GUYANA’S senior national team will once again be in action tonight when Group 6 of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Caribbean Cup tournament kicks off in St Kitts and Nevis at Warner Park at 17:30hrs. 

The last time the team, popularly known as the ‘Golden Jaguars’, played was during the 2012 Caribbean Cup tournament and after almost a two-year absence from the International scene, the coach Denzil Thompson-led squad will face Dominica in an attempt to rebuild a defunct national team.
Dominica is not really known as a powerful football nation in the Caribbean and is ranked at 168 in the World by FIFA, compared to Guyana’s 153th ranking. The Jaguars’ inactivity saw them steadily slip down the ladder; something Guyana Football Federation (GFF) president Christopher Matthias had stated publicly he’s least concerned about, since it doesn’t reflect the country’s ability to compete at the highest level.
In 2011 the second round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers saw Guyana grouped alongside Barbados, Bermuda, and Trinidad and Tobago – the undisputed favourites of the group, containing talented players such as Kenwyne Jones in the line-up.
Yet Guyana managed to top the group and qualify for the CONCACAF semi-finals of World Cup qualifying for the first time in their history.
This saw them draw with Mexico, Costa Rica and El Salvador, and their first group game was against Mexico at the famous Azteca Arena, where Guyana lost 3-1 in June 2012.
A 2-2 draw against El Salvador was the only point Guyana managed to gain in the group, but the performances during the games against tough opposition suggested there was a lot of potential for the future within the team.
But apart from captain Walter Moore, the other members of the history-making Golden Jaguars team were left out of the squad as the Matthias-led GFF claimed to embark on a rebuilding process with the 2018 World Cup being their primary focus.
Prior to their departure, Thompson, speaking exclusively with Chronicle Sport, had stated that winning or advancing in the CFU Caribbean Cup is not their immediate focus, but “it’s the beginning stage to a four-year plan. I’m aware that everyone will come with their best players but we have to play with what we have. I don’t want everyone to expect wonders from this bunch of players but I ask that everyone will encourage and support them and stop talking negatively and just embrace the team”
Moore will lead a relatively inexperienced National team which questions the GFF’s motive of fielding a young team that can still compete since most of the players will be making their international debut.
The squad reads: Goalkeepers Oswald Cornette and Dorville Stewart; Defenders Steffon Ramsay, Walter Moore, Quincy Adams, Adrian Adonis, Joshua Browne and Trevon Lythcott; Midfielders Eusi Phillips, Jahal Greaves, Eon Alleyne, Mark Jhalu and Jamaal Harvey and Forwards Delwin Fraser, Delroy Fraser, Shaquille Agard, Clarence Huggins and William Europe.
The manager is Carlos Bernard while the head coach is Denzil Thompson, assistant coach Dwain Babb, physical trainer Germin Craig and physiotherapist Lacretia Abiola Blair.
Guyana will play St Lucia on Friday and then clash with the hosts two days later. The top two finishers in the group will advance to the next round.
The Caribbean Cup will decide several teams that will qualify for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup and, on this occasion, one which will obtain an automatic berth to the Centennial America Cup 2016.

(By Rawle Toney)