Head coach of Jamaica’s Reggae Girls, Hue Menzies, is tempering expectations for the national team who has been drawn alongside Canada, Costa Rica, and Cuba in Group B of the CONCACAF Women’s Championships set for the United States next month.
Jamaica, winners of the CONCACAF Caribbean qualifiers on Sunday, when they drubbed Cuba 6-1 at the National Stadium in Kingston, will take on their opponents in Edinburgh, Texas in the championships that will run from October 4-17.
Meanwhile, the USA, Trinidad and Tobago and Mexico will play in Group A.
Based on Jamaica’s success in the recent qualifiers during which they defeated Antigua and Barbuda 9-0, Bermuda 4-0, TT 4-1 before ending with the demolition of Cuba, fans of the Reggae Girls have expressed confidence in the team’s ability to advance from the group and earn a place at next year’s World Cup as one of the top three teams.
However, Menzies played down those expectations when he spoke with SportsMax.TV on Tuesday.
“People are calling me saying this group is easier and all that but when you are at the level, everything is a challenge,” he said. “Costa Rica is going to be a challenge. Cuba in the second half of their game was more effective in the first half when we played them. We only scored one goal and they ended up scoring a goal at the end. They came out with a different game plan, and obviously, Canada, we don’t have to talk about Canada, they’re at a different level. So the group of going to be tough.”
He was quick to recall that Costa Rica defeated Jamaica 2-1 when the teams met at the CAC Championships earlier this year.
“They were missing some of their players, we were missing some of our players but they are a very good team. That was the closest we have ever played them.”
Jamaica, he said, will have to play their best football if they are to get out of the group and have a shot at qualifying for the 2019 World Cup.
“Everybody is going to be their best foot forward so we just have to hope that nobody gets injured and hope that we can execute our game plan and take the momentum that we had from the Caribbean games into the next round,” Menzies said.