Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

NEW NATIONAL senior women's football coach Charles Edwards will focus on the mental toughness of the Reggae Girlz in regards to international competition as they prepare for the 2007 Pan American Games.

"When you look at many of our local teams, people always walk away saying we were equal to or even more talented that the other team. Yet we don't come out on top," Edwards told The Gleaner.

"We need to find another direction, other ways and means to sharpen and focus them mentally on the challenge of facing experienced international players out there," he said.

Edwards, a head coach at Barbican, which he has led to three Sherwin Williams Women's National Premier League championships, took over from Vin Blaine who resigned in controversial circum-stances last month.

New objective

Despite the well-documented success of former coach Blaine, who achieved several milestones, including a trip to the brink of FIFA World Cup qualification with both the senior and Under-20 teams, new coach Edwards is trying not to look on such success as a tough act to follow.

"I won't approach it as an act to follow. I don't want to end up with the wrong objective," he said. "My objective is to get them to see howmuch further I can get them to go in terms of international football; not to fill someone else's shoes," he said.

The women's senior team, due to a fourth-place finish in the CONCACAF FIFA World Cup qualifying tournament last November, earned a historic berth in this summer's Pan American Games, which will take place from July 13 to 26 in Brazil.

The squad

Edwards, who has selected a 17-woman local squad dominated by local premier league teams Harbour View and Portmore who have 11 players between them, will begin camp with a meeting with the women at the Jamaica Football Federation headquarters tomorrow.

The new squad consists of Peatria Campbell - Portmore United, Rochelle Bryan - Portmore United, Shereen Clarke - Portmore United, Venecia Reid - Portmore United, Iesha Mowatt - Portmore United, Tashana Vincent - Portmore United, Mitsy Facey - Upliftment, Shanise Steele - Upliftment, Peta-Gaye Soman - Harbour View, Diana Hue - Harbour View, Tanesha Vassell - Harbour View, Nicola Bell - Harbour View, Paula Jackson - Harbour View, Kenesha Reid - Barbican, Yanique Goldspring - Barbican, Julie Fearon - Barbican and Christina Murray - Waterhouse.