Former TF Players Hit the World Stage
June 1, 2019
At left, Marlo Sweatman, a player on Jamaica's Women's National Team, helps Italian player Valentina Cernoia back to her feet during a FIFA Women's World Cup match on June 14, 2019, in Reims, France. At right, Samie Scaffidi, plays hard for her new professional team, FF Lugano 1976 (Switzerland), which recently qualified for the 2019 UEFA Women's Champion League competition.
Two players formerly coached by Total Futbol Executive Director Nadir Moumen are currently playing on the world stage, a huge (and rare) achievement. Marlo Sweatman, who played with the Herndon '94-'95 Firecats during her youth career, recently played in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup (WWC) in France, representing Jamaica. And Samie Scaffidi, who was a top player on the McLean '96-'97 ECNL team from 2013-2015, has relocated to Switzerland and joined the professional team FF Lugano 1976.
Sweatman, who has played professionally for several teams since completing her college career as an Oregon Duck, helped the Jamaica WNT—affectionately known as the "Reggae Girlz"—achieve the unprecedented feat of qualifying for the WWC. The country's women's team has never qualified for the WWC before in its history (and it's the first Caribbean team to ever make the grade). Although the Reggae Girlz did not advance out of group play (they lost all three games), the fact that they got there at all was progress. After failing to qualify for the Olympics in 2008, the team was disbanded for six full years and only got restarted in 2014.
Sweatman was born and raised in Virginia but her mother was born in Jamaica, which makes her eligible to play as a Reggae Girl. Most recently, she has played professionally for the Hungarian team St. Mihaly.
