Canada-born forward Emery Welshman said the main reason influencing his decision to choose the Golden Jaguars over the country of his birth is because of the lack of attention from Canada for international honours.
The 23-year-old who plies his trade for League1 Ontario unit Sigma FC, was born to Guyanese parents in Mississauga, Ontario.
A National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) standout with the Oregon State Beavers from the PAC 12 conference, Welshman was drafted 16th overall in the 2013 Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft by Toronto FC.
He would eventually go on to make one senior appearance for the Canadian franchise before moving to his current suitors. Welshman is currently part of the provisional squad preparing to tackle Barbados in an international friendly on February 1 in the Land of the Flying Fish.
Prior to his decision to represent Guyana, Welshman had never represented Canada at any age level. Speaking to Stabroek Sports following his training session at the National Stadium, he said: “What inspired me is that I wasn’t getting much attention from Canada and I wasn’t going to wait forever for them.”
The nippy forward, who is making his first trip to Guyana added: “My father said that it would be a good opportunity to represent Guyana and help the country out because he said they will need a lot of help from people like myself playing professionally and it came down to me talking to a lot of people, basing my decision on playing for a country that needed me more than I needed them.”
Asked about his initial expectation of the national programme, he said: “For the most part it’s what I expected because I didn’t expect too much with regards to facilities or money, I just know they would be a bunch of guys here coming to work hard to make the team”.
Questioned how we compare the talent level of the local players against their North American counterparts he said “Athletically, I think these players are just as good as the players over in North America, technically not as good and may be tactically not the same but still a work in progress here.”
Quizzed about his thoughts on the quality of the Canadian, head coach Jamaal Shabazz said the aspiring Golden Jaguar international is a very talented forward. He said that his strengths were his speed and his ability to play with his back to defenders.
Shabazz further noted despite this being Welshman’s first time in a senior national setup, he has adapted very well due his overall attitude and professionalism.
