Golden Jaguars captain Samuel Cox, says that Guyana attained a favorable first round draw in the 2022 CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers and is calling for a structured preparation phase and execution.
In an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport yesterday, Cox, 29, said that the Golden Jaguars can secure positive outcomes in the upcoming campaign once preparation and application is ideal.
“I think if you look at the draw I think it’s a positive one for Guyana. I feel if we apply ourselves correctly and prepare properly, I feel that we can most definitely get positive results against all three of those sides.”
The Golden Jaguars were drawn in group-F in the first round of the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers for the prestigious championship in Qatar. Guyana was grouped with Caribbean heavyweight and traditional foe Trinidad and Tobago, St. Kitts and Nevis, Puerto Rico and The Bahamas.
The Golden Jaguars will start their campaign in an away game to Trinidad and Tobago on October 8th before hosting The Bahamas five days later. Guyana will then travel to St. Kitts and Nevis on November 13th, before ending the first round at home to Puerto Rico four days later.
Cox, who plies his trade as a right fullback, admitted that challenges will persist in the run up to the meeting with Trinidad and Tobago, who are a traditional giant in the Caribbean realm and have always provided quality opposition to the Golden Jaguars especially during their recent encounters.
The former Boreham-Wood player stated, “Of course they are going to be hurdles and we are not taking for granted that Trinidad and Tobago are a huge force in Caribbean football and have been for years and we have come against them quite frequently in recent years most recently in the Gold Cup and then before that in the Caribbean Cup who provided us with tough opposition.”
According to the current Tottenham Hotspur academy coach, the duo of St. Kitts and Nevis and Puerto Rico will also be challenging opponents, which highlights the competitive nature that is expected from the group. He is adamant that quality preparation and execution will provide the opportunity for the team to advance to the second round of the qualifiers.
“We know St Kitts and Puerto Rico are going to be on game so it’s not an easy group by any stretch of the imagination but like I said if we apply ourselves properly and prepare correctly then definitely we got more than a chance of progressing from this group and hopefully seeing ourselves into the next round of this qualification phase. But it’s going to take a lot of preparation and a lot of hard work to do so.”
