Máximo shakes up ‘Golden Jaguars’ Squad for Crunch FIFA World Cup Qualifiers

May 28, 2021 Sports

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Kaieteur News – Senior Men’s National Team Head Coach Márcio Máximo has made six changes to his final 23-man squad for the crucial 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Saint Kitts and Nevis and Puerto Rico in early June.
Following a 3-0 defeat against Trinidad and Tobago and a 4-0 win over the Bahamas in March, which left Guyana’s qualification to round two of the qualifiers in the balance, Head Coach Máximo has recalled Stephen Duke-McKenna, Kevin Layne and Liam Gordon and handed first time call-ups to three U-20 national players.

“My job is very clear – to qualify for the second round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers. I am confident in the players and the squad to deliver this,” said Maximo, the former Brazil U17 and U20 National Coach.
“The domestic group has been working very hard in our intensive training, and we are constantly tracking the performances of our non-domestic players. The aim for the non-domestic group is to raise the quality of the team by selecting players who are in full-time professional environments, such as Queens Park Rangers, Watford, Bournemouth and Bolton in England,” he said.
Twenty-year-old Duke-McKenna, a firm favourite among the Guyanese faithful after several eyecatching displays in the golden yellow jersey, made his first team debut for EFL Championship side Queens Park Rangers (QPR) this year.
Defender Kevin Layne, 23, has recently signed for Jamaica’s Mount Pleasant Academy, joining Golden Jaguars goalkeeper Akel Clarke in the island’s top flight. Bolton Wanderers full back Liam Gordon, 22, has impressed on loan at fifth tier Dagenham and Redbridge.
As Maximo continues to bring in young talent to the national set-up as part of a long-term plan to develop the Golden Jaguars for the future, three former U-20 players receive their first call ups.
Javier George who plays in midfield for Stade Beaucairois in the French fifth tier, Santos midfielder Marcus Wilson and Guyana Police Force forward Osafa Simpson have already made their mark at international level as part of the recent Guyana U-20 squad, which performed admirably during Concacaf U-20 Championship qualifying in Nicaragua in February 2020.
English Premier League’s Watford defender Bayli Spencer-Adams, 19, and Bournemouth midfielder Nathan Moriah-Welsh, 19, rejoin the squad following their international debuts in March, alongside 17-year-old Fruta Conquerors forward Omari Glasgow, who scored in a memorable debut against the Bahamas in March.
“We know that Guyana’s chances of qualification to round two rely on results elsewhere, but the Guyana Football Federation is confident that this new-look squad – with its strong mix of exciting domestic and overseas-based talent – will put serious pressure on the other teams as we head into the business end of the group,” said GFF President Wayne Forde.
“We are delighted to see so many young players, who have graduated through the GFF’s Academy Training Centres and national youth programmes, making the grade and showing they can compete at the highest level as we build for the future. We ask the whole nation to stand up and roar with the Golden Jaguars in June as they seek to make Guyana proud and keep our FIFA World Cup dream alive.”
After two matches, Guyana lies in third place in Group F of the first round of Concacaf’s FIFA World Cup qualification process behind Trinidad and Tobago and group leaders Saint Kitts and Nevis. The Golden Jaguars must hope those teams slip up in the concluding group matches to secure top spot in the group and progress to round two.
Guyana plays Saint Kitts and Nevis at 16:00hrs local time on June 4th and Puerto Rico at 16:00hrs local time on June 8th. Both matches will take place in Saint Kitts and Nevis due to the ongoing logistical and regulatory challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Players called up are Kevin Layne, Marcus Wilson, Liam Gordon, Javier George, Stephen Duke-McKenna and Osafa Simpson. Players not called are former Captain Sam Cox, Ryan Hackett, Jeremey Garrett, Nicholas McArthur, Kadell Daniel and Callum Harriott.

Team
Name Position Club
Akel Clarke Goalkeeper Mount Pleasant Academy
Kai McKenzie-Lyle Goalkeeper Cambridge United FC
Shawn Adonis Goalkeeper Guyana Police Force FC
Miguel Scarlett Defender Colchester United
Matthew Briggs Defender Vijle Boldk)
Liam Gordon Defender Bolton Wanders FC
Nicolai Andrews Defender Santos FC
Bayli Spencer-Adams Defender Watford FC
Terence Vancooten Defender Stevenage FC
Kevin Layne Defender Mount Pleasant Academy
Nathan Moriah-Welsh Midfielder Bournemouth FC
Javier George Midfielder Stade Beaucairois 30 FC
Daniel Wilson Midfielder Guyana Defence Force FC
Jobe Caesar Midfielder Guyana Defence Force FC
Marcus Wilson Midfielder Santos FC
Pernel Schultz Midfielder Guyana Police Force FC
Stephen Duke-McKenna Forward Queen’s Park Rangers FC
Keanu Marsh-Brown Forward Wrexham AFC
Omari Glasgow Forward Fruta Conquerors FC
Kelsey Benjamin Forward Guyana Defence Force FC
Osafa Simpson Forward Guyana Police Force FC
Trayon Bobb Forward Uitvlugt Warriors FC
Ermey Welshman Forward Hapoel Raanana
Technical Staff
Ian Greenwood Technical Director
Márcio Máximo Head Coach
Charles Pollard Assistant Coach
Eon DeVeria Goalkeeper Coach
Medical Staff
Kojo Sandiford Team Doctor
Denzil Hernandez Lead Physiotherapist
Quacy Paddy Physiotherapist
Pablino Cupido Team Medic
Sports Science
Wilson Toledo Head of Sports Science
Faizal Khan Head of Recruitment
Operations
Rawle Adams Team Operations Manager
Naseya Brewster Assistant Team Operations Manager
Trevor Burnett Equipment Manager
Keeran Williams Media Officer

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