… satisfied with team’s performance

GOLDEN Jaguars head coach, Marcio Maximo, while disappointed at going down 0-3 to Trinidad and Tobago last evening, said he was satisfied with the team’s performance in their opening game of the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
Levi Garcia (8’), Sheldon Bateau (16’) and Ryan Telfer (43’) all scored in the first half of Guyana’s defeat to their Soca Warriors; their 16th in 23 meetings.
It was Maximo’s seventh game in charge of Guyana and the results would be only the Brazilian’s third defeat, with the previous two coming against Antigua (1-2) and Jamaica (0-0) in the CONCACAF Nations League.

With the exception of the away draw (1-1) against the Reggae Boyz, Maximo’s last International engagement was in November of 2019. Guyana’s head would have won the other fixtures; beating Aruba twice (1-0 and 4-2) and a 5-1 victory over Antigua.
Speaking at yesterday’s post-match press engagement, Maximo said, “The score-line didn’t reflect what you see in the game. The whole game management, the team showed composite, the discipline … but sometimes when you make primary mistakes in the crucial times of the game, especially against teams like Trinidad with the experienced players.” It wasn’t the game that captain Sam Cox was optimistic about when he spoke to the media in the pre-game press briefing.

However, Cox apologised to the Guyanese public and vowed that Golden Jaguars will bounce back in their encounter against The Bahamas on March 30
“The first-half performance especially wasn’t good enough. We understand that as players, I don’t think that there is anyone hurting as much after the game. The players are feeling it, we’re disappointed and we’ll echo what the coach said;.We made critical mistakes in our own defensive box … the loss is tough to take,” Cox said.
The victory over Guyana puts Trinidad and Tobago on top of the Group F table. With both Trinidad and St Kitts and Nevis getting off to a winning start, it means that Guyana will have to claim three points against The Bahamas if they are to keep their hopes alive of advancing.
However, Maximo cautioned that while, like everyone else, winning and putting on a credible performance is one of his main objectives, the team is still in a transition phase.

Watford’s Bayli Spencer-Adams, Former Colchester defender Miguel Scarlett, Fruta Conquerors Omari Glasgow and Jobe Caesar all made their debut against the Soca Warriors after coming off the bench.
Bournemouth FC’s Nathan Moriah-Welsh and Police goalkeeper Shawn Adonis were the other debutants.
Marcio told reporters that it’s his responsibility, along with support from the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) to see the growth of the Golden Jaguars programme.
Maximo called results such as the one against Trinidad, “part of the process.”

“When we finished on the pitch (against Trinidad) we had a lot of Youth players on the pitch. There’s no other way to make it, just to give them the experience. I can guarantee that each game is special and we encourage them to learn from the mistakes,” Maximo said.
Guyana only played Puerto Rico twice at the senior level internationally, with the U.S. territory winning 2-0 in 1993, and Golden Jaguars, with a goal from defender King Solomon Austin, winning 1-0.
The clash against St Kitts and Nevis will mark the third meeting for Guyana, but it will also be the first time the two countries are meeting during a World Cup qualification tournament.