After a week of intense training where they pushed their limits to impress the coaching staff and also had a few off-field issues, Jamaica's senior Reggae Girlz capped their 10-day stay in the island in a most fitting way –with fun, frolic, and entertainment on Tuesday.
The "Goodbye and good luck" session with the Reggae Girlz held at Summit House (formerly Knutsford Court Hotel), hosted by minister of sport Olivia "Babsy" Grange, was the perfect opportunity for the Lorne Donaldson-led technical staff and players to unwind in the company of family, friends and well-wishers.
But beyond that, the sendoff event was also used to raise funds for the Girlz programme with a few corporate entities and individuals committing as much as US$10,000 (just over $1.5 million Jamaican), as their way of rallying around the team ahead of a second-consecutive FIFA Women's World Cup appearance.
Donaldson expressed pleasure seeing the Girlz enjoying themselves just as hard as they trained.
"Yeah, it's good, we had a very successful camp, one of the most successful we have had in a while, we covered a lot of grounds and we saw a lot from the players, as they really dug in and showed that they want to make the team to the World Cup," Donaldson told SportsMax.tv during the event which lasted well over four hours.
"So, this is the ultimate way for them to relax, some things happened over the weekend that would have been a distraction so, again, this is a great way to take their mind off things. Plenty of fun and just generally chilling out because when we get to Amsterdam, it will be all business again," he added.
Having completed their assessments for the most parts, Donaldson and his assistants Xavier Gilbert, Laura Thomas and Ak Lakhani, are expected to name the final 23-player squad to the World Cup in the coming week. The Girlz are drawn in Group F alongside France, Brazil and Panama for the July 20 to August 20 showpiece in Australia and New Zealand.
"We have seen a lot, especially at this camp here, it allowed us to look at players like Konya Plummer and Trudi Carter, who are both without clubs, so again, it was really good to see where they are at and after this, we will just zone in on selecting the best 23 to represent Jamaica at the World Cup," Donaldson shared.
Sashana "Pete" Campbell was one of those players that came into the camp as a late addition after some time away and the utility was pleased that she had an opportunity to parade her skills for the coaching staff.
"The camp was great football wise, all the ladies left their best on the field as we are all aware that positions for the World Cup are up for grabs, so it is now up to the coaches to decide who they think is best fit for the team.
"The sendoff party was even better, after a long week and few days, it was good to just unwind and have a great night together. A lot of us have been playing right through, so it was just good to have some fun time," Campbell, who plays professionally in Poland, said.
Left full-back Deneisha Blackwood, echoed similar sentiments.
“We had a great training camp where we focused on preparing ourselves as best as we can and not think about the off-field issues or distractions. So, the main focus was just to get better for the World Cup," Blackwood said.
"I said in a previous interview that I just want us to be in the best mental state as a group and I think once everybody has the right mindset we will do well. This sendoff party would have done a lot for us where that is concerned, we were able to have some fun, free our minds and we had family and friends here which was good. So, it was good to relieve some tension which is the most important thing for us now," she added.
Though it seems the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has walked back on initial contemplations to fire senior Reggae Girlz Head coach Lorne Donaldson, the smoke is not yet fully cleared as President Michael Ricketts confirmed that the board is still awaiting a report from the technical committee regarding actions to be taken against the tactician.
SportsMax.tv understands that members of the JFF board had a meeting where a vote was taken to relieve Donaldson of his duties stemming from an issue where he told the governing football body's chairperson for women’s football Elaine Walker-Brown, not to board the team bus for a recent excursion to Dunn’s River Falls.
However, sources close to the situation revealed that Donaldson was merely relaying the message of the players, who threatened to walk off the bus if Walker-Brown boarded, as it was "not a JFF thing". This was in reference to the fact that the excursion was largely paid for by minister of sport Olivia "Babsy" Grange and Reggae Girlz ambassador Cedella Marley.
In a bid to avoid a standoff and a possible embarrassing situation in full view of an overseas crew filming a documentary, it is said that Donaldson met Walker-Brown on the way to the bus to share the players' mental and physical discomfort at her presence. This did not sit well with Walker-Brown and since then, the coach has been in the firing line.
While not confirming that as the reason for discussions regarding Donaldson, Ricketts expressed displeasure with "certain utterances", but said dismissing the coach was no longer on the cards.
