Summer Series: USA vs. Jamaica - Match History & Preview | Five Things to Know

After beating Portugal 1-0 on the opening match day of the 2021 WNT Summer Series, presented by AT&T 5G, the U.S. Women’s National Team returns to the field on June 13 to take on Jamaica in the second of the USA’s three friendlies during theSummer Series. Sunday’s match against Jamaica will again be played at BBVA Stadium, in Houston, Texas, with broadcast coverage beginning at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT on FS1 and official kickoff at 10:15 p.m. ET/9:15 p.m. CT.

Here are Five Things to Know about the Reggae Girlz.

JAMAICA DOWNS TOP TEAM IN AFRICA, SETS SIGHTS ON TOP TEAM IN CONCACAF
Coming off a 1-0 victory over Nigeria in its first game of the Summer Series, Jamaica will face the USA in its second and final match of the Summer Series. Reggae Girlz head coach Hubert Busby Jr.has called in 23 players for the two-game set, with players representing six different countries – the USA, Scotland, England, Israel, Hungary, and Italy. Jamaica is without perhaps its top player in Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, who led France’s Division I Feminine in scoring this season with Bordeaux, pounding in 22 goals. 

JAMAICA WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Sydney Schneider (Washington Spirit, USA), 13-Rebecca Spencer (Tottenham Hotspurs FC, ENG), 23-Yazmeen Jamieson (Unattached)

DEFENDERS (6): 2-Chantelle Swaby (Glasgow Rangers FC, SCO), 5-Konya Plummer (Orlando Pride, USA), 11-Satara Murray (Austin Elite, USA), 12-Sashana Campbell (Maccabi Hedera, ISR), 16-Gabrielle Gayle (South Alabama University, USA), 17-Allyson Swaby (AS Roma, ITA)

MIDFIELDERS (8): 4-Vyan Sampson (Charlton Athletic, ENG), 6-Havana Solaun (North Carolina Courage, USA), 7-Chinyelu Asher (Washington Spirit, USA), 14-Deneisha Blackwood (Houston Dash, USA), 15-Tiffany Cameron (Ferencvaros FC, HUN), 18-Tierney Wiltshire (Maccabi Emek Hefer, ISR), 19-Drew Spence (Chelsea FC, ENG), 22-Peyton McNamara (Ohio State University, USA)

FORWARDS (6): 3-Mikayla Dayes (University of Maryland, USA), 8-Shania Hayles (Aston Villa FC, ENG), 9-Kayla McCoy (Glasgow Rangers FC, SCO), 10-Jody Brown (Florida State University, USA), 20-Cheyna Matthews (Racing Louisville FC, USA), 21-Sade Adamolekun (University of Southern California, USA)

REGGAE GIRLZ TOP NIGERIA IN SUMMER SERIES OPENER
The first of the five total matches at the 2021 WNT Summer Series presented by AT&T 5G saw Jamaica top Nigeria, 1-0, on a hot and humid afternoon at BBVA Stadium in Houston. 

Houston Dash defender Deneisha Blackwood scored the game’s lone goal in her club’s home stadium, tallying in the 51st minute to break the deadlock. Blackwood’s goal followed a free kick deep in Jamaica’s attacking third. The initial service from the right wing slipped through to the far post where forward Jody Brown ran down the ball. Fresh of an appearance in the NCAA Championship match for Florida State, Brown did well to cut a pass back to Blackwood, who made up for a missed penalty kick in the 25th minute, by pounding the ball into the upper left corner with a left-footed shot from eight yards out.

Jamaica outshot Nigeria, 12-8, on the afternoon with an 8-4 advantage in shots on goal. Nigeria earned eight corner kicks to three for Jamaica.

HISTORY AGAINST THE USA
Sunday’s game will be the fourth meeting all-time between the USA and Jamaica and the first outside of a Concacaf qualifying event. The USWNT and Jamaica have played twice in World Cup qualifying – first in 1994 and against in 2018 – and also in qualification for the 2008 Olympics. The USA has won all three previous meetings between the nations by a combined margin of 22-0. 

The teams played most recently on October 14, 2018, in Frisco, Texas during qualify for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The USA defeated Jamaica, 6-0, in the semifinal of 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship to qualify for the 2019 World Cup in France, where they went on to lift their second consecutive World Cup trophy. Tobin Heath and Alex Morgan scored a brace apiece in the victory over Jamaica, while Julie Ertz and Megan Rapinoe also found the back of the net for the USA. 

HISTORY FOR THE CARIBBEAN IN FRANCE
Despite losing to the U.S. in the semifinal, Jamaica bounced back to qualify for its first Women’s World Cup in 2019, defeating Panama, 4-2 on penalties following a 2-2 draw in the third-place match at the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship. In doing so, Jamaica not only secured its first World Cup berth, but also became the first Caribbean team ever to qualify for the Women’s World Cup. 

While Jamaica went winless in the group stage in France, the Reggae Girlz produced one of the early feel-good moments of the tournament when Havana Solaun scored Jamaica’s first World Cup goal in their final group game, a 4-1 loss to Australia. American-born goalkeeper Syndey Schneider, who was just 19 years old during the 2019 World Cup, also impressed for Jamaica during the tournament and made a penalty kick save on Brazil’s Andressa in the Jamaica’s first game of the group stage.

FAMILIAR FACES
Schenieder and Solaun are just two of the six players on Jamaica’s roster who are currently on NWSL rosters. Solaun, a former star for the University of Florida who hails from Miami and whose father is Cuban and mother is Jamaican, currently plays for the North Carolina Courage, but spent 2015-2016 with the Seattle Reign, 2017-2018 with the Washington Spirit, and then did stints in Norway, France and Cyprus before returning to the NWSL.She played for the USA at the Youth National Team levels. Schneider was selected by the Washington Spirit with the 29th overall pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft, following her collegiate career at UNC Wilmington. Midfielder Chinyelu Asher is also on the Spirit, defender Konya Plummer plays for the Orlando Pride, midfielder Daneisha Blackwood plays with Houston Dash and forward Cheyna Mathews made her 2021 debut for Racing Louisville on June 5.

Jamaica has five players playing college soccer in the USA, including Jody Brown, who helped Florida State to the NCAA Championship Game earlier in the spring, where she played alongside U.S. international Jaelin Howell, who won the Mac Hermann Trophy this year as college soccer’s top player. Brown scored five goals for the Seminoles in the strange 2020-2021 college season. Forward Mikayla Dayes also plays in the ACC with the University of Maryland, Gabrielle Gayle plays for South Alabama, midfielder McNamara plays at Ohio State and forward Sade Adamolekun plays for USC.