Following their 0-4 loss to Canada in the opening game of Group A in the Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship on Friday and with only two teams progressing from the group, the young Reggae Girlz task of advancing will be even more difficult today when they face defending champion USA.

The game is scheduled to begin at 5:00 pm (Jamaica time) at the Estadio Felix Sanchez in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. In the other Group A match, Canada will face Panama at the same location at 2:00 pm.

Anabelle Chukwu (39th and 45th minutes) scored a brace for Canada, while Olivia Smith (56th minute) and substitute Renee Watson (90+4 minute) made sure that their team took all three points.

Jamaica will have to produce something special against the USA, who blanked Panama 6-0 to grab the group lead. Ally Sentnor scored twice in the 41st and 49th minutes for USA, while Jordynn Dudley (first minute), Katherine Rader (45 minute), Lauren Martinho (64 minute), and Ally Lemos (71st minute) each scored once.

Meanwhile, Canada could have won by a larger margin had it not been for Captain Liya Brooks’s excellent glove work in goal as the Young Reggae Girlz, who were expected to use their pace and athleticism to good effect, offered very little in defence and offence.

The North Americans dominated possession, demonstrating quality both on and off the ball and were also fluid in their transitions play.

Aside from a handful of warning shots, the young Reggae Girlz never bothered Canada’s Faith Fenwick.

After Jamaica were forced to withdraw Tiny Seaton in the 36th minute when she was injured in a head collision with teammate Njeri Lewis, Canada took advantage of the weakened defensive line and broke the tie when Chukwu muscled her way into the 18-yard box and comfortably fired past Brooks.

Chukwu added a second when she dispossessed Destiny Powell and made no mistakes in a one-on-one scenario with Brooks, putting Canada up 2-0 at the half.

On the restart, Canada kept their dominance and should have extended their lead four minutes in when Amanda Allen found Chukwu deep within the six-yard box. However, the striker, wearing the number nine shirt, shot her left-footer wide from close range.

They made amends in the 56th minute with a well-executed team move that culminated with Captain Florianne Jourde laying off a pass for Smith, who drove a right-footed strike to Brooks’s weaker left side.

Jourde tried her range in the 62nd minute with a stinging left-footer from about 20 yards out, but the shot was well saved by Brooks diving full stretch to her right, with space opened up for Canada’s attackers to do as they pleased.

Soon after, another long-range attempt was fired, this time from the left foot, which beat Brooks but came back off the crossbar.

Brooks, who has recently been the understudy to veteran Reggae Girlz rivals Rebecca Spencer and Sydney Schneider, came up huge again to stop Kayla Briggs’ 73rd-minute close-range attempt.

However, a defensive breakdown allowed Canada to add another when Nyah Rose passed off a pass for the approaching Watson to finish with aplomb in time added.

Group B will be decided by Mexico, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic.

The top three teams will represent Concacaf at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2024.