"The truth is, we are unhappy with certain utterances, but that is not on the cards right now, we are just waiting on reports from the general secretary and the technical committee," Ricketts told SportsMax.tv during a sendoff event for the Girlz on Tuesday.
"The technical committee would have had a meeting with him [Donaldson], in fact, he was supposed to have had another meeting today (Tuesday) that fell through. Even though we are dissatisfied with certain utterances and pronouncements, the technical committee will make a recommendation to the JFF and then I think the board will act on that," he added.
When pressed further about the reason and timing of any actions to be taken, more so, the firing of the coach with the World Cup now less than a month away, Ricketts agreed that it would negatively impact progress.
Donaldson was expected to name the final 23-player squad for the July 20 to August 20 showpiece, in Australia and New Zealand, in the coming week, but it is now left to be seen if he will still be calling the shots after the melee.
"I don't know what the thoughts would be generally, but that (firing of a coach before a tournament) has happened all over the world before. I would want to think that it would have negative implications but the truth is, that has happened before. But we will just wait and see," Ricketts shared.
When approached, Donaldson declined to comment, stating only that he will wait to see how things play out, as he was more focused on the players' wellbeing.
This issue has now added to what has been a lengthy stand-off between the Reggae Girlz and the JFF, primarily due to a lack of compensation. In fact, the Girlz in a recent letter expressed “utmost disappointment” with the handling of their affairs by the JFF.
Among the areas of concerns outlined by the Girlz are subpar planning, transportation, accommodations, training conditions, compensation, communication, nutrition and accessibility to proper resources.
They said, despite sharing their concerns with the federation “on multiple occasions” the issues remain unresolved, and they believe the lack of interest by those in charge, threaten the integrity of women’s football in Jamaica.
This was further compounded by what is said to have been a brewing issue between Marley and Walker-Brown, as it is understood that the latter made comments which were deemed offensive by the Girlz ambassador during a previous virtual meeting with the JFF hierarchy.
It is also understood that this played a part in why the Girlz refused to have Walker-Brown on the excursion.
But Ricketts pointed out that following a meeting with representatives from the team, all parties have since agreed to a truce.
“The general secretary and myself had a meeting with the players this (Tuesday) morning and it went well, of course the contentious issue is always payments and the JFF continues to struggle. We are finding some traction because we were able to get some new sponsors on board, but we owe the Girlz some money and that seem to be the main bone of contention right now,” Ricketts explained.
“There are some other smaller issues that can be corrected easily but the good thing is that they all came out of that meeting in good spirits. Elaine [Walker-Brown] had a meeting with them afterwards and that seemed to have gone down well too.
“So we are just hoping that the goodwill now, will translate on the field of play and they will be able to execute and win some games. The coach said he believes he has a much stronger unit and, of course, we are hoping that we will not just participate but be competitive at the World Cup,” he ended.
Lorne Donaldson has expressed concerns about aspects of his senior Reggae Girlz transitional play ahead of the FIFA Women's World Cup, but at the same time, he remains optimistic that the playing philosophy will come together in time for the global showpiece.
Donaldson's preparation and plans around the make-up of his final 23-player squad for the July 20 to August 20 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, has been dogged by injuries to key players and unconvincing performances at times, more recently in a 2-0 win over Sheffield United in England.
That has forced the tactician and his assistants Xavier Gilbert and Ak Lakhani to conduct further assessments, with an upcoming camp scheduled for June 11-20 in Kingston, representing the last opportunity for players to impress the coaching staff.
"We didn't get a chance to do what we wanted to do in England so after this camp, we can select the final 23 and then we fly to Amsterdam on July 1 and the real preparation to fine tune our team chemistry, the speed of our transitional play and playing philosophy starts there," Donaldson shared.
"We will of course also take a close look at how we defend, but that's something the whole team must be involved in, not just the back line. So, our final decision in terms of the players we take to the World Cup is going to be done on the basis of who is ready to play right now," he declared.
Though the initial plans bringing the team to the island was for a two-match sendoff series, Donaldson explained that there were logistical issues in securing the games and so the just over a week-long camp will have to suffice.
