… overseas-based players here and ready

By Ras Wadada

THE Golden Jaguars will hold twice-daily sessions today and tomorrow at the Leonora Stadium as they get ready to depart for Suriname to begin their third-round campaign at the weekend.The 22-man squad, which comprises 12 foreign-based players, will be cut to 20 tomorrow after the final training session, which takes place under the watchful eyes of head coach Jamal Shabazz and his assistants Wayne Dover and Andrew Hazel (goalkeeper).
Early yesterday morning US-based midfielders Brandon Beresford and Wayne Creavalle as well as Mexico-based Anani Mohamed arrived in the country to join the squad and in the afternoon, they were involved in a tree-wrapping exercise at Camp and Lamaha Streets in observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Chronicle Sport caught up with the trio after the ceremony and got some comments.
Brandon Beresford, who plays for the Rochester Rhinos in the USL, was delighted to once again be a part of the Golden Jaguars and sees the upcoming games as crucial, “It has been a positive mood in the camp since I arrived and I am looking forward to the two games which I think will be the 2 biggest games for me as we are close to qualifying for the Gold Cup.
“Although I have scored several times for Guyana at the international level and am always looking for an opening to score, this is not my primary task now, but definitely if the opportunity presents itself I will take that chance,”, the 24-year-old stated.
Mohamed, who has just signed with Mexican division two side Atalante has also donned the national colours, debuting in 2011 at 19 years and is happy to be back in Guyana for the 3rd time, ”This is a fantastic opportunity, not only for my personal career, but for Guyana’s football. I am happy to finally reunite with the Golden Jaguars.
“This is definitely the biggest moment of my career which began in the San Francisco Bay area and I must say we are in a good position to qualify for the Gold Cup for the first time. I am truly honoured to be part of the Jaguars again and look forward to the two games, especially the one against the Reggae Boyz.”
First-timer to the Golden Jaguars, Creavalle is a 5-year MLS player with the Philadelphia Union and claims he is fulfilling a dream.
“Representing Guyana is something I have always thought about in the past, so being here is like a dream come true. It is a great feeling to be in the country of my Dad’s birth for the first time and I must say I already feel connected. I am eagerly looking forward to the games and hope my experience can add to the team’s performance,” the 26-year-old central midfielder said.