Canadian women face reloaded Jamaican squad at CONCACAF W Championship

On paper, Canada versus Jamaica in the semifinal of the CONCACAF W Championship is a mismatch.

The Canadian women’s soccer team, ranked sixth in the world, is a perfect 8-0-0 all-time against the 51^st-ranked Reggae Girlz, outscoring them 57-1. In their last meeting during 2020 Olympic qualifiers, Canada cruised to a 9-0 win, with Jordyn Huitema scoring five goals.

But neither team is expecting a repeat of that result when they meet in their semifinal match Thursday night in Monterrey, Mexico.

“The Jamaica that we played in 2020 is definitely not the Jamaica that we see now,” head coach Bev Priestman said. “I think everyone can see that from the tournament… They've got attacking, quick threats that we've got to take care of.”

Jamaica qualified for its second-straight FIFA Women’s World Cup after finishing second in Group A. They upset the hosts, Mexico, 1-0 in the opener, dropped a 5-0 decision to the United States before closing out the group stage with a 4-0 win over Haiti.

“Our history playing Canada has been a bit rocky,” forward Kayla McCoy said. “But we're a completely different team now. We're a lot more developed. We’re coming in with a lot more confidence, a lot more self-belief. So, I think going into this game, we're just excited to see what we can produce and I think that we can get a result.”

Jamaica became the first Caribbean nation to qualify for a Women’s World Cup when it made its tournament debut in 2019. The current roster boasts several players who currently compete in England’s Women’s Super League (WSL) and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).  

“We're really excited to play Jamaica again,” Canadian midfielder Quinn said. “I think from the last time we played them, they've added some really quality players to the roster…. I think it's going to be an exciting match and they’re going to give us some unique threats. That being said, I think that we can handle those threats.”

One such threat that Canada will need to handle is Khadija “Bunny” Shaw. The star forward is tied for the tournament scoring lead (along with Canadian midfielder Julia Grosso) with three goals.

Shaw currently plays with Manchester City and was tied as the fifth-highest scorer in the WSL last season with nine goals. She has been teammates at the club level with Canadians Janine Beckie (before she left City to join the NWSL’s Portland Thorns earlier this year) and defender Vanessa Gilles at Bordeaux.

“It's no [secret] that she's good in the air, can turn, can travel with the ball quickly, can link things, but also can run in behind,” Priestman said. “And it's not just Bunny Shaw. There are players that run off Bunny and feed off her strengths. I think the good news is some of our players know her well, have dealt with her well. But she is a threat, and we have to show that respect, as we always do for our opponent.”

Canada finished atop Group B with a perfect 3-0-0 record, scoring nine goals and conceding none. After qualifying for next year’s World Cup with a 1-0 win over Panama, the Canadians are turning their attention to Olympic qualification.

The winner of the tournament earns an automatic berth to the 2024 Paris Games, while the second- and third-place teams will advance to a playoff this fall for the final CONCACAF Olympic spot. The United States and Costa Rica will face off in the other semifinal.

“We've understood that we can be a top team in the world and that we can win both the Olympic Games and the World Cup,” Quinn said. “So, I think with that does come more pressure. But I think it's welcome and invited pressure…. We're excited by that opportunity, not handicapped by it.”

The Jamaicans, who have never qualified for an Olympics, are not content to settle for their World Cup berth.

“We know that the job's not done yet and there's still more to go,” McCoy said. “Going into the game against Canada, we're still going to be all cylinders firing because we're still hungry.”

Canada has faced some different challenges at this tournament, with lower-ranked opponents like Trinidad and Tobago and Panama playing in a low block, focusing on stifling Canada’s attack rather than getting numbers forward. The Canadians feel it comes with the territory of being Olympic champions.

 “You see teams dropping into back fives and changing how they play against you,” fullback Jayde Riviere told TSN. “I think that that's bittersweet, because obviously it can be frustrating, but it's the respect that Canada has earned, especially becoming Olympic champions.”

“That's been a unique challenge for us and something that we haven't faced as much in our past international friendlies,” Quinn added. “But I think it's a welcome challenge, and I think we've progressed over the matches to learn how we can do that as a team in order to penetrate good blocks and get some finishes on goal.”

Canada’s goal of Olympic qualification comes at a time of turmoil for Canada Soccer following TSN’s report on a lack of transparency from the governing body in several areas, including its deal with Canada Soccer Business and the allocation of funds to both the women’s and men’s national teams.

On Wednesday, the women’s and men’s teams issued a joint statement asking for Canada Soccer to be investigated by Sport Canada regarding the federation’s governance practices.

No players on the women’s team spoke to the media following training on Wednesday. According to a Canada Soccer spokesperson, this was a mutual decision by the players and the federation. Priestman did address the situation during her media conference.

“For me, and for the players, for the next 24 hours and the game beyond us, we have to focus on what's in front of us,” she said. “I think it's very easy to get distracted and pulled away from that. But I think we know that the more success we have on the pitch, the greater things will come for this program. So, our focus, my focus, is to make sure we get a win, and that we qualify for the Olympics, because that's what's been the foundation of this team.”