Wayne Dover, Head-Coach of the Golden Jaguars Under-20 squad is confident in his team’s chances of qualifying for the knockout round of the upcoming CONCACAF Men’s U20 Championship.
The former Alpha United tactician and head coach of the Golden Jaguars senior side, leads a 14 member management squad for the event to be held in Florida, USA from November 1st-22nd.
In an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sports, Dover said, “Guyana’s chances are good like every other [nation] in football because we all know that the gap in world football has closed. We will do our preparation and be optimistic that we can come out of this group.”
He added: “We have seen in football that many of the favourites have struggled in group stages and we will not try to single out who is strongest and who is the weakest [in the group], we are going to approach all games with the same level of seriousness and view all opponents at the same strength.”
Quizzed on the criteria that will be utilized to select the squad, Dover said, “There are a core group of players who have played in the Elite League, and those who made the squad and have not played, will be used as the core group of the provisional squad.”
He revealed that players outside of the Elite League will also be considered for selection, adding, “We have two days to look at a few players from outside the Elite League and take them through a physical evaluation and see where their fitness levels are to make a determination of their inclusion.”
Asked if overseas born and based players will be considered for selection, he revealed, “There are a number of U20 players, more than five, that have indicated their willingness to play for Guyana. At the moment we are viewing a number of college games that they were involved in and those who are playing at the club level we will be in direct contact with the coaches to give us updates on their performances, fitness levels and injury situations.
“Based on the criteria, we will look at these games and gather all information and make a final decision on the overseas players. At some point they will be included in the final week of preparations.”
Questioned how much of a disadvantage does Guyana face in the tournament given the lack of football being played at this age range, Dover said, “We all know that football at that level has not played in Guyana for a while but many of the U20 boys are starting to cut into the senior team, which gives them equal playing time like many others around the world so we will try piggy back on that they are active in the senior team and build the core group around those who are exposed to senior football already. That in of itself will put us in a position to build a formidable team with overseas players who we will be looking at to strengthen the squad once they are at the level required.”
According to Dover, “This is a good opportunity for our nation’s youth to capitalise on the exposure that will be given and try to do their best to see if they can be scouted by the many clubs that will be looking at this age group. This is something we want to educate and get a clear understanding about, and hope that can motivate them to do well for the country and their self.”
Guyana will faceoff with Guatemala at 10:30hrs in their opening clash on November 2nd, before battling Cayman Islands four days later.
They will then oppose Curacao from 12:45hrs in the third matchup on November 8th, before concluding their group campaign on November 10th against El Salvador from 19:45hrs.
O’Neil Heywood of Den Amstel FC will serve as the assistant coach, while the members are Gregory Richardson [striker coach], Vurlon Mills [In Possession Coach], Anthony Belfield [Out of Possession Coach], Phillip Carrington [Goalkeeper Coach], Wilson Toledo [Coach Developer & Head of Sports Science], Dr. Alex Hawkins [Team Doctor], Denzel Hernandez [Physiotherapist], Asser Lutu [Performance Analyst & Head Scout], Team Operations Coordinator [Daniel Thomas] and Travis Moore [Equipment Manager].
