Despite earning 26 caps for Jamaica, Reggae Girl Deneisha Blackwood gets excited every time she is called up to represent her country.

The 28-year-old Blackwood, who is signed to Mexican League with Cruz Azul, has been representing Jamaica since 2011 at the youth level and made her senior debut in 2018.

“I’m feeling good. For me, I think it’s always a blessing to get called up to the national team every time even though I’ve been here for so long. I think it’s always one of the things I look forward to getting called for,” Blackwood pointed out.

She continued: “So, whenever I get called up, I’m just so excited. I always call my friends on the team, check, see if they got called too and we just talk about it”.

Blackwood, who has scored seven goals for Jamaica, was selected as a midfielder but is versatile enough to play at left back, has been a valuable asset to the Reggae Girlz team.

But as the team evolves, Blackwood knows she must adapt, keep fit and continue to fight for her spot in the team.

“Playing professionally plays a big role in that. Not only playing professional, but ways of keeping fit, especially now we’re on break. We still get sent programs and stuff,” she pointed out.

‘The professionalism in me tend to just keep working regardless of if there’s a competition or not.

Blackwood has been a part of the Reggae Girlz team that faces the United States before, and she knows what it means to play a top-flight team like the Americans.

“I feel really good. While the score line might not look or seem like anything, I think right now it’s just like a growing and learning curve that we’re on,” she noted.

“ I think it’s just understanding that these games are what’s gonna build us. And for us, we’re more focused on creating a strong squad, a strong environment with good camaraderie and stuff. You know, keep building, rebuilding, and just focusing on that,” she reiterated.