Golden Jaguars International forward Pernel Schultz, has described his involvement in Guyana’s maiden campaign in the CONCACAF Gold Cup as an extraordinary experience.
In a brief interview with Stabroek Sport, the Western Tigers forward said, “It is dream come through for any young player to play in the Gold Cup against the likes of USA and Panama and USA. It was a great experience and wonderful atmosphere, it felt like I was playing in a [UEFA] Champions League final.”
Guyana ended their group-D campaign in the third position with a point following a 1-1 draw with traditional rival Trinidad and Tobago.
They finished ahead of the ‘Soca Warriors’ due to their superior on goal differential. In their earlier group matches, the Golden Jaguars lost 4-0 to the USA and lost 4-2 to Panama.
Schultz for his part, was the only locally based player to feature in the event, with Akel Clarke and Sheldon Holder being the other two locally born players to make appearances.
The former Fruta Conquerors forward logged 45 minutes of action across three matches. This was highlighted by 12 passes and two steals.
In comparison, Clarke recorded 188 minutes as the starting custodian for two matches [USA and Panama]. He conceded eight goals in the process while tallying 25 passes and effecting seven saves.
On the other hand, Holder tallied 82 minutes in two matches while recording a solitary shot.
According to Schultz, the foreign born and based players are only marginally superior in comparison to the local contingent, adding, “It’s just they are in the right environment and playing consistently at-least most of them. We in Guyana are hardly playing football. Obviously if we are serious about training, fitness is our main issue but if we remain committed we can compete with the foreign players.”
Questioned if the locally based players should have been given more minutes during the event, Schultz said, “I think that was how the team was setup, it was built around the foreign players but I believe that the locals should have gotten some more minutes to display their quality.”
Asked if Guyana’s participation in the event should have impact on the local game, Schultz disclosed, “It is supposed to change a lot locally but the administration has to get serious about football if we are to go somewhere. We have competed and if we can get better preparation, we can do even better.”
The Golden Jaguars will now turn their attention to the CONCACAF Nations League which is slated to commence in September. The Guyanese have been drawn in group-C of League-B.
They will commence their campaign on September 6th away to Aruba. It will be the first of six matches for the 21st ranked Guyanese. Following their match-up with the 31st ranked Arubans, Guyana will host 6th ranked Jamaica on September 9th.
The second round of matches will occur in October, with Guyana travelling to the 22nd ranked Antigua and Barbuda unit on the 11th, before hosting the reverse fixture three days later.
The final round of matches will then occur during the month of November. Guyana will host Aruba on the 15th, before travelling to Jamaica three days later. Winner of the group will advance to the League-A section of the
