Guyana got off to a shaky start in their Group-D campaign of the 2021 Concacaf Men’s U-20 Qualifiers, battling to a scoreless draw against the Cayman Islands yesterday at the Estadio Panamericano in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic.
Guyana’s starting XI comprised Ronaldo Blair, Kehance Scott, Devon Padmore, Sealon Sue, Brandon Solomon, Kyon Alphonso, Darron Niles, Omari Glasgow, Nathaniel Pydana, Ofancy Winter, and Perry Gaul.
Although history favoured the Cayman Islands in the contest following their 3-2 win over the Guyanese in the 2018 edition, it was the Golden Jaguars who started the match on the ascendency.
Opting for a direct approach, Guyana’s first clear opportunity was fashioned by Paul, who directed his header following a loose ball, into the side netting, after a left sided cross evaded the onrushing goalkeeper.
On the other end, the woodwork would deny the Cayman Islands in the 28th minute, as a left footed free-kick from outside the box by Charles Kirkconnell, crashed onto the crossbar.
Gaul was then denied from the left side of the penalty area in the 35th minute, uncorking a powerful strike which was initially spilt by the goalkeeper, only to be gathered frantically by the diving custodian.
Golden Jaguars substitute Yohance Douglas spurned a great chance to put his side ahead, blasting his effort straight at the goalkeeper, after racing into the right side of the box unchallenged in the 41st minute.
A red card in the 58th minute reduced Guyana to 10 players, as Douglas was given his marching orders for kicking out at his opponent and striking him in the head while falling on his grounded adversary, following an initial tussle for the ball.
The numerical handicap clearly impeded Guyana’s offensive attempts, as they surrendered possession and played on the counterattack for the remainder of the contest. However, Cayman Islands failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage as the score remained unchanged.
With the result, both teams earned a point. Overall, Guyana finished the match with 13 attempts while Cayman Islands recorded seven shots. The Guyanese will now turn their attention to the US Virgin Islands tomorrow at 15:00hrs, before concluding their pool campaign on Wednesday November 10 against Nicaragua at 18:00hrs.
According to an official release from the regional confederation, “Following the conclusion of the Qualifiers, 20 teams will participate in the 2022 CMU20 Championship. This will include the top four teams from the Qualifiers and the region’s 16 top ranked men’s U-20 teams who have received a bye to the Championship.”
The release also stated, “At the conclusion of the Championship, the finalists (two teams) will qualify for the FIFA Men’s U-20 World Cup Indonesia 2023 and 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games. The two losing semifinalists (two teams) will also guarantee their participation in the FIFA Men’s U-20 World Cup Indonesia 2023. The 2022 CMU20 Championship Group Stage will be played in the summer of 2022. Further details will be announced at a later date.”
