Guyana will be competitive against Guatemala tonight

Jul 03, 2021 Sports

2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Prelims

By Franklin Wilson in Fort Lauderdale, compliments of the GFF
Guyana’s ‘Golden Jaguars’ will play what’s anticipated to be a tough match against Guatemala in the final first round preliminary match of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup competition this evening form 21:30hrs at the DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Ready for battle! Guyana’s Senior Men’s National Team, The ‘Golden Jaguars’ pictured at the DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida venue for tonight’s match. (Franklin Wilson photo)

Márcio Máximo – GFF SMNT Head Coach at yesterday’s virtual press conference. (Franklin Wilson photo)

Matthew Briggs Golden Jaguars Captain.

It’s the first time ever that Concacaf is doing a Preliminary Round of qualifying for the Gold Cup which has twelve (12) nations are battling for the final three group spots in a tournament that marks the 60th anniversary of the Confederation.
This is Guyana’s second successive appearance at Concacaf’s marquee senior championship having made its debut at the 2019 edition right here in the USA. Nine of the players in the 23-man squad were part of that historic sojourn which also saw Guyana securing its first point in a 1-1 draw with Trinidad and Tobago.
The Guyanese lost to Concacaf powerhouse USA (0-4) and Panama (2-4) in its other two matches. The players returning to form the foundation for Guyana as it seeks to cross tonight’s tough hurdle are goalkeeper Akel Clarke, Matthew Briggs now the new Captain, Terrence Vancooten, Kevin Layne, Daniel Wilson (Vice Captain), Stephen Duke-McKenna, Emery Welshman, Sheldon Holder and Keanu Marsh-Brown.
Unlike 2019, this year’s tournament has been organized around the ongoing covid-19 world pandemic which has put paid to many teams being able to prepare the way they would have liked given the challenges being posed by covid-19.

The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) was able to organise two warm-up matches for this team ahead of this crucial match tonight. Against the Miami Dade FC side, the ‘Golden Jaguars’ prevailed 3-1, whilst against Bermuda, the Guyanese won by the lone goal of that encounter.
This evening’s opponent is one of the toughest within Concacaf and Guyana would be aiming to record its first win against the Central Americans in what would be the fifth time these two nations are meeting.
At yesterday’s press conference held virtually by Concacaf, Head Coach Márcio Máximo and Captain Briggs acknowledged that their opponent would be tough but that they will giving it their best shot and hopefully come out victors.
“We are very happy to be here, our main idea is to put a competitive game. We know that Guatemala is powerful in the region, I think that it is a great experience for us; they are favourite for the game but we go to the pitch to put on a competitive game.”
A victory this evening and eventual qualification to the group stages of the Concacaf Gold Cup for the second consecutive time would be a great achievement Máximo shared whilst reiterating that his team would be competitive and focused on the task at hand tonight.
Briggs stated that the team has a good mix and balance of seasoned players and youngsters and he is very impressed with what he has seen.
“They are not afraid to play which gives us the senior players’ confidence in the whole group as a collective.”
Meanwhile, this 2021 edition is the 16th Gold Cup and will take place across 11 stadiums in eight metropolitan areas, including four new Gold Cup venues in the DRV PNK Stadium (CF Inter Miami), Exploria Stadium (Orlando City SC and Orlando Pride), Q2 Stadium (Austin FC) and the venue for the Gold Cup Final, Las Vegas’ state-of-the-art Allegiant Stadium.

Concacaf President Victor Montagliani noted that they have also added a number of football first enhancements to this year’s Gold Cup which will drive even more competition on the field, and make for an even better spectacle for the fans.
– The final group stage matches will be played simultaneously to drive competition among rival teams
– For the first time, the top ranked teams can meet before the Final depending on their group stage play
– This will be the first Gold Cup with Video Assistant Referees (VAR).
“Ultimately, football is about players and fans. When the sport could safely resume during the pandemic, the players did a great job on the field, but I think we can all agree it was not the same without the fans in stadiums. As we head into the 2021 Gold Cup, I look forward to seeing the region’s top men’s national team players show their skills on the pitch. But what I most eagerly anticipate is hearing the cheering and passion from the crowds. Their love for the game is what makes football so special,” Montagliani said.
Team Guyana: 1. Kai McKenzie-Lyle 2. Bevan Baker 3. Matthew Briggs (Captain) 4.Curtez Kellman 5. Hudson Hazlewood, 6. Jobe Caesar7. Keanu Marsh-Brown 8. Nathan Moriah-Welsh 9. Sheldon Holder 10. Emery Welshman 11. Stephen Duke-McKenna 12. Javier George 13. Nicholai Andrews 14.Daniel Wilson (Vice Captain) 15. Terrance Vancooten 16.Marcus Wilson 17. Omari Glasgow 18. Shawn Adonis (GK) 19. Kelsey Benjamin 20.Trayon Bobb 21. Reiss Greenidge 22.Akel Clarke (GK) 23. Kevin Layne

The First Round of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Prelims will close on Saturday night with what should be a very entertaining affair between Guatemala and Guyana at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.