(In association with EZjet, direct comfortable flight to and from the Big Apple)
MIGRANT Guyanese footballers train at a ground at William Avenue and Glenwood Road in Brooklyn, New York, but once on the field, it’s just like Parade Ground in Georgetown. For years, players have had to search for space to train, moving to several venues, and are back at the present ground with uneven surface and no goal post.

Former assistant coach Noel Thom said: “It’s difficult to get a ground with goalposts. And when the weather is good, people fill up the ground, and there is very little space here. ”

It’s not yet summer but darkness falls about 20:30 hrs. On Wednesday it was cold with rains predicted for the week, and coach Sam Cambridge is out with his charges, now in the thick of the Caribbean Cup USA, already chalking up two massive victories.

“In the collective system, every man must get a touch (of the ball),” he shouts.

For the past four years, Sam and Noel embarked on establishing an organized team to raise the standard of play. They are both trained coaches with success in the USA and Canada.

And last year, Team Guyana USA won the Eastern Conference of the Caribbean Cup USA for the first time in 20 years, having fielded a side since the championships began.

“We did not concede a goal. Later, we were declared co-champions of the tournament,” Sam disclosed.

Guyana’s semi-final match against Grenada USA was not completed after a fight broke out with 30 minutes to go.
Jamaica USA and St Kitts/Nevis USA clashed in the other semifinal. However, when rain drenched the area and no ground was available for the final, the four teams were declared co-champions.

The success added to Sam’s championship record. He worked with the Queens United for three years from 1994 and in 1997 and won the Under-23 International USA by beating Jamaica USA in the final.

Sam went north, crossing the border and coached Condors for four years, grabbing three championship titles in the Montreal Soccer League, then re-crossed borders and started working with Team Guyana USA in 2007.

Wearing the captain’s band for three years now, Roger Cambridge once wore Guyana’s national colours as the country campaigned in the Olympics qualifiers.
The utility player has been representing the New York based team since he was 15 years old, and kicked professionally with Brooklyn Knights for two years from 2007.

The 28-year old’s football career began when he was five years old back in New Amsterdam with Cougars, coached by former National goalkeeper Philip Carrington. He migrated in January 1996.

One of the latest additions is rising defence player Shaquille Alleyne who is in New York for just over two years. The 21-year old previously played with Milerock of Linden and now kicks with a team in Brooklyn.

Add several past national players like Jermaine Scott, Zevon Atkinson, Devon Millington, Orlando Gilgeous, and Guyana’s leading international goal scorer Nigel Codrington, Team Guyana USA is expecting to raise the championship cup come Labour Day on September 3.