In this post: Jamaica’s roster for the 2020 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship, with collegiate profile links and player ages, plus some additional facts and details about Jamaica.
Jamaica, who finished third in the last senior CONCACAF women’s tournament, thus earning a spot in their first FIFA Women’s World Cup, are hoping for a better finish this time, in order to earn one of two tickets to the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
However, they will be without the coach who guided them into the WWC, Hue Menzies, resigned in December amid a “pay dispute” with the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), as the JFF owes Menzies six months of unpaid salary and other compensation. (Jamaica-Star.com)
In Menzies’ place, the JFF has installed former assistant coach Hubert Busby, Jr. as the interim head coach. Busby “will be assessed throughout the competition” by the JFF, who will make a “long-term coaching decision” after the tournament. (Jamaica-Gleaner.com)
For more on the USA-based Hue Menzies, here is an ECNL interview with him from October 2018 and one from last week by Jonathan Tannewald of the Philadelphia Inquirer that includes quotes from Menzies and goes into details about the JFF’s lack of financial support for the Jamaica WNT.
JAMAICA’S ROSTER FOR CONCACAF OLYMPIC QUALIFYING 2020
Parenthetical Key: Current or Last Club (FIFA country code if not USA); age (as of 28-Jan-2020); collegiate team(s) (if applicable, for graduated players)
Hyperlinks go to collegiate profiles
Goalkeepers (3):
Chris-Ann Chambers (UWI F.C. – JAM; 24.26)
Sydney Schneider (UNC Wilmington; 20.41)
Alyssa Whitehead (unattached – assistant coach at FIU; 30.38; Samford)
Defenders (4):
Dominique Bond-Flasza (PSV Eindhoven – NED; 23.38; Washington)
Sashana Campbell (Maccabi Kishronot Hadera WFC – ISR; 28.91)
Madiya Harriott (Vanderbilt; 20.95)
Konya Plummer (Central Florida; 22.49)
Alyson Swaby (AS Roma – ITA; 23.32; Boston College)
Chantelle Swaby (Rutgers; 21.48)
Midfielders (3):
Olufolasade Adamolekun (USC; 18.93)
Chinyelu Asher (Staebek IF – NOR; 26.69; Louisville/Purdue)
Havana Solaun (Paris FC – FRA/D1*; 26.93; Florida)
*just signed as of 12-Jan-2020
Forwards (8):
Deneisha Blackwood (DSK Slavia Praha – CZE; 22.89; West Florida – NCAA D2)
Tiffany Cameron (Staebek IF – NOR; 28.28; Ohio State)
Trudi Carter (unattached, prev. AS Roma – ITA; 25.19; South Florida)
Gabrielle Farrell (Liberty U.; 22.15)
Cheyna Matthews (Washington Spirit; 26.21; Florida State / Vanderbilt)
Kayla McCoy (Houston Dash; 23.40; Duke)
Khadija “Bunny” Shaw (Girondins de Bordeaux – FRA/D1; 22.99; Tennessee)
Tiernny Wiltshire (Rutgers; 21.72)
NOTABLES
NCAA Connections: Of the players on this roster, 18 of 20 have played or are currently playing for an NCAA women’s soccer team (17 D1 / 1 D2).
WWC Majority: 14 of the 20 players were members of Jamaica’s FIFA Women’s World Cup squad. One of the players not on the WWC team was the Houston Dash’s Kayla McCoy, who missed the WWC due to a knee injury (ProSoccerUSA.com).
Average Age: 24.05
Average Height: Around 5’7″ / 170cm (The height for one player, goalkeeper Chris-Ann Chambers is not readily available. Other heights are either from FIFA or NCAA team profiles.)
Prior “Nationalities”: A handful of players on the roster have played for the youth and/or senior teams of other associations, including Tiffany Cameron, who has 6 senior Canada WNT caps (CanadaSoccer.com profile) and WWC goal-scorer Havana Solaun, who was a member of the U-23 USWNT (2016 and 2013) and the U-17 USWNT in 2010. Kayla McCoy has also been in several youth USWNT camps, including a U-23 USWNT camp as recently as March 2018 (Thorns Spring Invitational).
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