HISTORY beckons as Milerock football club will become the third Linden club to contest a regional club tournament when they oppose Suriname’s top club Intermoengatope this evening  in the Caribbean Football Union’s Caribbean club championship at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground.
Yesterday afternoon one of the officials from the Suriname contingent, Pekal Wintel, was very terse in his comments about his team’s chances.
While saying his club is the number two rated team in Suriname he added “we come to win” and they will be playing and not talking.
What is significant is that Suriname have become our nemesis at the international soccer level. When Guyana entered their first World Cup tournament in 1976, the Dutch national team, Suriname, eliminated them in the first round.
At the Caribbean Club championship when the first club from Linden participated at this level in 1976, being one of two clubs from Guyana that year, Christianburg lost heavily to Suriname’s Voorwarts at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground and in Suriname.
Then in 1977 when YMCA also of Linden represented Guyana as one of the two clubs, they also went down to the Suriname club Robin Hood in matches which were played at the Mackenzie Sports Club and in Suriname.
When YMCA returned to this Caribbean club level again in 1979, after the CFU was born in 1978, they again lost in the first round against Robin Hood.
This time around, 32 years after those humbling experiences, Milerock have come to the fore as one of two clubs from Guyana, participating in this year’s CFU championship, the other being Alpha United of Georgetown.
Like YMCA they have won national tournaments but have not broken through any first round at this level of competition. Will Milerock be able to better the performances of the two previous Linden teams – Christianburg and YMCA?
This answer will be known this evening. A win will be a feat neither predecessors – Christianburg nor YMCA – were able to do in tries over 30 years ago.
The former national player and head coach of Milerock, Bryan Joseph, yesterday expressed optimism of his chances as they take one game at a time.
Joseph must be wary of what it takes for clubs to raise their game at this level. He has included the likes of former national players Collie Hercules and Kayode McKinnon in his lineup of young players who will be hoping to have a good performance against their Suriname counterparts.
While Joseph has kept his final team selection under wraps for some time now it is what they deliver this evening that will count.
Head coach Bryan Joseph’s main focus will be to win this game as it will be a tremendous task to take care of business in Suriname. He will look for his crop of young players being a hungry bunch, and how well they combine with the experienced players like Hercules and McKinnon up front will determine the outcome.
Assisting the experienced duo will be young Randy Jerome and Shawn Allister, while another experienced player Marlon Maxius, in defence, and youth national player Randy Crandon in the middle will steady their game.
The first game of this evening’s double- header will see a clash between the Georgetown Veterans and a Topp Class of Linden lineup  at 18:00 h while the club game between Milerock and Intermoengatope is set for 20:00 h.