Guyana’s preparation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers will continue tomorrow as they have officially selected their final roster yesterday for the international friendly against arch-rivals Suriname at 19:00hrs. The fixture, which will be held at the Andre Kamperveen Stadium in the Dutch nation, will be the 25th meeting between the two rivals. In their most recent meeting, Guyana defeated the Surinamese 2-0 on October 2010.
Since the GFF Normalization Committee has been at the helm of the local fraternity, the Golden Jaguars have featured in three international friendlies. They boast a record of two wins and one draw, with 2-0 victories coming against St. Lucia and Grenada and a 2-2 stalemate against Barbados.
Speaking at a press conference at the GFF office prior to the team’s departure yesterday, Head-Coach Jamaal Shabazz said this is another step in the preparation for the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers, noting the choice to utilize mostly local based players is part of the initiative to expand the national selection pool.
With the match being played outside the FIFA International Window, the acquisition of overseas players contracted to clubs was not possible. Due to this fact, Dwain Jacobs will serve as Captain for the absent leader Chris Nurse.
Veteran International and Slingerz FC midfielder Vurlon Mills during a brief address said in his opinion, the current squad is the best combination of local players assembled by the management team, declaring the widening of the selection pool creates competition for the positions within the team and helps to improve the overall standard of the program.
Members of the final roster are Dwain Jacobs (Captain) Derrick Carter, Akel Clarke, Jamaal Smith?, Colin Nelson, Solomon Austin, Joshua Brown, Adrian Butters, Kris Camacho, Vurlon Mills, Daniel Wilson, Konata Manning, Clive Nobrega, Eon Alleyne, Amos Ramsey, Sheldon Holder, Pernell Schultz and Kevin Beaton. On the management side, Wayne Dover will be the Assistant Coach while Andrew Hazel will serve as the Goalkeeper Coach. Mark Xavier and Faizal Khan are the Managers of Commercial and Operations respectively while Trevor Burnette is the Equipment Manager. Completing the management staff is Physical Trainer Anson Ambrose and Beverly Nelson.
