Football: Eva Frazzoni On Concacaf W Qualifiers
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Eva Frazzoni says the Bermuda women’s national team have developed a stronger mentality and hailed their “togetherness” as they bid to advance from the group stages of the Concacaf W Qualifiers.
Bermuda will play four qualifying games against Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic and Grenada and need to top group C to qualify for the Concacaf W Championship as one of the six group winners.
Their campaign gets underway against Jamaica in Kingston next Thursday [February 17] before meeting the Cayman Islands five days later at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Midfielder Frazzoni accepts Bermuda face an uphill battle against Jamaica, who became the first Caribbean nation to compete in a Women’s World Cup in 2019, but maintains topping the group is a realistic ambition.
“We’re very aware of the quality of the opposition we’re going to face,” Frazzoni told Bernews.
“Jamaica’s team is 100 per cent professional players, but at the end of the day, it’s about whoever shows up.
“Our goal is to finish at the top of the table and make a bold statement about the type of team that we are.
“A lot of people are excited about what we’re going to do [in the qualifiers]. I think we will shock a lot of people. We’re in a great space. I’ve definitely said this about other trips, but I really feel that about this one.”
Frazzoni is encouraged by a shift in the squad’s mentality to a more positive mindset and said she has never been part of a Bermuda team so well prepared for international competition.
She also believes the heartache the team experienced in the final round of the Caribbean qualifiers four years ago, losing three of their four matches, including a 4-0 defeat against Jamaica, has left them even more determined to achieve their objective.
“Although we’re a young team, we have a lot of experienced players who have been around for a long time and have endured big losses and faced big obstacles. However, this is a different group, and I’m excited about that,” said Frazzoni, who turns 24 this week.
“It’s not our skill that keeps us from achieving what we know we can, it’s our mindset and willingness to put everything on the line. We’re very aware of that.
“Our mindset is a collective one, and we’re ready and willing to do whatever it takes [to qualify].
“We’ve had several training camps, which is something we’ve never had before, and that’s beneficial because many of our players are based overseas and don’t get to play with each other a lot.
“We’ve also had Zoom calls, and the coaches are on a different wavelength from my previous experiences.”
The former Bermuda Under-20 captain is among the team’s overseas contingent, having moved to England to study for a master’s degree in public policy at the University of Essex, whose first team she has been representing with distinction this season.
Her performances have caught the attention of several local clubs, with Frazzoni keen to explore the possibility of playing professionally in the UK once she has completed her studies.
“A big part of moving to England has been about football, but I’ve had to make sure I have a back-up in terms of my education,” said Frazzoni, who previously played at the NCAA Division II level for the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. “I’m in the process of training with clubs, so we’ll see what happens.”
