GOLDEN Jaguars head coach Marcio Maximo believes their 4-0 win over The Bahamas on Tuesday, offers a glimmer of hope for Guyana to advance to the next round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
Speaking to the media, yesterday, before the team’s departure from the Dominican Republic, Maximo is asking fans, pundits and other supporters of the Golden Jaguars, to be patient and trust the process.
Golden Jaguars were out for the second time in Group F of the CONCACAF qualifiers, and following their 0-3 defeat to Trinidad and Tobago, coach Marcio Maximo was optimistic of a victory to keep his team’s Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup dreams alive.
It was a must-win game for Guyana and it took Terrence Vancooten (8th minute), Kadell Daniel (54), Omari Glasgow (75) and Emery Welshman (81), to hand the Golden Jaguars a life-saving 4-0.

Guyana didn’t just need the victory, but also win-margin to keep their hopes alive of advancing to the next stage of the qualifier, since as per CONCACAF rules, only one team will advance. Maximo said with Guyana set to face St Kitts and Nevis and Puerto Rico in their other two World Cup Qualifying matches, as well as Guatemala in the CONCACAF Gold Cup Qualifiers, each game will be treated like a finals.
“We have a good chance of qualifying for the Group Stage because this depends only on ourselves. We should win the two games and also, we still have the challenge against Guatemala for the Gold Cup,” Maximo reasoned.
The Brazilian added, “We have to select the players that would have shaped to maintain the dynamic of the game to improve our local players, of course, because it’s two processes coming together. We should have excellent players abroad, but also, we should improve our local players.

Meanwhile, with Maximo working to reshape the composition of the Golden Jaguars, using his local-players-first mantra, the head coach is calling for a degree of patience with the process, while assuring fans that his decisions and ideas are being made with ensuring Guyana remain a force in the Caribbean football landscape.
The former Tanzania National team head coach pointed out that his hope is for people to “understand the positive side, understand the opportunities the players are getting, especially players who never had an opportunity like now. Any system, any programme, any situation has another side too, but if you give priority for the bad part, you’ll never grow up.”
The Golden Jaguars, with Tuesday’s victory, are in third place with three points behind Trinidad and Tobago (four points) and table-leaders St Kitts and Nevis (six points). Puerto Rico with their draw against Trinidad are on one point. Each team would have played two games so far, with only St Kitts claiming full points.