The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has named the 23 players representing the Golden Jaguars against Grenada in the Gold Cup preliminary match on June 17 at the DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from 21:00h.
Notable names such as Omari Glasgow, Neil Danns, and Emery Welshman, among other seasoned players, have made the final cut after intense training in Jamaica and Florida.
According to a release from the GFF on Monday (June 12), Head Coach Jamal Shabazz, who is not physically present with the squad due to a pending US Visa approval, “Shabazz has once again chosen a team with experienced and young players.”
The seasoned Wayne Dover assists Shabazz, and they will have three goalkeepers, nine defenders, three midfielders, and eight forwards to call on for the must-win match.
More so, GFF President Wayne Forde, who visited the team in Jamaica, said the players had shown dedication and commitment during the training sessions and are confident they will represent Guyana well at the tournament.
“I feel very confident in the extensive preparation our boys committed themselves to over the past three weeks. They worked hard and were focused throughout the camps. They know exactly what is at stake, and I wish to assure them of the full support of every Guyanese, here at home and abroad”, Forde stated.
The Gold Cup Prelims are being held between June 16 – 20 in Florida with twelve participating teams.
The Spice Boys qualified for the preliminaries after they finished winless against the United States of America and El Salvador in Group D of League A.
On the other hand, the Golden Jaguars finished second to Haiti in Group B of League B.
Grenada enters this contest coming off a 1-7 defeat at home by the United States, while Guyana had a scoreless draw against Montserrat to end their Nations League campaign.
The Spice Boys defeated Golden Jaguars 1-0 when they last clashed in 2017 at the Grenada National Stadium in an International Friendly, while Guyana hosted and won 2-0 in 2015.
According to FIFA rankings, as of June 12, Grenada is five places behind Guyana, which is at 170, while in CONCACAF rankings, also of June 12, they are at 25 compared to Guyana at 18.
Should Guyana defeat Grenada, they will play the winner of Guadalupe vs Trinidad and Tobago on June 20 for a spot in the group stage (Round-of-16).
Success would put them in the main Group D draw alongside Canada, Guatemala, and Cuba.
In 2019, Guyana created history by qualifying for the group stage of the Gold Cup for the first time since the competition started in 1991, while in 2021, they lost 0-4 to Guatemala in the preliminaries.
Golden Jaguars 23-man Squad:
Defenders: Samuel Cox, Kadel Daniel, Jeremy Garrett, Liam Gordon, Jonathan Grant, Jalen Jones, Curtez Kellman, Leo Lovell and Marcus Simmons.
Forwards: Kelsey Benjamin, Trayon Bobb, Stephen Duke-Mckenna, Omari Glasgow, Callum Harriott, Tre Mitford, Deon Moore, Emery Welshman
Goalkeepers: Akel Clarke, Kai McKenzie-Lyle and Renell Mckenzie-Lyle
Midfielders: Elliot Bonds, NeilDanns and Daniel Wilson
