Golden Jaguars forward Omari Glasgow has copped the Top Goalscorer and Young Player awards following the conclusion of the Concacaf Nations League, which ended on Sunday night with USA beating Mexico 2-0 in the final.
The 20-year-old from Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara, netted seven goals in five games for Guyana in League B of the 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League.
“It’s surprising you know. I didn’t know there were rewards, but I’m really happy about it and really enjoying it,” Glasgow said in an interview on Monday.
President of the Guyana Football Federation Wayne Forde was present at the presentation ceremony after the final to collect the awards on behalf of Glasgow, who is currently with the Golden Jaguars side in Saudi Arabia participating in the first-ever FIFA Series.
“Congrats to Omari, the GFF and Guyana for being judged the best young player for the 2023 Nations League and the highest goal scorer. It was truly an emotional moment receiving these awards on his behalf. God is good all the time,” President Forde said.
Golden Jaguars Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz said the accolades that have come Glasgow’s way are well deserved.
“He’s worked hard for the team and he’s combined well. His work ethic is second to none. He’s very committed to the training and is one of the best examples for youth players coming up in the Caribbean, not just in Guyana.”
Notably, Glasgow had been part of the Guyana Football Federation’s Academy Training Centre programme since in inception, working his way through the ranks to this point.
He was also part of Guyana’s Under-15 Jaguars squad that created history in 2017, winning all six of their games on their to title success in the SOULIGA tournament in St. Martin.
‘It means a lot’
For the prolific Glasgow being recognised for his performance is a big deal not just for him personally, but for the Guyana Football Federation, his family, teammates and well-wishers.
“I couldn’t have done it without them,” he asserted. “I must say thank you to them for guiding me through it.”
The exploits of the Chicago Fire FC player propelled Guyana to top of the group, thereby gaining promotion to League A of the Concacaf Nations League.
Age 19 at the time, Glasgow scored in every one of Guyana’s five matches in League B, including a hat-trick in the opening 5-1 victory at Antigua and Barbuda.
“Everybody got to do their part, and I think I did my part to help.”
Just last Sunday before joining his Golden Jaguars teammates in Saudi Arabia, Glasgow netted for Chicago Fire FC against Cincinnati FC in the MLS Next Pro, and at 20, he has already racked up an impressive resume.
However, Glasgow is firm on pushing the boundaries, and in his own words, “this is just the tip of the iceberg.”
“I don’t think I have achieved everything in life yet. I still to help Guyana propel to the World Cup and also still help country in any other way like win the Concacaf final like what the US did last night.”
“This is just the tip of the iceberg.”
To date, Glasgow has scored 14 times for Guyana in 21 games, spread across the Concacaf Nations League, World Cup qualifier, Gold Cup qualifier and International Friendlies.
Top goalscorer calculation
Axel Raga of St. Martin actually scored the most goals (8) in the competition, with Glasgow’s seven being second, however, a points system was used to determine the winner.
According to Concacaf, as per the competition’s regulations, a points system was used to determine the winner of the Top Scorer Award. In order to determine the Top Scorer Award winner, the three leagues are weighed as follows:
League A = 2 pts per goal scored
League B = 1.5 pts per goal scored
League C = 1 pt per goal scored
With his seven goals in League B, Glasgow finished with the highest points total of 10.5 to claim the award.
