THE Guyana U14 Boys’ National team will start their three-match friendly encounter against Surinamese clubs today.

The Guyanese arrived in Suriname for a run of three friendly matches against U16 club teams – a tour intended to compensate for the lost development opportunity of competing in the Caribbean Football Union Challenge Series.

The U14 squad pulled out of the regional competition earlier this month, due to a lack of available flight options between Guyana and host nation, the Dominican Republic. The Junior Jaguars will take on Transvaal, Voorwarts and Inter Wanica in Suriname to provide an alternative platform to develop individually and as a group.

“We are happy to fulfil our promise to the players and parents after the difficult decision to withdraw from the CFU Challenge Series for issues beyond our control,” said Guyana Football Federation (GFF) acting Technical Director, Bryan Joseph.

“We were able to broker an agreement with the Suriname FA for three development games against established U16 club teams,” Joseph, a former senior national player, said. “We believe this presents a great opportunity for our boys to have some international exposure. It will mean a lot to their overall development. They have all worked hard to be able to represent the nation and I wish the players and staff best of luck and a great experience.”
The GFF national coaching staff took the decision to send the same travelling party as had been earmarked for the CFU competition.

The U14 squad comprises: Kemron Pellew, Caio Paul, Joseph Eusebio, De Angelo Dick, Machaia DeFreitas, Mikkel Mills, La Andre Garnett, Ezekiel Baldeo, Michael Joseph, Jason Felix, Delyman Hendricks, Luke Lavigne, Keshon Leacock, Jemeal Garnett, Nicholas Tixey, Shaquan David, Isaiah Ifill, Jaden Harris, Levi Sampson, and Malcolm Hendricks.

The coaching staff comprises Devnon Winter (head coach), Joyann Williams (team manager), Selwyn Issacs (asst. coach), Andre Gibbs (GK coach), and Mark DeFreitas (assistant manager).

Matches
27th vs Voorwarts (16:30hrs)
28th vs Transvaal (16:30hrs)
30th vs Inter Wanica (17:30hrs)