Hugh Bradford is confident in his girls' ability to overcome a tough group to qualify for the Under20 Championships
Contributed
Jamaica's U-20 Reggae Girlz Head Coach, Hugh Bradford, is gearing up for what he believes will be one of the most challenging and demanding Concacaf Women's Under-20 Championships in the country's history. However, Bradford remains confident in the depth of his 20-player squad, which he expects to showcase their competitiveness and secure a historic spot at the FIFA Women's Under-20 World Cup next year.
In the first phase of qualifiers, the young Reggae Girlz displayed their prowess by defeating Anguilla 6-0, Bermuda 2-0, and Honduras by a similar scoreline, securing the top spot in their group. However, their upcoming matches in Group A will prove to be tougher, as they face the defending seven-time champions, the United States, along with another powerhouse, Canada, and Panama.
Their campaign kicks off against Canada on Wednesday at 3:00 pm, followed by a clash with the United States two days later at 5:00 pm, and concluding with a match against Panama on Sunday at 2:00 pm. Meanwhile, Group B will witness Mexico, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and the host nation Dominican Republic battling it out.
To strengthen the team's chances, Bradford made eight changes to the squad that excelled in the first phase of qualifying. These alterations indicate his determination to secure one of the three World Cup spots up for grabs.
"Our expectation is to qualify, but we are aware of the challenges that lie ahead due to the tough draw. Therefore, we are taking it one game at a time and aiming to perform at our best in each match," stated Bradford. He emphasized the importance of depth at this stage, noting that the young ladies, especially those who were part of the previous tournament in Nicaragua, have demonstrated their determination to fight for World Cup qualification.
Among the new additions to the squad are defender Amelia Van Zanten, sister of senior Reggae Girlz winger Kalyssa "Kiki" Van Zanten, and West Bromwich Albion's Una Moy Lue. Additionally, players such as Canada-born Taijah Fraser, as well as American-born athletes Kaitlyn Ennis, Anaiyah Robinson, Njeri Butts, and Njeri Lewis, have caught Bradford's attention.
Despite facing challenges in achieving team cohesion due to unavailability for a planned camp before departure, Bradford remains optimistic about his team's ability to overcome the stiff competition. He explained that while it's beneficial for players to get touches on the ball, the local league doesn't fully prepare them for the tournament's intensity. Consequently, Bradford incorporated new players into the squad to bring a fresh dynamic to their gameplay. He believes that with the right application, the team will compete strongly in the tournament, which promises to be both demanding and exciting.
Following the round-robin stage, the two best teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage. The finalists and the third-placed team will secure qualification for next year's World Cup.
Jamaica's highest placement in the Concacaf Women's Championship, during its 12 appearances, was a fourth-place finish in 2006. Jody Brown, a diminutive forward, holds the record for the country's all-time leading scorer in the tournament, with nine goals.
Squad: Andrene Smith, Shaneil Buckley, Una Moy Lue, Davia Richards, Liha Williams, Taijah Fraser, Tiny Seaton, Kaitlyn Ennis, Natoya Atkinson, Destiny Powell, Akeila Johnson, Janiel Mignott, Amelia Zanten, Liya Brooks, Avery Johnson, Maya Raghunandanan,
Bristol City Women 0-4 Man City Women: Hosts relegated as Fowler double inspires WSL leaders
Mary Fowler scored twice to set WSL leaders Manchester City on their way to a 4-0 rout of Bristol City, who suffered relegation as a result, on Sunday.
With Arsenal having drawn with Everton earlier in the day, Man City knew a victory would be enough to take the title race down to two teams.
That victory duly arrived in emphatic fashion, with all four of Man City's goals arriving in the second half.
Fowler's fantastic strike opened the scoring in the 62nd minute, with the Australia international doubling her tally soon after, paving the way for an Amy Rodgers own goal and Alex Greenwood's late header to seal a huge victory.
Arsenal are now out of the title race, with Chelsea - who have two games in hand on Gareth Taylor's team - the only side capable of catching Man City.
The Robins, meanwhile, will be playing in the second tier again next term.
Data Debrief: Bristol heading down with a whimper
Bristol City have failed to score in their last five games in the WSL, a run of 544 minutes without a goal.
They mustered just 0.09 expected goals (xG) to Man City's 3.4, with the visitors having now kept a clean sheet in nine of their 20 league games this season.
De Rossi demands more from 'tired' Roma ahead of crunch run
Daniele De Rossi acknowledged his Roma team may be tired, but he insisted they must not allow themselves to be embarrassed.
Roma fought back to draw 2-2 with last season's Serie A champions Napoli in a pulsating fixture on Sunday.
Tammy Abraham's late header secured a point for De Rossi's team, who took the lead through Paulo Dybala's penalty before going behind to goals from Matias Olivera and Victor Osimhen.
With Serie A set to have five teams in the Champions League next season, Roma occupy fifth spot with four matches remaining, but sixth-placed Atalanta are just two points behind with a game in hand.
There is also the small matter of a Europa League semi-final against Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen on the cards over the coming weeks, and De Rossi set the stall out.
"We drew, it is not a result to throw away, but it is not the result or the performance that we wanted," Roma coach Daniele De Rossi told Sky Sports Italia.
"At times you can steal the ball off Napoli, but we then gave it back again too many times. Napoli had a lot of chances in the first half, we did better in the second, but we have to do better.
"Look, we are tired, but we cannot start thinking that we’re tired and that means we can be embarrassed in the final few weeks of the season."
Roma host Leverkusen on Thursday before taking on Juventus on May 5, with a crunch clash against Atalanta – who are also into the Europa League semi-finals – set to follow after the away leg against Xabi Alonso's team.
Key to a successful end to the campaign for Roma will be keeping Dybala fit. The Argentine has been involved in the joint-most goals (12) in Serie A since the turn of the year, scoring nine and setting up three, level with Juve's Dusan Vlahovic.
PSG's latest Ligue 1 title arrives as Monaco lose to Lyon
Paris Saint-Germain have been crowned as Ligue 1 champions after Lyon overcame Monaco 3-2 on Sunday.
A 4-1 midweek win over Lorient ensured that one more victory would be enough for Luis Enrique's team to get over the line, but PSG failed to get the job done themselves when they faced relegation-threatened Le Havre on Saturday.
That game was the 700th match of the QSI era at PSG, and the club's 1,900th in France's top flight.
However, PSG's wait to win their third straight title did not last long, as less than 24 hours later, Lyon – who will face the Parisians in the final of the Coupe de France at the end of May – came out on top in a topsy turvy encounter with second-placed Monaco.
Substitute Malick Fofana was the matchwinner for Lyon, and ultimately the player who handed the title to PSG.
Wissam Ben Yedder had put Monaco ahead in the opening minute, but quickfire goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Said Benrahma turned the match on its head before half-time.
Ben Yedder netted his second to restore parity on the hour mark, and thought he had sealed his hat-trick when he volleyed in from a free-kick, only to have strayed offside.
With only a win good enough for Monaco to stay in the fight, the visitors were then caught out in the 84th minute, with Fofana racing onto Lacazette's throughball and finishing calmly.
After a dismal start to the season, relegation looked a real possibility for Lyon, but they are now, with three games remaining, still in with a shout of qualifying for Europe.
PSG on the other hand now have 12 Ligue 1 titles to their name, with 10 of those coming under QSI's ownership. Aside from the COVID-impacted 2019-20 season, five of their last six league titles have been secured before the start of May.
It also means Luis Enrique remains in the running for a treble in his first season at the club, with PSG taking on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League semi-finals next week.
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