The national football team continued their preparations with an intense session at the Police Sports Club, Eve Leary yesterday for what is being seen as one of the most important games in Guyana’s football history. Under the watchful eyes of Head Coach Jamal Shabbaz and assistants Wayne Dover and Gordon Braithwaite, the 21-man squad sharpened their skills via a combination of simulated defensive and attacking drills as Friday’s Group ‘B’ showdown against the Soca Warriors, dubbed 11.11.11 at the National Stadium draws closer.
Recently the Golden Jaguars recruited three foreign-born players to the national camp – striker Carl Cort, whose brother and central defender Leon made his debut for Guyana during the last round of matches versus Barbados and Bermuda; along with Canadian Julien Edwards and Taylor Benjamin.
Stabroek Sport caught up with Cort and Benjamin after the team session and the duo elaborated on their football careers.
Carl Cort
The senior of the Cort brothers is arguably the most interesting addition to the Golden Jaguars setup. The 6 feet, 4 inches tall striker has represented the Premier League clubs Newcastle United, Norwich City, Wolverhampton Wanderers along with England Under-21 in 1998, in a professional football career that commenced in 1996.
At 34 years of age, Cort highlighted that he believes his experience can be a valuable addition to the national team for the crucial encounter against Trinidad on Friday.
“It’s a great opportunity to represent the country of my heritage, that my mother is from. My main ambition coming here was the push I got from Guyana Football Federation (GFF) scouts who constantly kept me up to date with the team’s progress in recent times and I think the acumen I bring as a professional can assist the team on and off the field,” explained Cort.
When asked how he has been adjusting to the heat during the training sessions, he said it has been a bit tough, but he has been coping well.
“I’m not going to lie I have struggled a bit after a few sessions. But the manager (Shabbaz) has been smart with it and he has slowed the sessions down in light of this. Nurse (Chris Nurse – the Guyana captain), who is also from England, who I have known for years, has given me some good tips on how to cope with the conditions, so I reckon I should be fine come Friday.”
Cort during his days as a Newcastle player in the 2002/03 season had the distinction of playing in the UEFA Champions League, where in one game he was an unused substitute during a game at the Nou Camp versus a Barcelona team that included players such a Patrick Kluivert, Xavi Hernandez and Carlos Puyol in its ranks. He suggested that he is target-man striker at his best and proposed that if the coach sees it fit he could play alongside Guyanese household-name striker Gregory “Jackie-Chan” Richardson and Shawn “Bubbly” Beveney if required.
He continued: “As a striker my game works best as a target-man striker in a standard 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 formation I would say. So come Friday if coach Shabbaz sees it fit, I could play alongside Jackie-Chan and Bubbly.”
Taylor Benjamin
On the opposite end of the spectrum to Cort, 21-year- old right-sided player Taylor Benjamin is in the embryonic stages of his football career and he views the opportunity to play for the country of his mother’s heritage as a great privilege.
“Next to Canada, Guyana is my second home, given I grew up in the Guyanese community back in Ottawa. About four months ago, a former Guyana national football player by the name of Dennis Humphrey brought forward the idea of me representing the Golden Jaguars, things then proceeded to me contacting the GFF and here I am now,” said Benjamin.
Benjamin who plies his trade for Capital City FC in the premier Canadian football league and cites Brazilians Daniel Alves and Robinho as his football heroes, went on to note that going into the clash against Trinidad he is fully aware of the rivalry that the two countries have.
“Ottawa has a big Caribbean community and the Guyanese and Trinidadians live very close. So I was under no illusions coming here what is at stake in this game and whether I have chosen to play or not on Friday, I am backing this team to make history.”
