 Pushing focus to football after becoming the first Caribbean nation since 1938 to qualify for the knockout stages at any World Cup, the reggae girls will be aiming to create even more history in the coming days. Jamaica will be involved in a two-legged tie to determine the final concord gas spot in women's football for the 2024 Paris Olympics, a feat which has never been accomplished by a Caribbean team standing in their way on the reigning Olympic gold medalists Canada who are not only looking to defend their crown but also rebound from a disappointing group stage exit at this summer's FIFA Women's World Cup. The first leg will be played later on Friday at the National Stadium in Kingston before heading to Toronto to an already sold-out BMO field for the second leg on Tuesday. Joining us to preview the encounter is our in-house football analyst Lejay Williams and Lejay you were at training yesterday first with the reggae girls I gather the Canadians came through as well. What did you see? I saw a lot of endeavour, I actually like what I saw they went through a lot of tactical drills also so and what I really liked was the camaraderie between the girls and there was a lot of music playing before they were doing some really fun drills as well. Only just hard work so that's what I really like seeing from them and it was just really interesting to see how they interact although so many of them come from so many different backgrounds of course not all of them come from or were born in Jamaica or have spent majority of their life in Jamaica so it was really good to see that so many positive interactions from the squad. I gather the Canadians came through as well. Well actually they weren't too friendly to the media one might say so they did a really quick departure they just were in and out so I didn't really get to get a vibe from them I can say but I know that they're a really quality team I know what they're going to bring to the table and I think it's going to be a really good game tonight. Yeah I don't want to say it's a it's a sideshow but it's definitely something for us to pay attention to I feel as if with the reggae girls there is always some off the field issues in build up to big matches and big tournaments and I guess one thing to look at ahead of these Olympic qualifying matches is that the coach Lauren Donaldson is coming towards his tenure at least his contract is expiring soon. Yeah apparently the contract is already open he's just working till the end of these upcoming games because he and his team signed an extension last September a one year extension so I gather that it's either it's done or it's almost finished and he's just working until the end he said that he hasn't quite gotten into negotiations as yet so let's see what happens there but I think it would be a huge shock if he or his team isn't involved with the reggae girls going forward. Yeah you know what apart from the fact that he has been successful with this team as Ricardo referenced just now there are some off the field issues which does suggest that there is some tension between Lauren Donaldson and the the the JFF hierarchy highlighted to by a confrontation that they had on a team bus some month some months ago and it is generally felt that the players like the coach and the players want the coach but I'm getting the feeling that the JFF is in two minds about retaining Lauren Donaldson as coach given the kind of I don't want to say it's acrimonious that may be a strong term but I don't think they have seen eye-to-eye on a lot of issues in the past year I think you'd be a huge misstep for the JFF to get rid of Lauren Donaldson or not renew him I should say it's obvious as I mentioned the camaraderie between the team and the coach all of the coaching staff really wasn't only Lauren Donaldson interacting there he's always involved in the Jews as well it's not only the team and him it's the entire coaching staff that they seem to like there's a good vibe around the team so I'm not to mention that Jamaica went to the women's World Cup and probably accomplished the greatest feat in the history of the island in terms of football so even if you're speaking on a results based I'm not not looking at the vibe of the team or the or what have you just based on results there is no reason to get rid of that success unless there are factors behind the scenes that maybe we won't know but just at face value I think that it would be it would be idiotic idiotic really to say that Lauren Donaldson would get rid of him it doesn't make any sense well I you know if you're giving if you're giving him a score of one out of ten based on what the team did at the World Cup in New Zealand and and Australia I don't think you could give him less than a nine I'd say I don't think I give him less than 20 because if we compare him compare him and the Jamaica squad to the squad that we had to face people have to remember that we face two of the power houses in football and we're going to face another one in Canada but we face Brazil play we face France Columbia upcoming team the team who knocked us out so knocked out Jamaica so I think that there's so much that he did right I think you'd be yeah I don't think you'd be a good step and I don't think that would be the step either I think he will stay yeah Canada I think given what happened at the World Cup Jamaica made it to the round of 16 Canada exited at the group stage there might well be expectations that the ringer girls can top of this Canadian team how do you see it I think Jamaicans maybe need to temper the expectations just a touch I'm not going to say it's not possible for Jamaica to be this Canadian team we have shown that we