Guyana’s hopes of qualifying from group B in the 2024 edition of the CONCACAF Men’s U20 Qualifiers suffered a severe setback, as they were outclassed by hosts Antigua and Barbuda 0-4 yesterday.
Staged at the Antigua and Barbuda Training Centre, the encounter was essentially settled at the conclusion of the first half, as the home side entered the halftime interval firmly in control at 3-0.
Guyana’s starting XI comprised Emmanuel Lewis, Gerry Burnett, Tyrese Lyle, Tyler Lyle, Tyrel Stephen, Kvist Paul, Nathaniel Pydana, Kyle Reid, Solomon Austin, Brandon Khedoo, and Matrim Martin.
The Guyanese got off to the worst possible start as Javauhn Parker scored in the second minute. Aiden Jarvis then doubled the lead for the host nation with a 16th-minute strike. Two minutes later, the score ballooned to 3-0 as Christopher Douglas made his presence felt.
The outcome was then sealed in the 84th minute as Javaughn Jarvis found the back of the net.
Meanwhile, in the second match of the group, El Salvador thumped Turks and Caicos 7-0.
Guyana, which is ranked 27th, will continue its campaign tomorrow against El Salvador before battling Suriname on the 27th. Guyana’s final match will take place on February 29th against the Turks and Caicos.
Upon the conclusion of the group stage, the respective pool winners will advance to the 2024 CONCACAF Men’s U-20 Championship, joining the top six seeds that have automatically qualified in the form of the defending champion United States of America, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic.
In the 2022 edition, the Golden Jaguars ended with a record of one win, a loss, and a draw. Guyana played a scoreless affair with the Cayman Islands before crushing the US Virgin Islands 5-1 in their second outing. In their final match, Guyana lost 0-5 to Nicaragua in a must-win encounter.
Complete Results
Guyana-0 0 vs. Antigua and Barbuda-4
Javauhn Parker-2nd
Aiden Jarvis-16th
Christopher Douglas-18th
Javaughn Jarvis-84th
