THE Guyana U-15 football squad departed for the FIFA World Cup and the Baku festival.
The country’s U-15 national football squad on Tuesday departed from the Cheddi Jagan International airport for Azerbaijan to compete in the FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival.
The tournament, scheduled to take place in Baku, will feature an 8-a-side format, with matches consisting of two 20-minute halves.
Head Coach Trevon Lythcott says the management of the U-15 squad is comfortable with the unit’s composition and preparation.
‘It is just a matter of putting everything together now, and I think we have the right bunch to actually bring out everything we want to execute…from the start of this engagement. We have stressed the importance of this tournament, and the boys are eager to put their best foot forward and not be pressured into thinking about the level of this tournament. Just go out and play football and enjoy the game.’
Lythcott says they have set themselves high benchmarks for this competition.
‘It is always good to start off on a high. Our expectation is to win the tournament and enter tier 1… Concentration, playing together as a team, and sticking to the game plan that will actually give us success in this tournament.’
He is supported by Assistant Coach Jamal Pedro and Goalkeeper Coach Delon Young.
Guyana will contest five qualification-stage matches from October 24–26, facing teams from the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mauritius, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei Darussalam, and Vietnam.
They will open their campaign against Iran before facing Mauritius on October 25; they take on Bosnia the same day, on October 26; and they meet Brunei Darussalam and Vietnam.
The squad includes captain and defender Nyron Barrow alongside defenders Tyler Abrams, Joel Griffith, and Lawrence Wong.
The midfield features Mark Stewart, Kijani Drakes, Mateo Morel, Jashan Haynes, and Malachi Muhammad; attackers Joel Stephen, Jaden Christian, and Callum La-Rose
The two goalkeepers are Christiano Solomon and Royston Winter.