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Guyana on collision course with T&T for spot in Gold Cup Main Draw
– Coach Shabazz calls for International Friendly matches
By Rawle Toney
Kaieteur News – The Golden Jaguars are on a collision course to face their regional nemesis, the Soca Warriors, for a spot in the main draw of this year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The second edition of the Concacaf Nations League (CNL) served as the qualifier for the 2023 Gold Cup. After the Group Stage play on Tuesday night, 12 teams secured a berth in the 2023 Gold Cup Group Stage, joining Asian Champions Qatar.
League A group winners Canada, Mexico, Panama, and the United States, will be joined by League A runners-up Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, and Jamaica, along with League B group winners Cuba, Guatemala, Haiti, and Nicaragua.
Guyana’s Omari Glasgow evades Montserrat’s Brandon Barzey during their clash at Wildey Turf inside the Sir Garfield Sobers Sports Complex in Barbados.
Meanwhile, League A third-place finishers Curaçao, Grenada, Martinique, and Suriname, League B second-place finishers French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago, as well as League C group winners Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Sint Maarten will meet in a Play-In tournament.
If Guyana and Trinidad are successful in their first match of the Preliminary tournament, the two countries will battle for a place in the CONCACAF Gold Cup main tournament.
Speaking exclusively with Kaieteur News, Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz said he has to prepare the team for the first team they face.
“We have to win the first game, right?” Shabazz said when asked about the potential match-up with the Soca Warriors.
This is Guyana’s third outing at CONCACAF’s flagship tournament, but the Golden Jaguars had only played in the Main Draw in 2019 and were knocked out in the preliminary round in 2021 following their 0-4 defeat to Guatemala.
Shabazz said as much as he’s happy to be back in the Confederation’s flagship tournament, Guyana must now compose a formidable roster of players that can more than compete.
“I think this team (from the Nations League) created a standard in terms of commitment, tactical understand and camaraderie,” Shabazz said.
Guyana wrapped up their Nations League campaign on Tuesday with a goalless score-line against Montserrat at Wildey Turf inside the Sir Garfield Sobers Sports Complex in Bridgetown, Barbados.
The result meant that Guyana settled on 10 points and was second in Group B of League B by picking up three wins (2-1, 2-0 against Bermuda and 2-1 against Montserrat) while suffering back-to-back humiliating defeats to Haiti and a draw (against Montserrat).
The Haitians topped Group B of League B with 16 points (five wins, one draw) and will advance to League A of next season’s Nations League. They also earned an automatic berth to the group stage of the Gold Cup.
Golden Jaguars Head Coach – Jamaal Shabazz
“Contrary to popular belief, we want players who desire more than just wanting to play (for Guyana). While we’re open to seeing new players and being able to strengthen the team, we’re not going to make wholesale changes,” the Golden Jaguars National Coach reasoned.
According to Shabazz, “Players got to demonstrate that they want this as much as the guys who are there now are disciplined and tactically committed. The standard that was set by this current group is for the future.”
Meanwhile, Shabazz was adamant that, unlike their lead-up to the Nations League, the team will need some International Friendlies.
Shabazz, before they departed for the final round of matches, had complained about not being able to give his players any time on the pitch outside of training.
However, yesterday Shabazz told Kaieteur News, “International Friendly is a must if we want to be serious about competing. We have to play some matches.”
Shabazz said the coaching staff and players will regroup next week with some individual programmes before coming together as a group.
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