GOLD CUP: Guyana drawn in Group D with USA, T&T and Panama
- GFF President and TD react to draw
By Avenash Ramzan
Guyana has been drawn in Group D of the Concacaf Gold Cup, alongside the United States of America, Trinidad and Tobago and Panama. The draw took place on Wednesday evening in Los Angeles.
The Golden Jaguars, Guyana’s senior national men’s football team, qualified for the Gold Cup for the first time last month by defeating Belize 2-1 in the final leg of the Concacaf Nations League at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora.
Looking ahead to the Gold Cup, Guyana will play the USA on June 18 in Minneapolis, Panama on June 22 in Cleveland and Trinidad and Tobago in Kansas City on June 26.
Guyana Football Federation president Wayne Forde, in an invited comment immediately after the draw, said: “Guyana could not have been in a better group. We have everything to play for and absolutely nothing to lose. The earlier projection for national visibility has just doubled; this is simply a win, win for our beloved Golden Jaguars. T&T is an old foe that will have all the pressure on them and the USA is desperately trying to rebuild its confidence which will play into the strength of our boys.”
Reacting to the draw, the Federation’s Technical Director Ian Greenwood stated: “It’s a very exciting group. It’s obviously a very strong group. We know what we can do against Trinidad- we played them recently and performed well. Obviously, it’s very, very strong with Panama just coming out the World Cup, and the USA as well, but we’re very excited about what we can do in preparation for these games.”
Group A features Mexico, Canada, Martinique and Cuba, while Group B comprises Honduras, Jamaica, El Salvador and Curacao. Group C teams are Costa Rica, Haiti, Nicaragua and Bermuda.
Concacaf President Victor Montagliani said: “The love for football is demonstrated with every passing edition of the Concacaf Gold Cup. Bringing the 16-team Gold Cup to Costa Rica, Jamaica and the United States is a watershed moment for football in our Confederation. This 15th edition will make the tournament more competitive and compelling for players and fans, while showcasing our region’s unity, passion for football and talent on the field.”
The 2019 Gold Cup will be the biggest-ever edition of the event, with more participating nations (16 up from 12 in 2017), more host countries (three, including first-time matches in Costa Rica and Jamaica, and more stadiums (17 up from 14 in 2017, eight of which are in contention to become a 2026 FIFA World Cup venue).
In the Knockout rounds, Houston’s NRG Stadium and Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field will host two Quarterfinal matches each, on June 29 and 30 respectively.
The winning teams will move on to State Farm Stadium in Phoenix and Nissan Stadium in Nashville for the Semifinals. The grand final is scheduled to be played on July 7, in Chicago’s iconic Soldier Field.
The 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup is sponsored by Allstate Insurance Company, Camarena Tequila, Cerveza Modelo, Nike, Scotiabank, Sprint and Toyota.
The tournament will be broadcast nationally on the Univision and FOX family of networks and transmitted on radio in Spanish by Fútbol de Primera Radio Network, and broadcast by television partners in over 180 countries around the world.
