The National Under-20 team has been in training for the upcoming Concacaf Under-20 qualifiers
The National Under-20 Football team is preparing for the upcoming Concacaf Men’s Under-20 Qualifiers from February 23 to March 2.
Guyana is grouped with El Salvador, Antigua and Barbuda, Suriname and Turks and Caicos. The matches will be staged in Antigua and Barbuda at the island’s technical center.
Terming it not the most ideal preparation period, National Under-20 Head Coach Kayode McKinnon said that as he narrows in on selecting his touring squad, he is imparting on the players the need for them to play to their strengths.
McKinnon had hoped for a more rigorous preparation and indicated the players must use the tools at hand to achieve the ultimate objective.
“Time is something you want more of, but like I said to the boys, you play the cards you have been dealt with and don’t worry too much about the excuses. We are resilient people, we are fearless people, and we have to know our strengths and utilise that in our preparation”, the Head Coach recently expressed.
National Under-20 Football Head Coach, Kayode McKinnon
While the coach did not disclose the strengths of this squad, it is understood that 24 players are currently encamped, of which 21 will be selected for the qualifiers, with the other three being reserves.
The Guyana Football Federation has indicated that McKinnon will reveal his squad for the qualifiers in mid-February.
“We are in a war, and our life is dependent on it, and sometimes when you are desperate, things come out of you that you didn’t know you had inside of you, and that is all that matters…if we take care of that, then the result will take care of itself.”
Upon conclusion of the group stage, the respective pool winners will advance to the 2024 Concacaf Men’s Under-20 Championship, joining the top six seeds that have automatically qualified. They are defending champion United States of America, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.
