Canada U-23 engagement can open doors – Captain Nurse

May 06, 2016 Sports

With the historic Guyana / Canada Olympic U-23 match just a matter of days away, Captain of the Golden Jaguars, Christopher Nurse is of the view that the match will be more than just a game for his team.

Christopher Nurse pictured with a Puerto Rican fan following Guyana’s win in the Men’s Caribbean Cup on March 29th last.

Nurse believes that the match against a side that has qualified for this summer’s Olympic competition can open doors for the players.
“This game will hopefully serve to open boundaries for more Guyanese players to go overseas and ply their trade with professional teams in Canada and the USA. Guyanese players have talent and matches like these can serve as eye openers to other countries. Especially a football nation like Canada who are of course superior because of the facilities and investments they have made and are making in the sport. But in terms of achievement and talent they are a country that Guyana can compete with on the international stage and provide substantial challenge.”
Commenting on the importance of the match which has been organised in observance of Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations, Nurse who is now playing professionally in Puerto Rico posited that sports forms an important and integral part of community and development.
“Including the sport of football in these celebratory activities since it highlights the awareness that this sport is growing more and more in Guyana and it needs to be given some of the same support and structures as well as importance as cricket. Primarily football needs its own facility to call home.”
The passionate midfielder expressed excitement that the match will provide a platform for a number of young and exciting players to showcase their talent against the Canadians and by extension, the rest of the world.
“This is exciting because it will provide exposure for the future generation of players who will more than likely compromise the squad in the next FIFA World Cup qualifiers in three years and the next Gold Cup Qualifiers in two years. It’s a chance for them to get their feet wet and get early experience. Canada is sending a youthful squad so naturally it would only make sense for Guyana to do the same.”
The long serving Captain applauded the Stag Elite League for providing the much needed avenue for young players to be exposed to senior men’s first team football which ne noted is critical for development.
“For me, Eon Alleyne is the player to be excited about right now. He is young, dynamic and has pace you cannot teach both with and without the ball at his feet and has been developing nice. He is a huge threat going forward, but he is raw, he now needs to get into an0 environment where those skills can be defined and his football intelligence can develop. Consistently being in that environment will allow that change to occur naturally.”
Nurse is calling on all Guyanese to come out and support their Golden Jaguars on Sunday May 15 and to also be a part of history with a young and exciting Canadian side touching down for battle in the Land of Many Waters.
“It is a game to be excited about, the fans should definitely come out and support the boys,” Nurse concluded.