"We would have loved a sendoff game but the logistics around the game is very difficult and that is nobody's fault. So, there is disappointment that we won't get a game, but I think we will get a lot out of the camp because we need to look at some players and I think that will help us to get a better evaluation of where the players are," Donaldson added.
Former captain Konya Plummer, who is still working her way back to full fitness coming off maternity leave and winger Trudi Carter, are among the 26 players Donaldson intends to invite for the camp.
"Players like a Konya and Trudi and other players have been without a club so we need to make sure that we know where they are, and we still might have one or two young players come in. But again, our final decision is going to be based on who is ready to play right now.
"Yes, there are some players who are safe, but they still have to show something because the players coming in are going to push them. We can't live in the past we have to look at what we have now and select the best team possible to show up at the World Cup and perform," the head coach stated.
But beyond that, Donaldson pointed out that he is already looking to position the programme for the next cycle.
"The younger players will be key for the next World Cup cycle, so we have to look at the squad to find a balance. We have a lot of young players with potential and as you know the next cycle includes the Women’s Gold Cup and all those games that we will be playing," he reasoned.
"So, it's a good to start getting those players involved from now in international competition because we won't always get the English-based and European-based players for those games. We have to broaden the pool of players and make sure other people are getting a chance to see what the international stage is like," Donaldson ended.
Coach Lorne Donaldson believes Jamaica's Reggae Girlz needs to a better job at managing games following his team's 3-2 loss to the Czech Republic in the FFA Nations Cup in Australia on Sunday.
“There’s some stuff, but we’ve got to be able to manage games,” he said after Sunday’s loss. “We conceded in the last minute of the first half and in the second half, we decided to give up a goal because we’re thinking outside the box.
“Managing the game, especially when you’re tired is key and we were awful at that.”
In what was a much better showing than their 3-0 loss to Spain on Thursday, Jamaica conceded from the penalty spot in the 24th minute after Satara Murray was deemed to have fouled Kristyna Ruzickova, after she drove into the box.
Andrea Staskova converted from the spot.
Jamaica would pull level in the 42nd following some quality build-up play involving Havana Solaun, Drew Spence and Trudi Carter, whose pass found Jody Brown who buried her shot from just inside the box for her 14th international goal.
However, Klara Cahynova headed in from a corner in first-half stoppage time to give her team a 2-1 lead at the break.
Ten minutes after the resumption debutant Kameron Necole Simmons collected a rebound from a Spence attempt on goal and slotted into the bottom left corner to pull Jamaica level once again.
It was her first international goal for Jamaica.
However, Jamaica conceded in the 90th minute from a low cross that found Alena Peckova wide open at the far post for an easy tap-in and victory for the Czech Republic.
Jamaica will next play hosts Australia on February 22.
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 16th and 35th 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 61st 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 13th 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 59th 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.
Jamaica Reggae Girlz head coach Lorne Donaldson is eager to see what the team’s new recruits and returning members will offer to the unit ahead of a pair of friendlies against Paraguay next month.
On Wednesday, the Jamaica Football Federation named a 26-player squad, which featured many of the usual suspects. Also, among, however, was former national team captain Konya Plummer, Shania Hayles who are returning to the squad and young player Zoe Matthews.
With the FIFA Women’s World Cup on the horizon for next year Donaldson remains in the process of shifting through his options to find the best team. The return of Plummer, a solid defender who returns to the team from maternity leave and Matthews a solid new prospect should give the coach plenty to think about.
“We have a couple players coming back in like Konya and Shaina who just came back off maternity. Shaina is far ahead of Konya, we know most likely they’ll be a part of what we are trying to do in the future, so we just brought them in to get familiar with things,” Donaldson said.
“We also have Zoe Matthews a young player, an upcoming player, a Bunny Shaw type of player. I hate to mention that but she’s built like bunny and she has that kind of ability. So, if we can get her in the fold that would be great,” he added.
Another promising young player that has been included is Shaneil Buckley who has dominated the country’s high school football league.
Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz are set to play Paraguay in two international friendlies next month as they continue preparations for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Reggae Girlz coach Lorne Donaldson insists the team was prepared for a battle of attrition with Costa Rica after several recent close encounters between the teams.
A second-half extra-time goal from Kalyssa van Zanten secured a 1-0 win for Jamaica in a hard-fought encounter against their Central Americans in the third-place playoff. The win capped off a successful tournament for the Jamaicans who secured third place and with it a chance to qualify for the 2024 Olympics.
