Reggae Girlz given tough Panama wakeup

Reggae Girlz head coach Hubert Busby Jr said their two international friendlies against Panama provided a much needed test and revealed several issues with the team ahead of the Concacaf W Championships.

The Girlz played Panama in back-to-back friendlies in Panama City as preparation for the W Championships.

Jamaica won the first game on Friday 1-0 through a Shania Hayles winner and played out a scoreless draw in the second game on Monday.

Busby said while the team performed well in both games, there were areas that he identified which would need improvement ahead of the W Championships set for November.

“Another hard-fought match, another challenging match, another Concacaf match, as they say. Overall, I thought obviously the team played well,” Busby said after Monday’s draw.

“There are areas where I think we didn't live up to what we wanted to do, especially in the build-up play in the first part of the game,” he continued.

“I think there were times where we didn't really manage the game as much as we want in possession. But credit to the players, again, another humid, difficult night in Panama City, but [it was] probably a fair result in the end.”

Busby said it is important for the Girlz to have these competitive games ahead of the W Championships and it gives both the players and the coaching staff time to improve.

He explained one of the biggest wins from the two games was being able to build on the national programme by giving younger players experience in a competitive environment.

He pointed to goalkeeper Liya Brooks as one of the players who impressed throughout the team’s camp.

The 21-year-old goalkeeper started both games and kept two clean sheets in her time between the sticks.

“It's the building blocks and I think, since the last match and having new players come in, we take away the learnings,” Busby said.

“The positives is, again, having some young players get some much-needed minutes, which is good. Young Liya Brooks did another great, great job in goal, composed and looked like she's been a vet for the longest time.”

‘IRON SHARPENS IRON’

Busby focus is not only on the W Championships but also on the future of the national programme.

He said with younger players getting opportunities to secure a spot in the group, it means the team will only get better as it provides a competitive national player pool.

“Iron sharpens iron and so we have a competitive group,” he explained.

“I think just overall, it was a good exercise for us to come here in Concacaf, in challenging environments and continue to work and building on the things that are going to take us to the World Cup.”

The W Championships are the region’s qualifying for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup as well as the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Jamaica have been drawn against Costa Rica for the W Championship, where a win would see them qualify for the World Cup for the third time in a row.