In what will be the second competitive meeting of the teams at the senior level, the Golden Jaguars will face off with The Bahamas this evening in their second League B encounter of the 2023/2024 CONCACAF Nations League at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora, West Coast Demerara, from 18:00 hrs.
The 168th-ranked Guyanese, who enter the contest on the back of a 5-1 thrashing of 132nd-positioned Antigua and Barbuda, defeated the 197th-ranked Bahamas outfit 4-0 in their previous engagement on March 30th, 2021.
The Bahamas opened their Nations League campaign with a crushing 1-6 loss to 163rd-rated Puerto Rico and now sport a record of one win [2-0 Turks and Caicos], three losses [1-2 Turks and Caicos, 0-3 Trinidad and Tobago], and a draw [1-1 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines] in 2023.
Presently, Guyana, which sits second in the standings owing to an inferior goal difference, boasts a 2023 record of two wins, two losses, and as many draws. Prior to their victory over the “Benna Boys,” the Golden Jaguars also defeated Bermuda [2-0], lost to Guadeloupe 0-2, Ethiopia 0-2, and drew with Montserrat 0-0 and Grenada 1-1 (5-3 penalty kicks).
Overall, Guyana has recorded eight goals while conceding six in 2023. On the other hand, The Bahamas team has registered five goals and conceded 12 during the same period.
Guyana’s 23-member roster, which contains 12 locally based players, comprises goalkeepers Quillan Roberts (overseas), Kai McKenzie-Lyle (overseas), and Akel Clarke; defenders Jeremy Garrett, Curtez Kellman, and Jalen Jones (overseas); midfielders Daniel Wilson, Stephen Duke-McKenna (overseas), Darron Niles, Ryan Hackett, and Elliot Bonds (overseas); and forwards Omari Glasgow (overseas), Kadel Daniels (overseas), Deon Moore (overseas), Kelsey Benjamin, and Connor Kurran-Browne.
Guyana will next lock horns with Puerto Rico on October 14th before the reverse fixture is staged on October 17th. The Golden Jaguars’ final two matches will occur on November 18th and November 21st, respectively, against The Bahamas and Antigua and Barbuda respectively.
In the 2022–2023 edition, Guyana ended in second place with 10 points. In the inaugural 2019–2020 edition, Guyana finished in the runner-up spot in League B with nine points.
According to CONCACAF, a format change was implemented for the 2023–2024 edition, which resulted in no relegation of teams following the end of the 2022–2023 season. League A has been increased from 12 to 16 teams and will feature a quarterfinal section. The 12 lowest-ranked teams in League A will feature in a group stage comprising two pools of six, with the resulting group winner and runner-up advancing to the elimination section alongside the USA, Mexico, Canada, and Costa Rica. The quarterfinal fixtures will utilize a home-and-away format.
The fifth and sixth-placed teams at the end of the group stage in League A will be relegated. Meanwhile, League C has been reduced from 12 to nine teams. The competing nations will be divided into three groups of three, with the resulting group winners and the best second-placed team in the division advancing to League B.