Having successfully secured a spot in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Jamaicans will now have the chance to make more history when they face defending champions Canada in a home-and-away play-off next year. Getting past Costa Rica proved to be a challenge.
“We knew it was going to be a very tight game. Every time we play Costa Rica it comes down to the second half or overtime so we figured if we could get some speed on the field late on, we could get something, and Kiki came on and had a good finish,” Donaldson said.
The last 6 matches between the teams have been decided by a 1-0 score line with Costa Rica winning 3 of the matches with one draw. The coach was also full of praise for the young goal scorer.
“She’s been in a few games she’s a rookie, she’s a young player so she got over excited but this game she was calmer. When we looked in her eyes when I spoke to her, I told her you to have a goal in your boot and gave her some confidence but she has been growing confident.”
Jamaica Reggae Girlz coach Lorne Donaldson remains guarded regarding future plans for the national team as his agreement with the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) will only be in place until the end of the Concacaf Women’s Championship.
Donaldson was given the position in June following a messy split between the team and its former head coach Vin Blaine who stepped down from the post after just a few months in charge. He has, however, previously been a part of the national program as a former assistant coach, the last time the Reggae Girlz qualified, under then-coach Hubert Busby.
The coach has, however, confirmed that he will be heading back to the negotiation table following the conclusion of the tournament.
“I can’t talk about future plans, whatever I have contractually just leads up to this tournament,” Donaldson told members of the media on Wednesday.
“Hopefully we can keep the same coaching staff and move on. Currently, we have some good people in place taking care of our players…going forward we have to sit down with the JFF and Cedella Marley, who has been tremendous in our making, and go forward with what we doing,” he added.
The Jamaicans will play Canada on Thursday in the semifinals of the Concacaf Women’s Championship.
Jamaica Reggae Girlz head coach Lorne Donaldson is hopeful that the team will be able to build on the momentum gained from qualifying for a second straight Women’s World Cup.
In an exciting group A finale, of the Concacaf Women’s Championship, the Jamaicans ran out to a 4-0 win over Caribbean neighbours Haiti on Monday, securing second spot in the group and with it a place at next year’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
Three years ago, the Reggae Girls because the first Caribbean team to qualify for the event after a penalty shootout win over Panama. The coach, however, does not believe enough was done to capitalise on Jamaica’s appearance at the 2019 edition of the tournament in France.
“Hopefully, we can use this qualification as a federation and turn our football around in a positive way. The last time we qualified, we just qualified, but this time I think a lot good is going to come out of this,” Donaldson said, following the final whistle.
“The biggest thing I see is an influx of young players getting involved from Jamaica and all over the world, all Jamaicans. I think we can ride this wave because we are a little more organised on the outside with Cedella Marley and the foundation and hopefully our federation can join in,” he added.
The coach also hopes a second tournament appearance will lead to more wholesale adoption of women’s football by the country’s fanbase.
“Most of all I hope Jamaica can join in this time and embrace women’s football like they should. I think some people are still skeptics but we welcome them with open arms.”
Reggae Girlz head coach Lorne Donaldson says his team simply wasn’t good enough in their 0-5 hammering by defending World Champions the USA in the Concacaf Women’s Championship on Thursday.
The Americans sprinted out to a 2-0 lead through goals from Sophia Smith in the fifth and eighth minutes before adding three more goals in the second half through Rose Lavelle (59th), Kristie Mewis (83rd) and Trinity Rodman (86th) to complete the 5-0 demolition at the Estadio BBVA Bancomer.
“I didn’t think it’d take 10 minutes. We gave up two goals in six minutes and you’re not going to play the World Champs and expect anything out of the game playing the way we did. We weren’t good,” Donaldson said in a post-match press conference.
“The Americans are the best team in the world. When you play the champions at the top of their game, bad things will happen if you don’t play well and we didn’t,” Donaldson added.
The Reggae Girlz are now third in Group A with three points after two games with their third and final preliminary encounter coming against Haiti on Monday.
The Haitians also have three points and will go into that game with supreme confidence after a convincing 3-0 win over Mexico on Thursday.
