AFTER finishing the first round of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying for Qatar 2022 with one victory, Guyana will strive to turn things around, beginning with their date on July 3 versus Guatemala in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup Prelims. The Golden Jaguars reached the Prelims by virtue of a second-place finish in their group in League B of the 2019-20 CONCACAF Nations League (CNL), and the three top scorers from that CNL campaign – Trayon Bobb, Emery Welshman and Sheldon Holder – have all been included in head coach Marcio Maximo’s final 23-man roster. Bobb had four goals during the six CNL matches, while Welshman and Holder each chipped in with a pair of goals.
Golden Jaguars are already well versed in the nuances of Gold Cup competition, having qualified for the 2019 edition and earned their first-ever Gold Cup point in a 1-1 group stage draw with Trinidad and Tobago.

There is also a good presence of players with experience in some of the highest levels of English football, including Bolton Wanderers’ DFs Liam Gordon and Reiss Greenidge, along with Queens Park Rangers’ Stephen Duke-McKenna and Bournemouth pair Nathan Moriah-Welsh and Connor Kurran-Browne.
One player that could become one of the revelations of the Prelims round is 17-year-old forward Omari Glasgow of Fruta Conquerors FC.
Glasgow already has three international caps and scored in Guyana’s 4-0 World Cup Qualifier win over The Bahamas.
It remains to be seen who Maximo will opt for in goal, but veteran Akel Clarke could well get the nod after being the No. 1 for the Golden Jaguars in two Gold Cup matches in 2019 and was the co-leader in saves (8) during the CNL.