Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz will meet England for the very first time this Sunday on the King Energy Stadium in Leicester, England, but the historic billing arrives with a stark caveat: head coach Hubert Busby Jr. should navigate the event with out practically half of his established core.
Eight common starters—together with goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer, midfield marshal Drew Spence and, most painfully, captain Khadija “Bunny” Shaw—are unavailable after gruelling membership campaigns and premature accidents.
“Irritating” gaps, measured resolve
“Sure, it’s irritating to not have numerous our skilled gamers,” Busby conceded at Tuesday’s Jamaica Soccer Federation press convention. “But it surely provides alternatives for gamers to come back up. The fact is that it’s a must to extract the positives.”
He doubled down on that balancing act when pressed about October’s Concacaf W Qualifiers:
“On the finish of the day, we’re lacking gamers, however what occurs if we’re lacking gamers in October when issues are out of our management?”
Managing restricted assets
Busby’s plan is two-fold:
- Speed up Studying: “Now… we’ve given expertise to our youthful gamers who’ve that exuberance and pleasure… Sure, they will generally make errors, however they’re rising.”
- Preserve tactical consistency: The workers will hold the staff’s 4-2-3-1 construction intact so the newcomers slot into acquainted roles slightly than forcing wholesale philosophical change.
Coaching started in Leicester on Tuesday morning. “Everyone seems to be glad, and everybody is able to go… I’m certain by the top of the week, they’ll be raring to go,” Busby reported.
Why Bunny Shaw continues to be absent
Shaw, scorer of 38 worldwide objectives, is nonetheless rehabilitating the foot harm that ended her Manchester Metropolis season in March.
“Bunny continues to be out… The programme for her with Man Metropolis is to get again wholesome… It is rather uncommon that golf equipment permit gamers getting back from these kinds of long-term accidents for his or her first match to be with the nationwide staff,” Busby defined.
All events agree that her precedence is a full pre-season with Metropolis earlier than re-entering Jamaica’s line-up for World Cup qualification.
Going through England after a brutal yr of checks
Within the final 12 months, Jamaica has performed 4 top-10 nations. “No doubt, we’ve performed the hardest schedule in Concacaf… However we haven’t shied away from folks,” Busby famous.
Sunday, due to this fact, serves as one other barometer of depth, health, and psychological resilience earlier than aggressive motion resumes within the autumn.
Squad:
Goalkeepers – Liya Brooks, Serena Mensah, Aliyah Morgan
Defenders – Allyson Swaby, Chantelle Swaby, Tiffany Cameron, Naya Cardoza, Amelia Van Zanten, Nyema Ingleton
Midfielders – Atlanta Primus, Olufolasade Adamolekun, Vyan Sampson, Jade Bailey, Jade Mitchell
Forwards – Kayla McKenna, Kameron Simmonds, Kalyssa Van Zanten, Reanna Blades, Natasha Thomas, Ricshya Walker
