Bradford names young Reggae Girlz final squad ahead of U20 Champs

Hugh Bradford, Jamaica’s under-20 Reggae Girlz head coach, has picked the squad to attempt a World Cup berth next week.

The Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship in the Dominican Republic, which doubles as a World Cup qualifier for the juniors, begins on May 24 and runs through to June 3. The Reggae Girlz depart the island on May 22.

The two finalists and the third-place match winner will qualify for next year’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

The competition boasts two groups, and Jamaica, who find themselves in Group A, have the United States (US), Canada, and Panama for company.

In the meantime, Group B features the hosts, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico.

After round-robin play, the two best teams from each group (four in total) will advance to the competition’s knockout stage.

NEEDS TO BE BETTER PREPARED

Under-20 coach Hugh Bradford had acknowledged the tough nature of the group, saying that his unit needed to be better prepared ahead of the qualification attempt.

“We are in a tough bracket, but you never know how things will go. I was not surprised at it because I have been in so many different ones in different leagues. But you just have to go out and do what you got to do in what people normally call the group of death,” Bradford had told The Gleaner.

The US are the current champions and have won seven titles to date. Last year, the US claimed the title with a 2-0 win over Mexico in the final.

“It’s very tough, but this is why we worked hard to get here,” said Bradford after looking at the group that includes the defending champions as well as perennial powerhouses in Canada.

Matches will be divided across two venues, Estadio Felix Sanchez (Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic) and Estadio Panamericano (San Cristobal, the Dominican Republic).

The young Reggae Girlz will first take on Canada on May 24 before the United States on May 26 and Panama on May 28.

Young Reggae Girlz Squad

Andrene Smith (Excelsior High/Frazsiers Whip FC), Shaneil Buckley (Excelsior High/Frazsiers Whip FC), Una Moy Lue (West Bromwich Albion), Davia Richards (Hill College/Frazsiers Whip FC), Liha Williams (Garvey Maceo High/Cavalier SC), Taijah Fraser (Middle Tennese State University), Tiny Seaton (Excelsior High/Frazsiers Whip FC), Kaitlyn Ennis (FC Prime), Natoya Atkinson (Denham Town High/Frazsiers Whip FC), Destiny Powell (Excelsior High/Frazsiers Whip FC), Akeila Johnson (Excelsior High/Frazsiers Whip FC), Janiel Mignott (Excelsior High/Frazsiers Whip FC), Amelia Zanten (Eclipse Select), Liya Brooks (Hawaii Surfers), Avery Johnson (Charlotte County Day), Maya Raghunandanan (Philadelphia Ukranians Nationals), Anaiyah Robinson (Challenger Soccer Club), Njeri Butts (University of Florida), Njeri Lewis (Tophat Gold), Katie Oakley (Georgia Southern University).