The winner of Monday’s match will join the USA as automatic qualifiers to next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand while the loser will most likely have to book their spot through an inter-continental playoff.
“I think we’re going to be fine and ready,” Donaldson said.
Reggae Girlz coach Lorne Donaldson has commended the team’s work ethic and fighting spirit in an important 1-0 over hosts Mexico to kickstart the Concacaf Women’s Championships on Monday.
The team’s talismanic strike Khadija Shaw got the decisive goal in the 8th minute and secured all three points, which could yet prove telling in the competition’s group of death.
With the top-seeded United States and Haiti still to come, in the competitive group A, maximum points was a welcome start for the Jamaica team who have not had the smoothest build-up to the tournament.
“We came into this game without even playing a practice game, but we went to Colorado and we trained a bit,” Donaldson said.
“I’m very proud of the girls, proud of the way we fought all night and I think the training we did in preparation helped. I’m very proud of the girls, I give them all the credit, I just stand on the sideline and point my fingers and they do all the work.”
The Jamaicans will next be in action on Thursday when they tackle the world’s top-ranked women’s team The United States.
Reggae Girlz head coach Lorne Donaldson says his team is ready to go ahead of their Concacaf Women’s Championship final round opener against Mexico on Monday.
Jamaica and Mexico are in Group A of the final round along with Haiti and the United States while Group B contains Canada, Costa Rica, Panama and Trinidad & Tobago.
The four semi-finalists after the group stage will advance to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
“I think, if we have everybody healthy and ready to go, we will give a good account of ourselves. The girls will come out and be ready to play. The first few minutes may be a little rusty because they haven’t played a game in a while but, when the game settles down, I think we can put some good stuff together,” Donaldson said in a pre-match interview on Sunday.
The match will be played at the University Stadium in Nueva Leon, home of the Liga MX club Tigres UANL, with kick-off scheduled for 9:00pm Jamaica time (10:00pm EST).
The Jamaicans, who spent the last two weeks in training camp in Denver, Colorado, know what to expect in enemy territory according to their head coach.
“Obviously, we play Mexico who’s the home team. They’ll have a lot of fans in the stadium and we know what to expect. Hopefully the preparation we’ve had can nullify some of their strengths,” said Donaldson.
“It’s going to be a difficult game but hopefully we can grind and battle through it so the result can fall in our favor,” he added.
Both teams come into this game on the back of some good form as the Reggae Girlz have scored 24 goals and conceded just two in their last four games while Mexico have scored 25 and conceded just one.
Lorne Donaldson has been appointed head coach of Jamaica’s National Senior Women’s team ahead of the CONCACAF Women Qualifiers set to begin in Mexico on July 4. He replaces Vin Blaine who resigned from the post in mid-May after a falling out with the players.
After more than two weeks of searching for a replacement, the Jamaica Football Federation has decided that Lorne Donaldson, a member of the coaching staff that took the Reggae Girlz to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019, is the best person to lead the team into the qualifiers.
“We looked at all the dynamics involved, including the short period to prepare, and agreed that Lorne brings specific advantages to the position including familiarity with the regional football culture and knowledge of the players and is well placed to navigate the team through what will be a difficult qualifying exercise,” said Michael Ricketts, President of the JFF.
“The JFF will give all the necessary support to him and the team, and we are confident that they will make Jamaica proud in Mexico.”
Donaldson’s backroom staff will be named soon.
Donaldson resigned from the Reggae Girlz coaching staff in January 2020, citing a lack of integrity and professionalism at the JFF, and came mere weeks after head coach Hue Menzies resigned in December 2019.
The Concacaf W Championship will take place in Monterrey, Mexico, from July 4 to 18.
Jamaica is drawn into a tough Group A with hosts Mexico, FIFA’s number one ranked the United States and neighbours Haiti. Jamaica will meet hosts Mexico on July 4, the USA on July 7 and Haiti on July 11 in the preliminary round.
The teams in Group B are Canada, Costa Rica, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago.
The top two teams from the two groups will qualify directly for the World Cup, while the third-placed teams will qualify for the intercontinental playoffs.
In addition, the group winners will qualify for the 2024 Olympics and the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup while the second and third-placed teams will advance to the Concacaf Olympic playoff.
The United States are the two-time defending champions, having won the 2014 and 2018 tournaments.
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