can either hold out against or beat some really impressive opposition but we have faced Canada nine times in professional women's football the aggregate score is 60 to 1 and I know that this is not the same regular girls team that has faced Canada throughout the years but with that being said there is still a gap of quality to overcome Canada is a really quality team Canada are the 10th round team in the world they have the highest goal scoring in all of international football men and women in Christine Sinclair they have multiple Chelsea players who have won the FA Premier League for women in England yes we have Khadija Shah yes we have a lot of quality players including Carter Jody Brown we have so many good players in Jamaica but I think we need to temper it just a bit and in terms of the Olympic qualifying in terms of the Gold Cup qualifying I think Jamaica really are going to have to it's going to have to be a really big effort but we have seen that they can do it and I wouldn't be shocked if they pull it off again do you expect much of the same in terms of the tactical approach during the World Cup I think most of the games maybe with the exception of the Panama game where the regular girls are on the front foot they spent most of the time defending and keeping that defensive shape and stability is that what you expect tonight and trying to catch the Canadians on the counter well I know that the sports market zone is a world-class show but I'm just going to hope that the Canadians aren't watching because from what I saw in training yesterday I saw a lot of defensive drills the a lot of the same system in terms of what Jamaica were trying to accomplish staying compact that I didn't stay around long enough to see the attacking side of what they were trying to do so I'm not going to say that hopefully there are no Canadians watching and they're not making a phone call but but I do expect a similar approach it has to be against a team that is so potent attacking wise not only Christians in clear that I mentioned Jesse Fleming as well so it's a really potent team attacking wise so I think Jamaica are going to have to buckle down yes we're going to be at home and yes I do want us to I do want Jamaica to try and play out more try and give the crowd feed into the crowd and give a energy but it's going to be difficult so I suspect that the game will be won or lost by fine margins by the way I don't think you have said anything just know that the Canadians are not expecting from the regular girls tonight I think they they know fully well having seen the regular girls at the World Cup and for the most part it well more than for the most part it is pretty much the same squad only two or three changes I think from the World Cup squad in this Olympic qualifying squad but a lot on the line legit and you spoke about the crowd which is often referred to as the 12th man because it's women's football lines do I say 12th woman well I'll be in the crowds I'm not quite sure if you want to call me that but I'll be there cheering them on as well but I know that the Canadians will be expecting Jamaica to be defensive but maybe in case I saw us in red so they were assuming that we were switching allegiances but weren't doing that for sure but yeah the crowd is going to be extremely important it's going to be the first time since the heroics of the Jamaica team that they'll be in front of their home crowd and just judging off the support that I saw the men get who aren't of the same how can I say this I'm not going to say quality but they aren't of the same standing in terms of world football international football wise so the women who have accomplished so much I think they're going to get a lot of love tonight and let's see if that can spur them on to get a really positive result two things obviously a lot of pressure on the reggae girls to get a result in Kingston because the BMO field in Toronto is already sold out for Tuesday second leg and the Canadians will be strong there for sure I just wondered too though why they selected that as a venue because a lot of times when these teams are playing Caribbean teams they take them to the coldest places in Winnipeg and parts of Alberta and so on where the temperatures are are pretty cold clearly to make things uncomfortable for your for your for your the challenging team and I don't think Toronto is that cold in September are you also suggesting land that Toronto could feel like home for the reggae girls because a lot of Jamaicans a lot of Caribbean people yeah yeah that's part of what I'm saying I just wondered why they chose that as a venue because we know the football psychology a lot of times these North American teams play the Caribbean teams they make sure they take them to some some climbs aren't suitable for them it is amongst the the biggest if not the biggest football ground in Canada maybe they were banking and getting as much support as possible but that is a valid question sir Lance I'm not quite sure as I said they were very shy to the media one might say so I can't answer that question they must have their reasons but I think the crowd is going to be dancing enough I don't think shy is the word though I think they have their game faces on because after this is the disappointment of the World Cup the Canadians are hugely disappointed so they want to set things right now yeah and they definitely cannot afford another disappointment in this Olympic qualifying campaign well reggae girls taking on Canada Olympic qualifying action in Kingston later tonight also coming up tonight will be CPL and we're gonna be chatting about that in this show later on and I think a special guest is joining us as well