Though Jamaica’s senior Reggae Girlz suffered a 3-0 defeat to France in a challenging international friendly on Friday, England-born defender Vyan Sampson shared a measured, optimistic outlook on the team's performance, emphasizing growth over the result.

While the defeat underscored the level of competition Jamaica continues to face at the highest level, Sampson sees the match—which was a repeat of last year’s Fifa Women’s World Cup draw—as a valuable step in the Girlz’s long-term journey to success.

Playing against the 10-ranked team in the world, the 42nd-ranked Reggae Girlz displayed stretches of resilience and competitive spirit, even after two defensive errors forced by France’s consistent forward press resulted in two goals.

Still, the Girlz held their own for the most parts and even created opportunities at the backend of the contest against the technically skilled French side, which got its goals from Clara Mateo (22nd), captain Wendie Renard (39th), and Sandy Baltimore (48th).

Despite the outcome, Sampson, who wore the captain's armband, was quick to note the value of the experience, particularly for a team still adjusting to new recruits and evolving strategies.

“I felt like we gave a good show of ourselves against a very good opposition. We could always do better, but with the short time we were in camp, we had a few things to focus on, and I felt like we gave them a good try. Sometimes coming into these windows, the moment we're looking for is not now; it's further down the line—a year down the line. So as long as we keep making steps every window, taking a bit from every game, we will be where we need to be at the right time,” Sampson said during a post-game press conference.

Sampson pointed to the presence of a few new players, Taylor Hinds, Natasha Thomas, Lulu Jarvis, and Reanna Blades, who are in the early stages of finding their rhythm within the squad as part of Head coach Hubert Busby’s ongoing efforts to deepen the roster.

But integration takes time, and Sampson, one of the more experienced players, understands that the team must be patient in bringing together new and seasoned players.

“It's always good to have new faces, and we're always looking to build the team and improve in every way that we can. The core of the team is still pretty much the same, so it's just about gelling those relationships and building as a team,” Sampson reasoned.

“Every single person in this team matters; anyone the coach selects to come into the fold is worth it, and it’s an opportunity for us to try new things. There were players playing in positions that are not necessarily their strong point, but we have to try these things against good opposition to get better,” she noted.

Busby’s approach since returning to the programme has focused on exposing the Girlz to top-ranked teams, such as Brazil and now France, a strategy meant to prepare them for the intensity and tactical demands of future tournaments.

For players like Sampson, this approach is vital, as it helps the team to improve their speed of play, possession game, and skills to prove more competitive on the global stage.

The 28-year-old, who plies her trade with JEF United Chiba in the Japanese WE League, explained that the team is learning to focus less on individual matches and more on the bigger picture—how each game fits into their long-term goals, as they target a third-consecutive World Cup appearance.

“I felt like I did my best to cover the spaces and cover in for my teammates, but I'm always a critical person, and I always want more. We had a few injuries, a few different changes that obviously changed the outcome of a game, but that’s just football; we don’t look into that too hard; we just make sure we take things from this game and we go from there.

“France is always a good team, but we are not looking at them too tough because we are against ourselves at the end of the day in terms of our journey. So yeah, they are a good team, but there is more to this game for us,” she ended.

Hubert Busby Junior has been reappointed as Head Coach of the Jamaica Senior National Women’s Team, the Jamaica Football Federation announced in a statement on Friday.

This is Busby's second stint with the team, having held the position from 2020 to 2021.

He was removed from the position when the JFF requested FIFA to investigate unsavory media reports originating in Europe. FIFA subsequently cleared Busby.

“The Jamaica Football Federation is pleased to announce that after careful consideration and due process, our technical committee has recommended the immediate reappointment of Hubert Busby as head coach of the Senior Women's National Team,” the JFF said in Friday’s release.   

“Based on his vast experience and knowledge of the squad, we think he is the perfect individual to take the team through the next stage of its development,” it continued.

Xavier Gilbert, who was acting in the role of Head Coach since October 2023, will revert to his previous role as assistant coach.

Busby's first task will be to take charge of the 23-member squad which will play two international friendlies against Brazil on June 1 and June 4 in Brazil.    

