‘Silver’star
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti —Lauren Silver is one of those players charting the course for the future of Jamaica’s women’s football.
The outstanding player, who made her debut for the senior Reggae Girlz in 2014 was a part of the team that missed out on World Cup qualification in 2015, has now returned primed for another qualifying run.
Now armed with professional experience gained from her time playing with teams in Sweden, FC Metz in France, and most recently Glasgow City in Scotland, Silver’s appetite and desire for success this time around is second to none.
“I took a break from soccer because I was doing so much travelling and I was really far from friends and family, so I just took a break. But I am now ready to go again to give it my best for the Jamaican team.
“I love playing soccer, it is my passion, so any platform and opportunity that I get to play I am going to take it. And to play at the international level, like I said, is to get opportunity to compete against some of the best teams in the world and I want that because I am a competitor,” Silver told the Jamaica Observer.
The unwavering determination of the American-born player may have stemmed from her family’s athletic ability, as her mom and dad Adrienne and Gary were both marathon runners, while her sister Brittney, also played football and encouraged her to take up the sport.
The 25-year-old, who traces her island connections through her mom’s father Roy Forrester, the late television weatherman, is armed with technical skills and grit to grow in the sport.
Silver relishes the big stage and is happy that she can strut her stuff for Jamaica.
“The opportunity to play for your country is a great opportunity and gaining the international experience is really big. At first I had to think about [joining the team] because there is no contract or incentive that people expect when playing for a senior team.
“But I really wanted to come back because I see the potential in the team and it is a really young team with really great players. So I am hopeful that this team will be allowed to grow into the team that it really should be, and so that is why I am here,” the outspoken player explained.
Among Silver’s main concerns is Jamaica’s lack of quality practice games for the tournament, while teams such as the United States, Mexico and Canada are already in camp preparing for the CONCACAF round of qualifiers.
“This time around it has exceeded my expectations, but we still have a lot of work to do with the [Jamaica Footbal Federation] in general to really give the team what it needs to be successful.
“We have a lot of girls here who have the drive, the talent and potential to make this team really successful, so again hopefully we can make some huge changes in the federation as well and just improve women’s soccer,” Silver noted.
“With that said, I feel like we now have a foundation that we can build on because we have more coaches coming in who are organised and staff who are helping us with treatment and getting us proper nutrition and recovery, and that helps us to go out on the field and play the way we need to play so that we can make a statement,” she added.
A bustling midfielder who has 82 caps and three goals for Florida Gators during her time in university, Silver pointed out that her experiences with various clubs assisted in broadening her scope as a player.
However, she now holds no real expectations about where she will ply her trade next, but remains open to any opportunity that presents itself.
For now, her focus remains with assisting the Reggae Girlz through the first round of the CONCACAF Caribbean Women’s World Cup Qualifiers as they hunt a spot in the final round schedule for August 25 to September 2.
The Jamaicans were yesterday scheduled to face Martinique in the second Group B game. They will close against hosts Haiti tomorrow.
“I focused on the game today (yesterday), so I am not thinking too far ahead because if we don’t take the game in front of us seriously that’s where we get caught.
“So we have to focus on those 90 minutes first, because if we play the way that I know we can play, then I know that we can be very successful. But I live in the moment so its today’s game, tomorrow’s (today’s) recovery and then the next game,” Silver ended.