They may not have been in Mexico for the Reggae Girlz’ second-consecutive Fifa Women’s World Cup qualification, but the euphoria of the historic feat still resonates well with former coaches Hue Menzies and Andrew Price.

Still, while they joined the team and, by extension, Jamaicans at home and abroad in celebrating the accomplishment which resulted from the Girlz’s 4-0 beating of neighbours Haiti in their decisive Concacaf Women’s Championship Group A encounter in Monterrey on Monday, both were mindful that the mission to build the country’s women’s football programme to its full potential is far from complete.

In fact, both were quick to point out that much more work — funding in particular — is required, as the age-old issue of little or no practice games and inadequate preparation ahead of a tournament remain sore points.

Menzies, who was at the helm when the Reggae Girlz first qualified for the France 2019 World Cup, believes repeating the feat was another show of the players’ resilience and strength of character, as they went into the qualifying tournament with a mere two weeks-plus preparation.

“I believe this qualification was another statement of the players’ dedication and commitment and determination to make Jamaica proud. They have again commanded people’s attention with this achievement but again, the programme requires more funding if they are to get much closer to these top teams,” Menzies told the Jamaica Observer.

“But I am so proud for what the programme continues to achieve, the first one [World Cup appearance in France 2019] wasn’t expected, but we were sure that the 2023 World Cup was going to be the one. So yes, the emotions are just as high as the first qualification because we wanted to build a programme and not just a team,” he added.

That said, Menzies lauded the great work done by interim Head Coach Lorne Donaldson and his technical staff in once again getting the country to the holy grail of women’s football, having taken over the programme a few weeks before the Concacaf Women’s Championship.

The Girlz win over Haiti followed a 1-0 win over Mexico to kick-start the tournament, after which they were hammered 5-0 by World champions United States.

On Monday night, Captain Khadija “Bunny” Shaw (59th, 70th) led from the front with a brace to make it three goals in the tournament and 54 overall as the country’s leading all-time scorer. Trudi Carter (26th) and Tottenham Spurs new signing Drew Spence (79th) were the other scorers.

“I thought Lorne and staff did an excelllent job on getting the Girlz recovered from game two to three. Haiti used the same players in the first two games and that for me was a crucial factor because they were done physically,” Menzies assessed.

He continued: “In a tournament like this you have to have depth in your squad and get a good rotation between games. It is a tournament and not just a game. Therefore, Will Hitzelberger, Jason Henry, Doc [Gillian Lawrence] and the massage therapist [Devin Lawson] are extremely important.

“However, at the end of the day, players win games and I thought the back five did a great job and Spence was excellent. Bunny will always show up when needed and so I wasn’t surprised by her contribution because it is in her DNA to be successful,” Menzies noted.

Still, the tactician, who also heads the Florida Kraze Krush Soccer Club in Florida, indicated that the opportunity to rewrite the history books still exists should the Girlz also secure Olympic Games qualification.

They are scheduled to play Canada in the Concacaf Women’s Championship semi-final where the winner will progress to the final to battle for automatic qualification to the 2024 Games in Paris.

“The next game is also a very important game for Olympic qualification as it can be another massive turn for the programme. So there is still more work to do both at this tournament and beyond as we need to keep building the programme,” said Menzies, who has always advocated for a proper women’s football struture in the island.

Meanwhile, Price, who along with Donaldson, was an assistant to Menzies during the 2019 success, pointed out that the lhard work and sacrifice made by the players will never truly be understood by those standing on the outside looking in.

As it was when he was a part of the programme, Price said the Girlz — backed by a committed and resolute coaching staff which did its utmost to ensure another qualification — again forged ahead despite the enormous disparity in rankings, history, funding and support when compared to opponents like United States and Mexico.

“It’s all about looking at the reality of the situation and understanding that it’s going to take us some time and serious funding to beat the big world powers, but until then, we can dominate the other teams in Concacaf and it was proven last night,” Price told the Observer.

“One cannot help but stand in admiration of our Girlz; they are indeed patriotic stars. They played well, they played with heart and we have to give them credit. With very little preparation they were able to go into Monterrey with a firm belief in confidence and were able to put in a good shift and the emotions reflect those from 2018 because like it was back then, the odds were against,” he added.

Like Menzies, Price explained that he always believed in the team’s quality given the growth of the programme in adding several English-based professionals.

“I always felt that this team was a better team than the one that qualified in 2018, more experienced and quality players, great professionals and they showed their class. To recover within 48 hours and get themselves prepared for the [Haiti] game is amazing.

“The tournament isn’t one or two games, so to have the team conditioned in that short period of time with a lack of practice games is a monumental achievement and the coaching staff and medical staff must get credit for the work done in getting the ladies ready for last night (Monday night).

“They were outstanding and cohesive as a unit and really put the Haitian team under pressure. The Girlz again demonstrated grit and determination by putting their hands up and it’s a little deja vu because they did the same thing in 2018 in Texas when we lost to the US, regrouped and beat Panama in the third-place game,” Price noted.

“But the real work begins now because we need the requisite preparation for the World Cup. We don’t want to go to the World Cup just to be a participant; we want to compete and of course we are eyeing the Olympics as well.

“A tough match against Canada on Thursday and we are up for it and I’m sure the Girlz will put in another decent shift. Let us continue building and working, enjoy this one, and get ready for Thursday with the hope of qualifying for the Olympics. Nothing is impossible once they put their minds to it,” the veteran tactician ended.