‘Heavy is the head’

Since qualifying for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup as plucky underdogs, Reggae Girlz head coach Hubert Busby Jr said the expectations are now higher than ever as the team goes hunting for a third consecutive World Cup appearance.

The Reggae Girlz made their first appearance at the World Cup when they qualified in 2019, surprising many in what was considered a Cinderella story for a national programme that, just five years earlier, was unranked and in hiatus.

Seven years on since their debut, the Reggae Girlz now stand as the highest ranked Caribbean team, and one of the most formidable teams in Concacaf.

This fact, Busby said, has turned the tables on their expectations for each World Cup qualifying cycle.

Where the Girlz were once viewed as underdogs, now they enter the Concacaf W Qualifiers as one of the teams expected to qualify for the World Cup.

“I think it first of all starts with the expectation and I think that’s not necessarily a bad thing,” Busby said.

“Obviously, the pressure that comes along with it means that we’ve raised the expectations to a certain level. So that’s not a bad thing to be able to play with that sort of pressure,” he continued.

“That just means everybody understanding that it’s not going to be us just showing up. It means now, you know, heavy is the head that wears the crown. It goes from being the hunter to being the hunted, it kind of changes a little bit as well in the games that we go into.”

Busby said, with this change in expectations, the team has to remain focused on each game, as they are now the targets for others to aim at.

“It’s just a matter of us managing those expectations, making sure we remain laser-focused in terms of what the task is at hand, making sure that the group is driven by the great leaders that we have within the group and everyone that comes into group knows what the expectations are.”

MOTIVATED AND DRIVEN

With these expectations, Busby said, the team is still motivated and driven to qualify for not just the World Cup, but the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Busby said each player who has passed through the national programme is well aware of their ambitions and holds a strong motivation to bring their goals to life.

“The expectations and the levels that we want to aspire to is really internal, so we know and the players know and they’re continually driven,” he explained.

“They’re playing at a high level within their clubs. They’re the one who’s driving it. Those players want to make history. Even those ones who are pushing, a core of those players, every single person who’s come through this national team system in the last two or three years, four or five years now, have that in mind.

“The motivation to go to the World Cup, the motivation to go to the Olympics is extremely, extremely high. It’s the pinnacle of any footballer’s career. So that part, you know, it’s never sort of wavered.”

The Reggae Girlz will play their second game of the Concacaf W Qualifiers against Nicaragua on March 2 at the Nicaragua National Stadium in Group B action.

The winners of the group from the Concacaf W Qualifiers will advance to the Concacaf W Championships to compete for the spot in the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, as well as the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com