Eighteen members of the group for the two games were members of Jamaica’s history-making 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup squad, while former Liverpool midfielder Jade Bailey makes a return to the team which is missing prolific striker Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw and Kalyssa 'Kiki' Van Zanten due to injuries.

The squad is set to depart for South America on May 26. 

Squad: Chantelle Swaby, Konya Plummer, Jade Bailey, Denesha Blackwood, Kayla McKenna, Allyson Swaby, Drew Spence, Atlanta Primus, Vyan Sampson, Peyton McNamara, Page Bailey-Gayle, Trudy Carter, Kameron Simmonds, Tiffany Cameron, Sydney Schneider, Rebecca Spencer, Niya Cardoza, Liya Brooks, Amelia Van Zaten, Jody Brown, Israela Groves, Davia Richards, Lauren Reid

Jamaica's Reggae Girlz lost 2-1 to Paraguay at the Kingston’s National Stadium on Sunday in what was the second of two international friendlies. The Reggae Girlz won the first encounter against their South American opponents in Montego Bay on Thursday, November 10.

First-half goals from Celsa Sandaoval and Ramona Martinez in the 16^th and 35^th minutes, respectively gave the visitors a 2-0 lead at half-time before Khadijah ‘Bunny’ Shaw pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 61^st minute.

Glaring errors by the Jamaica’s gifted the Paraguayans their two goals against a wasteful Jamaican team that missed several opportunities to score.

Deneisha Blackwood’s errant back pass was seized upon by Sandaoval, who beat an advancing Rebecca Spencer in the Jamaican goal before shooting into the bottom right hand corner.

The second 19 minutes later resulted in a poor pass from Havana Solaun, which gave the Paraguayan forwards to spread the ball wide before a cross found Martinez free inside the box to smash home from close range.

Head Coach Lorne Donaldson said he was not surprised by the slow start. He said he saw it coming given that the girls were not sharp during their warm-ups and it showed in the opening 20 minutes of the game.

He explained, however, that the match was not all about trying to win as there were several players that the coaching staff wanted to take a look at before finalizing the squad for the World Cup still nine months away.

“Our camp is a little bit different from Paraguay. We are still looking at stuff. We are still looking at players, so obviously we want to win but it is not going to be at all cost for this camp because we have to give some players a look, so stuff is going to be a little bit off and that was evident in the first 20 minutes,” he said.

Among the things that we “off” was the Reggae Girlz shooting. Chances fell to Drew Spence and Shaw in the first half but were either blocked missed entirely.

Spence’s 13^th minute shot was parried by goalkeeper Christine Ricalde while Shaw dragged one past the far post just two minutes later.

Siobhan Wilson’s cross fell to Paige Bailey-Paige, whose shot from inside the box was charged down by a defender. Allyson Swaby also had a shot from two yards blocked by Ricalde.

Three changes made at the resumption of play resulted in Jamaica being more organized and stable defensively. Vyan Sampson replaced an ineffective Solaun and Atlanta Primus came on to replace Kayla McCoy in midfield while fullback Tiernney Wiltshire replaced Malikae Dayes.

Bailey-Gayle and Wilson were substituted for wingers Cheyna Matthews and Rachel Jones in the 59^th minute, the latter making an immediate impact.

Jones’ driving run down the left flank and resulting cross led to the handled ball from which a penalty was awarded allowing Jamaica back into the game.

The changes, Donaldson said, were a direct result of the team’s inability to control the game and limit the number of turnovers, which invariably but the defence under pressure.

“If you see, when we came out in the second half there were two changes in the midfield because we couldn’t control the game, we couldn’t anything. We were passing the ball to the next team, so that’s a part of saying this would never work or this is not going to work,” he said while lamenting the poor finishing that ultimately cost the team.

“Should we have knocked some goals in, maybe we should have but such is football. To us, it’s preparation and the end product is what we are looking at.”

Donaldson said this was the last window when the coaching staff would be looking at new players. He indicated that by the next camp they should have the 30 players from which the final squad will be selected for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.