By Carwyn Holland
When Trinidad and Tobago’s National football team, nicknamed “The Soca Warriors”, qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals in Germany, they became the smallest nation (both in size and population) to ever qualify for a World Cup Finals.
That achievement, sent Caribbean football fans into a frenzy as the region rallied behind the team as if they were the National Team of the Caribbean, which they probably were.
That achievement had a positive impact on Caribbean football and teams have since affixed their eyes on future FIFA Finals while governments and associations have made a quantum leap in efforts to source the best team and a better budget for the cause.
The tremendous impact the `Soca Warriors’ created, will leave an indelible mark in the CONCACAF Region, even though rocked by scandals of a cash-for-votes nature in recent times.
Guyana’s `Golden Jaguars’ football team is a prime example of such an impact.
The team is now on a mission to emulate Trinidad and carry the flag of the Caribbean to the next FIFA World Cup in neighbouring Brazil, come 2014.
Ironically, the Jaguars started their quest by defeating the mighty `Soca Warriors’ here at the National Stadium to qualify for the next round which will match them against, Costa Rica,
El Salvador and Mexico in Group B.
`The Jaguars’ need to be at their best to negotiate this group and take another step towards the Finals and assistant head coach Wayne Dover is adamant that the team’s determination, coupled with a little more support to the system in place, will see them through.
The squad was encamped yesterday at the Raddison Suites and so far pre-camp sessions, dealing with physical conditioning were going well under the watchful eyes of trainer Ivan Persaud and coach Dover. The squad will be joined today by Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz and includes Richard Reynolds, Colin Edwards, Dorville Stewart (Goalkeepers), Ryan Crandon, Keivin Sullivan, Kris Camacho, Taylor Benjamin, Kester Jacobs (Defenders), Konata Mannings, Daniel Wilson, Anthony Benfield, William Europe, Andrew Murray, Travis Grant, Gregory Richardson, Pernel Schultz (Midfielders), Anthony Abrams, Devon Millington and Sheldon Holder (Forwards).
According to Dover, friendlies away from February 15 against Trinidad U23, a Tobago All Star selection, St. Vincent and Grenada, will be a good build-up for the `Jaguars’ when they face Group A campaigners Guatemala on February 29 here at the National Stadium. The team is expected to be at full strength and no additions from either local or overseas are expected.
“The team is very united and the foreign players did make a big impact on the local players and the team by extension and we as a staff are very happy to have them playing to help Guyana qualify for the World Cup,” the assistant head coach told Stabroek Sport.
“What’s lacking in the team and is very much needed for the team’s preparation, is a lot a funding and we’re coming up against the best in CONCACAF and to compete against them with any chance of qualifying we have to make the best preparation possible. So it’s important for us to get full support from the Guyana government and the business community. The reasons for our success to date are the hard work and commitment shown by all who are involved in the programme and the support by the GFF, the government and those businesses that are on board to date. We have a hard-working staff and the players have worked very hard too in getting the results,” he added.
Guyana will enter the next phase of the qualifiers as the underdogs and are ranked lowest in the group which may pit them against Mexico, a team which experienced World Cup before but according to the Dover, the `Golden Jaguars’ will roar their way to the finals in Brazil come 2014.
