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Concacaf Nations League… Golden Jaguars in a positive mind set ahead of Turks & Caicos clash today
Sheldon Holder on the ball during pre-match training, yesterday.
New TCA Head Coach Matt Barnes (2nd right) with some of his charges during training.
The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCA) have come a long way ever since it joined FIFA in 1998 having been formed two years prior. The CFU minnows will square off with Guyana’s ‘Golden Jaguars’ today from 16:00hrs in the Concacaf National League (CNL) at the TCIFA National Academy Providenciales.
This would be the first time that the two nations are clashing and it would be a high stakes game since qualification for the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup is on the minds of both nations.
Guyana will hope to improve from their 2-2 draw with Barbados at the Leonora Stadium in their first match when week one of the championship was contested on September 6, last. The TCA were downed by Cuba 0-11 on September 8 and, under the guidance now of new National Coach Matt Barnes, will be hoping for a much better result but that would not be an easy task against a Guyanese unit that would be hungry to register a positive result.
Guyana’s Head Coach Michael Johnson, in charge of his second game and first overseas informed Kaieteur Sport that plans for the match have gone well and they are relaxed and excited about today’s challenge.
”We have introduced Stephen Duke McKenna to the group for the first time, he will bring freshness, youthfulness and excitement to the group and I’m excited to see his talent on the world stage.”
When Johnson was with the team on the Brazil Train & Play Camp ahead of the first CNL match, he had indicated that that was the commencement of Project 100 which is seeking to ensure Guyana break in to the FIFA Coca Cola World Rankings under 100 but more importantly it was the start of Guyana’s quest to qualify for the Concacaf Gold Cup 2019 for the first time and also the start of the long journey towards qualification for the 2016 FIFA World Cup.
”It’s another step towards our long term goal; the two go hand in hand. If we perform well and turn the performances into victories then we will start to climb the rankings but also take a step nearer to the Gold Cup but we must take one step at a time.”
The Golden Jaguars arrived on the island yesterday, a focused unit rearing to get the job done against the home team which Coach Johnson noted, would not be underestimated.
”We will pay Turks and Caicos all the respect that an international team deserves, we have done our due diligence and we are aware of their strengths but also the areas we can look to exploit. We are in a positive mind set.”
Quizzed on how has the players been kept in check in terms of maintaining the focus physically, mentally and tactically since the Barbados match over a month ago, this was Johnson’s response: “We set certain players programmes to sick to whilst out of camp to ensure they are up to speed when all the players return. It’s vital they all remain committed to the cause.”
Meanwhile, Greenwood who departed with the Guyana-based team on Thursday last said all the
players and staff understand the importance of earning the right to wear the badge on and off the
field: “The Guyana-based players have shown real hunger and desire in their squad practices since the completion of the Elite League. The International-based are rejoining the squad having shown excellent club form recently. All the players and staff understand the importance of earning the right to wear the badge on and off the field.”
Guyana, currently ranked at 182nd in the World to TCA’s 210th place, starts this round of the CNL in 15th place.
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