Latest update April 23rd, 2024 12:59 AM
Jun 17, 2010 Sports
‘Lady Jags’ still craving for more success
By Franklin Wilson
Come June 26 in Havana Cuba when the ‘Lady Jags’ battle home team Cuba in the first game of their home and away tie for the final spot available for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the Guyanese team will not be intimidated by Cuba’s position in the World Rankings; 95 out of 116 countries in the world and 11th in CONCACAF.
The Guyanese have nothing to lose and Technical director of the Guyana Football Federation Women’s Programme Mark Rodrigues told Kaieteur Sport that they have been doing their home work in order to be well prepared for the Cuba games.
He acknowledged that they are technically sound and well coached, “They possess and move the ball well and look to penetrate up the middle with small combinations from their crafty midfielders and dynamic strikers.”
Rodrigues said he was able to watch the Cubans play in the second round of the Gold Cup Qualifiers in Trinidad last month and based on what himself and technical team saw they have worked out a strategy. “We have a specific game plan which will be employed in Cuba. Depending on the result of that game we will determine what we do in terms of a system of play for the Guyana leg.”
The Lady Jags’ only loss to date in their fledgling International career is to Trinidad and Tobago, the highest ranked CONCACAF team in the World at 43 and 4th in CONCACAF behind the USA (also no. 1 in the World), Canada and Mexico.
The T&T clash which Guyana lost 3-0 allowed the Technical Team to have a better understanding of where team Guyana was and what needs to be done to ensure their competitiveness against the higher ranked teams.
The important area of fitness was identified as a major challenge and a plan was developed and given to the players to follow. Rodrigues has reported that they {players} are all following instructions with most of them being active at the club level.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Women’s Technical Director Jamaal Shabazz, who was also Technical Director of the GFF had complimented the Lady Jags for playing tough against the Soca Ladies noting that they were the toughest opponents T&T had played in a very long time.
Commenting on the importance of the impending games to the future of the sport to Guyana, this was Rodrigues’ response: “We have all witnessed how the entire country has and is responding to the Lady Jags success.
I heard that female registration has increased. I would like to think that part of the reason for the increased registrations is the Lady Jags successes to date. Further success can only help this cause, not to mention the increased productivity of Guyanese at their jobs, and the social explosion.”
Rodrigues was eager to point out that his charges are attaching the ultimate of importance to the games. “They hear all the talk about us accomplishing more than any other Guyanese team (male or female), but they are not satisfied. Their goal all along was to get to the Gold Cup and give themselves and Guyana the opportunity to qualify for the World Cup. Nothing else will be satisfactory.”
Meanwhile, for the benefit of you our readers, Guyana, like a number of other countries only have provisional ranking status since the ranking of a team is deemed official when
? They have played at least 5 matches against teams with an official ranking
? Teams that are inactive during the last 4 years are not listed
? Only teams who had played 5 matches before the 1999 World Cup against teams that had themselves played 5 matches before the 1999 World Cup were included in the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Ranking
Some of the other countries holding provisional ranking status are St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Kitts & Nevis, US Virgin Islands and Turks & Caicos Islands. Some of the Caribbean countries that have been inactive for the past 18 months are Jamaica, Grenada, Netherlands Antilles, Aruba, Cayman Islands, Bahamas and the British Virgin Islands.
Other territories in the ranking are Puerto Rico (102), St. Vincent & the Grenadines (110), Dominica (112) and Antigua & Barbuda (115).
LISTEN HOW JAGDEO WILL MAKE ALL GUYANESE RICH!!!
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