National senior women’s football team Assistant Coach Xavier Gilbert is optimistic about the Reggae Girlz’s preparations for the challenge against Brazil as the team leaves the island today for the two international friendly matches.

The first match is scheduled for June 1 in Recife, and the second game will take place in Salvador on June 4.

Despite a few injuries, Gilbert said that the returning players who featured in the FIFA Women’s World Cup last year are in good shape and have been performing well for their clubs, while the inclusion of young players who performed well in the Concacaf W Gold Cup qualifiers is also a positive sign for the team.

“Of course, there are a couple of injuries, but for the most part they are okay,” Gilbert told the Jamaica Observer. “A lot of the returning players were playing up to last weekend, which is good. That means they are in shape and healthy and doing well for their respective clubs, and that’s a good sign.

“It’s good to see how they are fitting in and it goes to show their performances during the period are also being rewarded.”

The team’s goal is to win but also to develop and prepare for major games in the future, and Gilbert is aware of the challenges they may face but is looking forward to the opportunity to compete and perform at their best.

“Of course, we can beat them [Brazil],” he said. “Once you go in the game, we always go in there to win. It’s going to be extremely competitive and it’s going to be difficult. Of course, we know that. Players are fighting for the spots.

“They are preparing for the Olympics as well. It’s going to be a team effort. Their players are going to be much more focused and want to perform. We know the challenges that we might face. Nevertheless, we are looking for that. We just want to have the best performance and the focus for us.”

The Reggae Girlz created Jamaican sporting history at the World Cup by securing a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Brazil, leading to Brazil’s elimination from the group stage for the first time since 1995.

It also meant they were the first Caribbean team ever to advance to the knockout stages of the Women’s World Cup.

Gilbert emphasises the importance of staying organised and focused and learning from past experiences, such as the games against Australia, Spain, and the Czech Republic in warm-up games ahead of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup to improve and grow as a team.

“It’s going to be tough, but I think we have to stay organised,” he said. “That’s going to be our main focus, making sure that we stay organised. We are looking at the bigger picture as well. We have to lay down our identity, how we want to play. It’s a process. We want to always compete against top-playing nations.

“I think that is what is going to propel us moving up the ranks and consistently being well on the world stage. I remember when we played those three games against Australia, Spain, and Czech Republic. “We didn’t win any game, but the writing was on the wall in terms of what we think we were able to do because of some of the things that the players were exposed to.

”How do we fix those problems? Those games did well for us. It’s not for us to be competitive. We always have to play some of these top playing nations for us to compete and grow and develop our players.”

Gilbert acknowledges that playing against Brazil, a team with a rich history and serious approach to football, will be a tough challenge but also a great opportunity to compete against a top nation and develop the team’s identity and playing style.

“It is a good feeling playing against Brazil,” he said. “We knocked them out of the World Cup. Most Jamaicans love Brazil, including myself. It’s a joy to play in Brazil and we are looking forward to it. I went there in 2008-2009 and it’s a rich history, and they are serious about their football.

“It’s a pleasure to go down there and play. There are quite a lot of players. They did well in the Gold Cup as they went all the way to the finals and we are mindful of this. It’s a transitional period for them too, with different coaches and new players coming in, but they have a mixture of experience.”