… Coach Maximo cautious of The Bahamas

THE Golden Jaguars, Guyana’s senior Men’s National football team, will go hunting three points today against The Bahamas in the Dominican Republic, to keep their 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup hopes alive.

Kick-off time at the Estadio Panamericano in San Cristobal is 15:00hrs.
After being ‘defanged’ three-nil by Trinidad and Tobago in their opening match of the campaign, Head Coach, Marcio Maximo, while not being pleased with the result, said he was satisfied with the team’s performance. Maximo said that it offered a glimmer of hope of what he’s trying to achieve with the new-look Golden Jaguars squad.

Guyana’s opponents today aren’t known for their football prowess as they are more notable in the Caribbean and further afield for producing some of the best Track and Field athletes, as well as basketball players, in the world.

The Bahamas’ international record and their position in the dudgeon of FIFA’s World Ranking (196), would make them the proverbial whipping boys at the CONCACAF level, but Coach Maximo is warning against complacency, telling the media, in a virtual press briefing, that the Bahamas is a quality side going through a rebuilding transition just like Guyana.

As it stands, Group F of the CONCACAF Qualifiers is headed by St Kitts and Nevis, who picked up six points following their 1 – 0 win over Puerto Rico, and 4 – 0 victory against The Bahamas.
Trinidad and Tobago is second on four points from their two outings so far, with their latest fixture against Puerto Rico ending with a draw (1 – 1).
With Puerto Rico picking up a point, it leaves the US territory in third and Guyana and The Bahamas in the cellar.

“We need to fix our mistakes because we made some mistakes in the midfield, but it’s not about players, it’s about position…we need to have patience and organization, and we need this to create our chance,” Maximo said.

According to the former Tanzania National Coach, he’s not worried about mistakes, adding that mistakes will be made, even when teams come out victorious, “Mistakes are part of the team’s performance because, as coach, after every game, you will always have mistakes to fix.”
In the game against the Soca Warriors, Maximo went with Akel Clarke between the uprights, while his defensive line saw debutant, Miguel Scarlett in the right-back position, Terrence Vancooten and Matthew Briggs as the Centre-Backs, and Kadell Daniel in the Left-Back position.

Captain Sam Cox paired with Daniel Wilson as Maximo’s Centre-Midfielders, while Callum Harriott (left) and Trayon Bobb (right) flanked the wings.
Keanu Marsh-Brown held the ‘number 10’ position and Israel-based forward, Emery Welshman, worked up-front.

Off the bench, Maximo injected 17-year-old Omari Glasgow, along with Kelsey Benjamin, Jobe Caesar Bayli Spencer-Adams and Pernell Schultz into the game.
Asked by Chronicle Sport about possible changes to the starting line-up, Maximo said it’s not his usual procedure to pronounce on the team’s composition before the game, but said, “I think the biggest problem for the last game wasn’t really players, but some position and movement inside the pitch. But we fixed it inside training and I hope tomorrow (today) it wouldn’t repeat and we will play well for the game.”

Only one team will advance to the next stage of the Qualifiers, and the Golden Jaguars will pick up the pieces and hope to progress.
The team will return to Guyana tomorrow and continue preparation for their up-coming matches against St Kitts and Nevis and Puerto Rico in the next FIFA International window.