjay Myers