The stage has been set for a thrilling encounter between Jamaica’s senior Reggae Girlz and powerhouses United States in an international friendly game on June 3 at the Energizer Stadium in St Louis, Missouri.

The match marks a crucial step in the Reggae Girlz’s preparation for the 2027 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Women’s World Cup Qualifiers, which kick off in October.

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Originally scheduled to play China on that date, the United States have found a new opponent in Jamaica after the Asian country pulled out. No reason was given for the Chinese withdrawal from the June 3 game.

The opportunity to play the United States is a welcome one for the Reggae Girlz to test their skills against one of the world’s top-ranked teams.

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The match will be the first one between the teams since the 2022 Concacaf Women’s Championship in Mexico which the United States won 5-0.

Dennis Chung, general secretary of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), expressed his excitement about the opportunity and believes that this match will be a huge boost for the team as they aim for their third-consecutive World Cup appearance.

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“This is going to help significantly in getting them [to the World Cup]. This is one of the matches lined up for them, a continuation of it. We are trying to get in as much matches as possible for the Girlz leading up to the qualifiers. So the team will come together and the players will be selected and we will ensure that we will qualify for the World Cup,” Chung told the Jamaica Observer.

The match against the United States will be a significant test for the Reggae Girlz. Chung acknowledged that Jamaica has never beaten the United States before, but he is confident that the team will learn from the experience as the match will provide valuable insight for the team as they prepare for the qualifiers.

“We have never beaten the United States before and so this will be a test. I mean, this is a friendly game and we are going to get a test of one of the better teams that is out there, maybe the best in the world, rated at number one. So we will get a test of what is up there so when we go in to the qualifiers we will have a good idea of what we need to do,” he said.

Despite recent losses against Mexico, Chung is optimistic about the team’s prospects. He noted that the team showed improvement in the second half of both games, indicating that they are on the right track.

“I think they will do well. I think the Girlz are coming together. I don’t think the coach has selected the final team yet. They are introducing some young players also and they are in transition and they did relatively well.

“We got beaten in the last two games against Mexico but the second half of the two games we came out stronger and so it is really just a matter of putting the team together. It is not like we got blown out the full game as we played well in the second half of each game,” Chung said.

With the right team in place, Chung is confident that the Reggae Girlz will stand strong and achieve their goal of qualifying for the World Cup.

“I think what it [games against Mexico] showed is that once we put the right team together, I think we will stand up very strong and definitely going to the World Cup,” he said.

Sophia Smith (right) of United States scores past Jamaica goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer during the Concacaf Women’s football championship match at BBVA Bancomer stadium in Monterrey, Mexico, on July 7, 2022. (Photo: AFP)