The Golden Jaguars, Guyana’s senior men’s football team, is scheduled to resume training today at the National Training Centre, Providence, in preparation for their first-round Gold Cup playoff against Guatemala on July 3.
“The team is scheduled to commence training from Monday,” said a source close to the Guyana Football Federation who added that several of the players who were a part of the World Cup campaign have been notified.
Many of the players who did not make the World Cup squad but were members of the training squad, are also expected to return to training.
“The date for departure for the match has not been finalised nor has the composition of the squad inclusive of the foreign contingent. Those decisions will be made by the management and coaching staff at a later date,” the source added.
Guyana’s path to their second appearance in the Gold Cup will go through Guatemala.
The Golden Jaguars will face-off against the Central American outfit in Fort Lauderdale, Florida early next month..
Following the end of the first round, Guyana, if victorious against Guatemala, will lock horns with the winner of the Guadeloupe and Bahamas tie for a place in Group-C of the actual championship, which is scheduled for the period of July 10 to August 1.
The Guyanese will enter the pivotal clash on the back of a disastrous and embarrassing campaign and exit in the first round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
A record of three losses – 4-0 Trinidad & Tobago, 3-0 St. Kitts & Nevis and 2-0 Puerto Rico – alongside a win – 4-0 The Bahamas – was achieved during the tournament, as Guyana finished in the penultimate position in group-F.
The preliminary round, which will be contested utilising a direct elimination format, will be staged from July 2 to 6. Presently, Group-A comprises defending champion Mexico, El Salvador, Curacao and Preliminary Winner of Section Nine, while Group-B features hosts USA, Canada, Martinique and Preliminary Winner of Section Seven.
Group-C consists of Costa Rica, Jamaica, Suriname and the Preliminary Winner of Section Eight, with Group-D containing Honduras, Panama, Grenada and Qatar. Qatar, the Asian Confederation Cup champion, was assigned to Group-D as a guest participant.
Upon the completion of the Gold Cup Group Stage, eight teams will advance to a newly formatted Knockout Phase in which teams on opposite sides of the bracket will meet from the quarter-finals onwards. This is a change from previous Gold Cup tournaments when teams only competed against opponents on the same side of the bracket until the Final.
The Golden Jaguars recorded their maiden appearance in the 2019 edition. The Guyanese finished third in their pool, following a record of two losses and a draw.
