Guyana’s national women’s football team known as the Lady Jags has officially commenced preparations for their CONCACAF Olympic Qualifier tournament with an encampment in Toronto, Canada.
According to an official release from the GFF, “Guyana’s senior National female football team, more popularly known as the ‘Lady Jags’, are presently encamped in Toronto Canada, in full preparation mode for their participation at the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifier Tournament.
The event is scheduled for February 10 – 21 in Houston and Frisco, Texas.
“The Lady Jags will play their first game of the tournament against Canada on February 11, at the BBVA Compass Stadium in Texas.”
Guyana is in Group B along with Trinidad and Tobago and Guatemala while World Champions USA heads the ‘Group of death’ which also includes rivals Mexico, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica.
By virtue of defeating Jamaica 2 – 1 to finish third in the CFU tournament (behind winners Trinidad and second place Puerto Rico) in the Twin Island Republic, the Lady Jags qualified for their second CONCACAF 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.
Head Coach Mark Rodrigues, his assistant Clement Browne, Goalkeeping Coach Richard Reynolds and Technical Director Claude Bolton are in Toronto to help get the Lady Jags tournament ready.
Rodrigues said that the new players in the team “fitted in well” and he was hoping that the coaching staff “achieved what we need in terms of tactics. Each day will be an advancement on the prior day’s sessions”.
The upcoming clash will be only the second meeting between Guyana and Canada with the first being at the 2010 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The United States has won the past three tournaments that determine the Olympic representatives from CONCACAF. They have gone on to win the gold medal in the last three Olympics.
