SLINGERZ FC forward Anthony ‘Awo’ Abrams netted a helmet-trick (four goals) to lead team Guyana USA to an 8-1 win over Panama in the ‘Caribbean Cup’ football tournament at the Thomas Jefferson Play Field in Brooklyn. 

The annual event, which features the likes of Jamaica, Barbados, Panama, Haiti, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and Trinidad & Tobago, is one of the top football tournaments in the U.S. Tri-State area and is played during the summer period.
Several notable players of present and yesteryear have all made the exodus to Brooklyn, New York where they formed an alliance with the intention of giving Guyana their first U.S. Caribbean Cup championship.
All of the Slingerz FC’s talisman goals came in the first half of the game which was watched by a full house of mainly Guyanese supporters. The first half ended with Guyana leading 5-0.
Following the break, Panama came out with a renewed spirit and two minutes into the half, Eccleston Pena caught the Team Guyana defence napping, picked up a loose ball on the left side, raced toward goal and beat Adrian Alfred to his right.
Pulling one goal back raised the tempo of the game as Team Panama battled for goal number two but it was Kevin Beaton who strolled in for number six for Team Guyana following another Panamanian defensive error.
Despite the pressure Panama continued to play positive football before Bakewell Topp XX attacking midfield player Romain Haynes made it 7-1 for Guyana, driving home a ball from close range.
Former National player Collie ‘Hitman’ Hercules rolled back the years and reminded the scores of Guyanese who turned up to support why he was considered one of the best strikers in Guyana.
Marlon Benjamin brought a ball under control on the right side, beat his marker and squared the ball to Kevin Beaton who laid it off for Collie Hercules coming through the middle, and the rest, as they say, was “history”.
Guyana’s next game is scheduled for Sunday, June 8 against Grenada at 17:30hrs.