A 26-man squad has been named by Michael Johnson, head coach of the National Senior Men’s team, to face The Turks and Caicos Islands on October 13 as Guyana looks to cement a victory in its second appearance of the Concacaf Nations League.

The squad, which includes three goalkeepers, seven defenders, seven midfielders and six forwards, will see the return of seasoned players, Walter Moore and Emery Welshman, as well as a debutante, Stephen Duke-McKenna.

Duke-McKenna, an 18-year-old from Bolton Wanderers FC in England, has been described as a “versatile attacking option who can play across the forward line.” Johnson said he looks forward to his presence in the squad as “he will bring professionalism, energy and freshness to an already good team spirit.”

In previewing the match, which is scheduled for 16:00hrs at the TCIFA National Academy, the head coach said it will be no easy feat: “It’s a game that we know will be tough if we don’t prepare right, given their most recent results in previous games. I’m expecting an improvement from them, so we need to be ready. The team spirit fostered since our last meeting together has been a huge bonus, which will hold us in good stead for this game.”

Speaking about the team’s preparation, Guyana Football Federation Technical Director, Ian Greenwood, said continuous work has been done: “The Guyana-based players have been preparing themselves by following their individual and specific training programme set by our Head of Sports Science alongside squad practices. All the players understand the importance of earning the right on and off the field to wear the badge. The Turks & Caicos fixture offers another opportunity for the Golden Jaguars to build their growing reputation in the CNL.”

This will be the first away match for Guyana in the qualifiers with the second being in French Guiana on November 20 at 21:00hrs. Guyana will play its final qualifier against Belize in March 2019 in Guyana.