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Golden Jaguars aim for the top of Group D against Puerto Rico today
By Rawle Toney
Kaieteur Sports – The unbeaten teams in Group D of League B, Guyana and Puerto Rico, are set to face each other in their first of two consecutive home-and-away fixtures today in St Kitts and Nevis at 15:00 hrs.
In the absence of a facility of their own, Guyana has chosen the St Kitts and Nevis Training Centre in Basseterre as their home venue for this crucial encounter, which could determine the Golden Jaguars’ fate and their prospects of advancing to League A in the Concacaf Nations League.
In September, the Puerto Ricans were firing on all cylinders, securing a 6-1 victory over the Bahamas and a 5-0 win over Antigua and Barbuda.
Defence will be key in Coach Shabazz’s plans against Puerto Rico.
Joel Burgos and Gerald Diaz both delivered hat-trick performances, with Diaz topping the scoring charts with four goals.
Omari Glasgow is the joint-leading scorer in Group D of the Nations League with four goals.
Guyana’s attack was equally impressive, securing a 5-1 win against Antigua and Barbuda and a 3-2 victory at home against the Bahamas.
Omari Glasgow continued his fine form from the previous Nations League campaign and shares the top spot in the goal-scoring department with Burgos, each tallying four goals.
Today’s match will mark the fourth encounter between these two teams, with Puerto Rico emerging victorious twice, while Solomon Austin’s goal led Guyana to a 1 – 0 victory in 2016.
Their most recent meeting resulted in a 2-0 victory on June 8, 2021, during the Concacaf qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
In an invited comment, Shabazz raved about the squad’s camaraderie, stating, “I think the attitude of the guys has been spot on, knowing that if we get good results in these two matches, we will be ahead in the group. It’s a determining factor for us and the attitude and the effort have been spot on.”
Asked about his expectations of today’s match, the Trinidadian reasoned, “What we have in our control is the effort, the commitment and the performance, and that’s what we’re going into this game with. We’re going to play to perform and we’re going to perform to win.”
“We’re playing the way Guyana wants us to play. It took a while and the buy-in from the players, both local and overseas-based; we want to build the ball down to the back, keep possession, open the opponents, and attack through the flanks, but also, we want to try to squeeze them and make life difficult for them,” Shabazz highlighted, touching on finding a playing pattern for the Golden Jaguars.
Shabazz acknowledged that executing their game plan would be challenging and require discipline, adding, “Facing a team like Puerto Rico, known for their ball movement, will be tough. However, we are confident that we can do what’s necessary to secure the results.”
Meanwhile, captain, Daniel Wilson, expressed the team’s excitement about facing Puerto Rico, highlighting their focus and character.
Former Golden Jaguars Captain, Sam Cox, who is a UEFA A Licence Coach, is part of the team’s Technical Staff in the Nations League.
Glasgow, the team’s leading scorer, is eager to contribute more goals and encourages fans to continue supporting the Golden Jaguars.
Following today’s game, Guyana Puerto Rico will meet against on October 17, followed by a return clash against the Bahamas on November 18, and they will wrap up this season of the Nations League against Antigua and Barbuda on November 21.
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