Golden Jags Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz impressed
with local squad ahead of T&T friendlies

GUYANA Senior Men’s National Team Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz says the twenty-four players selected for the Trinidad and Tobago’s international friendlies on May 13 and 15 impressed him during the KFC Elite League Season Six Round One and the rigorous training sessions this week.

Shabazz shared that the three goalkeepers, six defenders, eleven midfielders, and four forwards were drawn from clubs including Guyana Defence Force FC, Slingerz FC, Guyana Police Force FC and Santos FC because they “showed they can do well locally, so now we’re going to give them a taste of international football.”
Both matches will be played at 7 p.m. at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain,
Trinidad.

The players are all aiming to secure their spots in the final squad for the upcoming
Concacaf Qualifiers for the World Cup 2026.
“These matches are going to answer some questions for some of these boys, if they
are ready for international football or not, or if they need a little more time. In my
judgement, the fact that we’ve selected them, I think they are. So questions are going
to be answered in terms of their performance.”

The head coach noted that the team has a solid blend of players with prior international
experience who will provide a firm foundation, alongside newcomers eager to leave
their imprint on the team.

Among the roster are some recognisable figures, such as defenders Jeremy Garret and Curtez Kellman; midfielders Daniel Wilson and Leo Lovell, and forward Kelsey Benjamin.
Their contributions were integral to the Golden Jaguars’ undefeated campaign in the
Concacaf National League 2023\2024, which led to a historic promotion to League A,
achieved alongside Trinidad and Tobago.

Joining the home-based players are four fresh talents with Guyanese heritage from
Canada, France and the United States who are making their debut appearances with
the Golden Jaguars.

“We had four sessions so it has gone well. They guys have been very enthusiastic.
They have worked hard, they been on time, they have been disciplined. I can’t ask
much more of them other than now to go to Trinidad to carry the courage and
confidence that they have shown in the training.”

Goalkeepers: Jamaine Cumberbatch, Amari Thompson and Simon Emmanuel
Defenders: Jeremy Garret, Curtez Kellman, Quincy Adams, Colin Nelson, Kevin
Layne and Cedric Osborn.

Midfielders: Leo Lovell, Bevan Baker, Terique Mohammed, Amos Ramsay, Nicolai
Andrews, Ryan Hackett, Simeon Moore, Daniel Wilson, Chris Macey, Darron Niles
and Solomon Austin.

Forwards: Kelsey Benjamin, Marcus Tudor, Anthony Smith and Stephen McDonald
The Golden Jaguars face a daunting path in the Concacaf Qualifiers for the FIFA World
Cup Second Round from June 2024 to 2025 in Group D alongside Panama, Nicaragua, Montserrat and Belize.
The qualification process has three stages, involving thirty-two FIFA-affiliated
Concacaf Member Associations. The first round featured the lowest-ranked Member
Associations—Turks and Caicos Islands, British Virgin Islands, United States Virgin
Islands and Anguilla.

In the Second Round, which includes the winners of the first round and the remaining
twenty-eight participating Member Associations, Guyana will engage in a series of four
matches, split evenly between home and away fixtures.

Only the group winners and runners-up will progress to the third and final round of
Qualifiers.
During the Final Round, second-round group winners and runners-up—totalling twelve
teams—will be segregated into three groups of four teams each. These teams will vie
in six home-and-away matches across the FIFA international match windows of
September, October and November 2025.

The winning trio from these groups will secure their slots in the prestigious World Cup.