With less than a month to go before the start of the CONCACAF final-round World Cup qualifiers, Jamaica's Under-20 girls head coach Vin Blaine has strengthened his squad with the addition of five overseas-based players.

The final round qualifiers will be held in Guatemala City on Thursday, January 20.

The Jamaicans will oppose powerhouse United States in their opening Group B match. They will then face Mexico in the second game on January 23, and two days later, they will battle Caribbean rivals Trinidad and Tobago.

World Cup aid

"We will be depending heavily on these overseas players to help get to the World Cup because these girls are very experienced and they are also very knowledgeable about the game," said Blaine in an interview with The Gleaner on Wednesday.

Midfielders Shereen Clarke and Monique Price, along with striker Kemeisha Woodbine and first-time invitee and defender Katrina Rose, began training with rest of the squad after arriving in the island earlier this week. Blaine added that they are also expecting five Canada-based players to join the squad in early January.

"These overseas girls have played for Jamaica at the Under-19, Under-20 and also the senior level," Blaine said. "We are also hoping that they can transfer some of the things that they have learnt from playing overseas to our local-based players," he said.

Blaine noted that despite the lack of international practice games before the start of the tournament, the girls have been working very hard in training and are confident.

"Things have been going well because we are working on our speed of play and ball possession, which I think will be critical in this round of qualifiers," said Blaine.

"These girls are confident because they are preparing themselves for this, but we now have to do the work to get them to play at their best," he said.

Blaine, who is also coach of Harbour View's female team, feels his team will be bothered by the fact that they have been drawn in the same group with likes of USA, Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago, but he remains upbeat.

"I believe we can qualify for the World Cup, regardless of who we are playing against, because we fear no one," Blaine reasoned.