Jamaican women’s national soccer team coach Lorne Donaldson will not renew his contract with the team, the country’s football federation said on Friday.
Jamaica’s ‘Reggae Girlz’ reached the knockout phase for the first time in their second appearance at the tournament in Australia and New Zealand but lost to Colombia in the round of 16.
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The Jamaican Football Federation (JFF) said “both parties came to an agreement” in Donaldson’s departure.
“The JFF wishes to place on record, our thanks to Lorne for his services to Jamaica’s football over the years, and specially making us proud at the recent Women’s World Cup,” the JFF said in a statement.
“We are confident that he will have unlimited success in his future endeavors and wish him the very best.”
Donaldson is also president of elite youth club Real Colorado, where he has helped develop current U.S. women’s national team stars Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson, and has been suggested as a possible candidate to fill the vacancy for USWNT head coach.
His departure comes less than a month before the Jamaica team is set to compete in the Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup qualifying and the JFF said it would move quickly to have “competent staff in place.”
Defending Olympic champions Canada beat Jamaica 2-1 on Tuesday in Toronto to book their spot in the 2024 Paris Games.
