Reggae Girlz Head Coach Hubert Busby Jr says building team spirit was a key factor for him this week as they prepare for Concacaf W Qualifiers next month.

Jamaica defeated hosts Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) 4-1 in an international friendly in Couva on Tuesday, with Jody Brown scoring twice, and Natasha Thomas and Tianna Harris providing the other goals. Nikita Gosine got T&T’s goal.

Busby said it was important to continue gelling his team, as many new players have arrived over the past year. To him, it was also important for the players to understand what it means to represent Jamaica.

Now, he is happy at what he says is a sisterly bond developing in the dressing room.

“Above everything else, it’s really important for us to bring the group together and have the team chemistry and camaraderie,” Busby told journalists in a press conference ahead of the game. “That’s been this group’s superpower — the ability for them to come together and work together. The sisterhood they bring every time they walk through the door.

“What I especially love is how when a new player comes in, how they look after their younger sister, so to speak, within the group. That has been fantastic. I think that bodes well for any future team and programme, going forward. I think that’s something that we purposefully ensure that’s in place. But, again, credit to the players for taking that on and making sure that when a new player walks in that door, they understand what it means to wear the shirt, they understand what it means to be a part of something much bigger than themselves.”

But Busby has technical principles he wants the team to work on, as he feels there could have been a better performance in the game.

“In terms of our principles and the things that we have been working on, the identity of our team, we want to be good with the ball and good without it,” he said. “We want to make sure that we’re winning all transition moments. Like everything else in football, we talk about dominating set plays, and so those are the things that were our focus heading into this week.”

The Reggae Girlz, for the most part, head back to their schools and clubs across the United States and Europe; however, the local delegation remained in T&T until Friday, as Hurricane Melissa’s impact on Jamaica this week meant commercial flights into the island were temporarily grounded.

But Busby praised T&T for its hospitality shown to Jamaica’s delegation.

The team faces Dominica in their opening W Qualifier game at Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Gros Islet, St Lucia, on Saturday, November 29. The Reggae Girlz are attempting to qualify for their third successive FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Members of Jamaica’s women’s national football team take part in a training session at Winchester Park in Kingston on May 17, 2019. (Photo: AFP)

BUSBY…they understand what it means to wear the shirt, they understand what it means to be a part of something much bigger than themselves