Shabazz takes cautious approach to CONCACAF Gold Cup preparation

May 31, 2023 Sports

-Deon Moore, Marcus Simmons newcomer in Golden Jaguars set-up

Deon Moore in action for English League One club, Bristol Rovers.

By Rawle Toney

Kaieteur Sports – Guyana’s Head Coach, Jamaal Shabazz, is confident that his team will be ready for their June clash against Grenada in the CONCACAF Gold Cup preliminary round of matches at Drive Pink Stadium in Miami.

Six locally-based players drawn from Slingerz FC (Leo Lovell, Akel Clarke and Jeremy Garrett), and Western Tigers (Curtez Kellman, Trayon Bobb and Daniel Wilson), joined 22 players from the UK, USA and Canada for a training camp in Jamaica.

Following their stint in Jamaica, Shabazz will select a 24-man contingent that will head to Miami for the final leg of Gold Cup preparation.

Golden Jaguars Head Coach, Jamaal Shabazz.

“We’re hoping to get two practice matches in Jamaica, one against possibly a local-based Jamaica team that’s still in the works. Definitely in Miami, we expect to play Martinique. So we will get some practice games,” Shabazz said in an interview with NCN Sport.

The Trinidadian added, “It will not be high profile matches because nobody wants to give away the team shape, the team makeup, composition at this stage. But we expect to have at least two matches that will be able to prepare us for the upcoming game against Grenada.”

Confirming the return of Omari Glasgow, Sam Cox, Nathan Moriah-Welch, Steven Duke-McKenna, and Emery Welshman, Shabazz highlighted that former Bristol Rovers forward Deon Moore and Vancouver FC defender Marcus Simmons were the new players called to the training camp.

“So there are a couple of new guys we invited and we’re looking to see how they mesh. We want the team to be stronger than the last one, but we don’t want to mess with the chemistry because we had something good going. We had good discipline, good tactical understanding, and the guys played with a big heart,” Shabazz noted.

Guyana is making its third outing at the Gold Cup, first qualifying for the tournament’s Main Draw in 2019, and then reaching the Preliminary Round in 2021.

“We’ve been to the Gold Cup preliminaries and to actually qualify for the actual group stage will be saying something very profound for all the obstacles and challenges that we’ve had as a federation, as a growing football and country. To reach the Gold Cup, which is the most prestigious tournament in CONCACAF, is something that every country aspires to. And to get there, we have to play formidable opponents,” Shabazz reasoned.

If successful against Grenada, Guyana will have to face the winner between Guadalupe and Trinidad and Tobago for a chance to play in the Main Draw against Canada, Guatemala, and Cuba in Group D.

The Gold Cup is a highly competitive tournament that brings together some of the best teams from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

Marcus Simmons features for the Vancouver White Caps in the Canadian Premier League.

• CONCACAF, Deon Moore, Golden Jaguars, Marcus Simmons, Rawle Toney