The Lady Jaguars will resume their campaign to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil on February 11th 2016 at the BBVA Compass Stadium in Texas as they have been selected in group-B of the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifier Tournament.
The official draw of the event was staged yesterday in Doral, Miami. The event which will feature eight teams divided into two groups of four, is slated to run from February 10th-21st in Houston and Frisco, Texas. The resulting finalists in the event will earn berths to the Olympics.
According to official press release from the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) “Guyana was placed in Group B of the tournament, along with Canada, Trinidad and Tobago and Guatemala, while World Champions USA heads the ‘Group of death’ that also includes rivals Mexico, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica”.
The release further said “By virtue of defeating Jamaica 2 – 1 on Friday last in the Twin Island Republic, the Lady Jags would’ve qualified for their second CONACACF tournament, making them the country’s most successful football programme, given the fact that our men’s national team are yet to play in a major confederation championship”.
According to the document, Head-Coach Mark Rodrigues who attended the draw said “If there’s such a thing as a good draw, this would be it. I’m really excited that we got such a group and that we’re going to be playing Canada in our first game. It’s a game that we always wanted and we’ll also get a chance to play Trinidad because we also always wanted to play them again, but I’m satisfied with what we’ve got and now, it’s time to focus on the task ahead.”
The matchup against Canada will only be the second meeting of the two nations, with the previous engagement occurring in the 2010 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The release further said “Looking ahead, Rodrigues said that he had spoken to US Women’s Head Coach Jill Ellis for a possible friendly against them before the qualifiers “she (Ellis) said that she’ll look into it and see if we could have that game between now and February; even if its their U-20 girls. I’m actually looking to see if we could any of the teams in the opposite group”
It further said “The World Cup-champion (USA) will face Costa Rica to open the eight-team CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament. The United States has won the past three tournaments that determine the Olympic representatives from CONCACAF, and went on to win the gold medal in the last three Olympics”.
The complete schedule for the women’s tourney follows:
Wednesday, February 10 – Toyota Stadium
6 pm (5 pm) Puerto Rico vs. Mexico
8:30pm (7:30pm) USA vs. Costa Rica
Thursday, February 11 – BBVA Compass Stadium
6 pm (5 pm) Guatemala vs. Trinidad & Tobago
8:30pm (7:30pm) Canada vs. Guyana
Saturday, February 13 – Toyota Stadium
1:30pm (12:30pm) Costa Rica vs. Puerto Rico
4 pm (3 pm) Mexico vs. USA
Sunday, February 14 – BBVA Compass Stadium
1:30pm (12:30pm) Guyana vs. Guatemala
4 pm (3 pm) Trinidad & Tobago vs. Canada
Monday, February 15 – Toyota Stadium
6 pm (5 pm) Mexico vs. Costa Rica
8:30pm (7:30pm) USA vs. Puerto Rico
Tuesday, February 16 – BBVA Compass Stadium
6 pm (5 pm) Trinidad & Tobago vs. Guyana
8:30pm (7:30pm) Canada vs. Guatemala
Friday, February 19 – BBVA Compass Stadium
5:30pm (4:30pm) 1B vs. 2A
8:30pm (7:30pm) 1A vs. 2B
Sunday, February 21 – BBVA Compass Stadium
5 pm (4 pm) Winner SF1 vs. Winner SF2
