With Guyana set to make their debut in League A of the CONCACAF Nations League against Suriname tomorrow at the National Track and Field Centre in Leonora, Golden Jaguars head-coach Jamaal Shabazz stated
Speaking at a pre-match press conference yesterday at the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) National Training Centre in Providence, the Trinidad and Tobago native said, “This team has been together, the majority of the players in the squad, for the better part of two years. So, there’s good camaraderie; of course there’s guys competing for spots, but generally, I think the group feeling is strong. We all know what it will take to stay in League A or to even qualify out of League A to go to the quarterfinal stage, and it brings a tremendous responsibility. So, in terms of the group feeling and the camaraderie, I think it can’t be better.”
Guyana, who will oppose traditional rival Suriname tomorrow at 16:00hrs, sealed their qualification to League A in the CONCACAF Nations League following a 5-0 record in Group D in League B.
The Guyanese defeated Antigua and Barbuda [5-1, 6-0], the Bahamas [3-2], and Puerto Rico [3-1, 3-1]. In the 2022-2023 edition of League B, Guyana ended up 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. Guyana’s last senior men’s international fixture at the venue occurred on September 12th, 2023 against the Bahamas.
Shabazz further stated recent recruit Isaiah Jones of Middlesbrough will certainly add quality to the team, noting, “You can see he definitely will bring a lot in terms of his talent [and] his experience playing in the championship division in the UK, and we expect a lot from him. However, he’s coming in to a unit that’s already been organised, and you know, it’s a matter of both him and us making adjustments so that we can gel properly. But certainly, we feel that he can add something to the group, and we’re really happy to have him.”
Meanwhile, assistant coach Wayne Dover stated that the pressure and expectation of playing at home is immense for the squad not only in acquiring a positive result but [also in] selecting the best possible team, noting, “We’re [staff] going to do our diligence in terms of how we arrive with the best team to give a good result, to take that pressure away and at least give the fans something that they haven’t received for a while in Guyana.”
