Guyana’s quest to secure their second appearance in the CONCACAF Gold Cup begins tonight when they oppose hosts Barbados in the first leg of their two-match series in Play-In Qualifiers at Wildey Turf.
The fixture will be the first match for caretaker manager Wayne Dover, who replaced Trinidad and Tobago native Jamaal Shabazz at the helm of the programme.
History is firmly in the corner of the Guyanese, who sport a record of eight wins, five losses, and five defeats against Barbados. The Golden Jaguars have not lost a fixture to Barbados since March 6th, 1999, which was a 0-2 defeat. Since then, Guyana has had an imperious record of eight wins and four draws.
During this period, the Guyanese have scored 27 times while only conceding 10. However, Guyana enter the match on a string of defeats, following a record of three losses and a draw, which led to their relegation from League A in the CONCACAF Nations League.
Guyana’s squad comprises: goalkeepers: Quillan Roberts, Akel Clarke, Kyle McKenzie-Lyle; defenders: Jalen Jones, Romaine Brackenridge, Reiss Greenidge, Colin Nelson, Jeremy Garrett, Liam Gordon, Leo Lovell, Marcus Wilson; midfielders: Nathan Ferguson, Nathan Moriah-Welch; and forwards: Omari Glasgow, Maliq Cadogan, Abumchi Benjamin, Isaiah Jones, Enoch George, Kelsey Benjamin, and Osaze De Rosario.
Notable absentees through injury are Terrance Vancooten and Stephon Duke-McKenna. Guyana will host the return on the 19th at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora.
Overall, Guyana sports an unenviable record of seven defeats, two wins, and a draw in 2024.
On the other side, Barbados sports a record of four wins and two defeats during the same 2024 window. The Barbadians lost 1-4 and 1-3 to Curacao and Haiti, respectively, but defeated the Bahamas [3-2, 6-2] and the US Virgin Islands [3-0, 5-0] to secure their qualification to League B and their place in this tournament.
