WHILE full of praise for the Reggae Girlz’s quality, former Head Coach Charles Edwards and former Assistant Coach Andrew Price believe thorough preparation will be crucial in their push for World Cup and Olympic qualification later this year.

The national senior women’s team are a win away from competing at a third-consecutive FIFA Women’s World Cup as they take on Costa Rica in the Concacaf Women’s Championship quarter-finals in Texas in November. Jamaica topped Group B of the Championships qualifiers after winning all four games, including their 2-0 win over Guyana last Saturday at the National Stadium.

Victory over the Costa Ricans will not only secure a spot at next year’s showpiece in Brazil but potentially lead to a historic debut at the Los Angeles (LA) Olympics in 2028.

Edwards, who led the team from 2007 to 2008, says qualification would cement Jamaica’s status as one of the region’s best teams in history.

“I think for the GIrlz to make it at three-peat would be a significant accomplishment,” he told the Jamaica Observer. “That has never been done in the English-speaking Caribbean, and I think all of Jamaica would be so excited — especially after the men’s team failed to qualify for the World Cup.

“When you look at it, a three-peat [on] this side of the world — even some of the Spanish-speaking Central Americans and all of these countries, I don’t know if anyone has ever made it a three-peat so it’s a very great accomplishment for us, and to make the Olympics would be great.”

Price, who served as assistant during Jamaica’s first World Cup appearance in France in 2019, says the team has grown immensely over the years, and he is confident they can continue making history.

“They are now going to be three World Cups older, more experienced, and I believe that will serve its weight in gold when they go to the Concacaf Women’s Championships,” he told the Observer. “When you look at our squad, the squad is very deep. A lot of the players play in Europe or play in the United States, and they are all professionals. When you look at the fact that people like Jody Brown and Konya Plummer weren’t even involved in this final round of the qualifiers it shows that the team has a lot of depth and a lot of character.

“I’m expecting the game against Costa Rica to be a difficult game but it’s a game that the Reggae Girlz can win. They have beaten Costa Rica in the past at the Women’s Championship, and I believe that once they go in there mentally and physically prepared they should be able to overcome them.”

With the Costa Rica game seven months away, Price says the team needs to make use of the international windows in June and October to help with their preparation.

“I think they should get games against high-quality opposition, possibly from Asia or from Europe, so that they can get into the mechanism of playing against stronger teams, more organised teams, teams that are structurally very defensive and can transition into attack quickly,” he said.

“So if we get some games against teams, like I said, from Asia or from European countries, then it could be good preparation going into the all-important game against Costa Rica in November.”

Edwards also believes games will be important but wants training camps to be part of the process.

“Another big plus for us, it’s going to be over the summer when all the international players should have time to be together to work so I’m looking at camps — maybe two camps somewhere in the US and maybe within the area where they’re going to play the games (Texas) — so that they can acclimatise and get accustomed to all of that environment,” he said.

“So a lot of simulation will have to take place and a lot of fine-tuning. It’s like an engine — you’re going to fine-tune it now, you want it running at maximum, you want to be going top speed. So [it’s] the coaches’ responsibility and the JFF, coupled together, and I think they have been doing a pretty good job so far and should be able to get us in good stead going forward into the game and then after that, it will just be game management come match day.”

Last Saturday, Head Coach Hubert Busby said the technical staff is already looking to the future.

“We’re turning to what happens within the June window and looking to maximise those two games in terms of preparations,” he said.

“I think it is really important for [the players], when they go back into their environment, that they are playing, they’re doing well, and continuing to push the level. We’ll have the chance to take this week and look at our reflection in terms of coaching staff and what we need to do to keep on improving as well so we can improve the group.”

Jamaica beat Costa Rica on their way to securing qualification for the 2019 and 2023 World Cups.

Members of Jamaica’s senior women’s football team train at the National Stadium on Thursday ahead of the Concacaf Women’s Qualifier against Antigua and Barbuda on Friday. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

Jamaica’s Trudi Carter (left) evades a challenge from Guyana’s Jenea Knight during the Concacaf Women’s Qualifier Group B encounter at the National Stadium on Saturday.(Photo: Garfield Robinson)

BUSBY… we’re turning to what happens within the June window and looking to maximise those two games in terms of preparations (Photo: Naphtali Junior)