Following the conclusion of the Concacaf Nations League which ended on Sunday night with the USA defeating Mexico 2-0 in the final, Golden Jaguars forward Omari Glasgow was awarded the Top Goal scorer and Young Player awards respectively at the post match ceremony.
The 20-year-old winger who hails from Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara, netted seven goals in five games for Guyana in League B of the 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League campaign.
“It’s surprising, you know. I didn’t know there were rewards, but I’m really happy about it and really enjoying it,” Glasgow said in an interview on Monday.
and Young Player Awards on behalf of Omari Glasgow.
While Glasgow is currently with the Golden Jaguars in Saudi Arabia and was not there to physically collect his awards, Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President Wayne Forde was on hand at the presentation ceremony after the final to collect the awards on behalf of Glasgow.
“Congrats to Omari, the GFF and Guyana for being judged the best young player for the 2023 Nations League and the highest goal scorer. It was truly an emotional moment receiving these awards on his behalf. God is good all the time,” Forde said.
Meanwhile, Golden Jaguars Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz said the accolades that have come Glasgow’s way are well earned. “He’s worked hard for the team and he’s combined well. His work ethic is second to none. He’s very committed to the training and is one of the best examples for youth players coming up in the Caribbean, not just in Guyana.”
Notably, Glasgow had been part of the Guyana Football Federation’s Academy Training Centre programme since its inception, working his way through the ranks to this point.
He also played a key role in Guyana’s Under-15 Jaguars squad that created history in 2017, winning all six of their games on their way to success in the SQAULIGA tournament in St. Martin.
Glasgow’s success in the Concacaf Nations League coupled with being recognised for his performance is close to his heart. He also singled out his fans, family and the GFF for their role in supporting him as well.
“I couldn’t have done it without them, I must say thank you to them for guiding me through it”, Glasgow stated.
In the recently finished campaign, Omari’s prolific scoring helped to push Guyana to top of their group in League B, thereby gaining the Golden Jaguars promotion to League A of the Concacaf Nations League.
At just 19-years-old at the time, Glasgow scored in each of Guyana’s five matches in League B, including a hat-trick in the opening 5-1 victory at Antigua and Barbuda.
According to Omari, his recent exploits are “just the tip of the iceberg.”
“I don’t think I have achieved everything in life yet. I am still to help Guyana propel to the World Cup and also still to help the country in any other way like winning the Concacaf final like what the USA did last night.”
To date, Glasgow has scored 14 times for Guyana in 21 games, spread across the Concacaf Nations League, World Cup qualifier, Gold Cup qualifier and International Friendlies.
While Axel Raga of St. Martin actually scored the most goals (8) in the competition, Glasgow’s seven were worth more according to a points system that was used to determine the winner. Goals in the higher tiers of the Concacaf Nations League were worth more points than goals in the lower divisions. St. Martin competed in League C while Guyana was in League B.
In order to determine the Top Scorer Award winner, the three leagues are weighed as follows:
League A = 2 pts per goal scored
League B = 1.5 pts per goal scored
League C = 1 pt per goal scored
With his seven goals in League B, Glasgow finished with the highest points total of 10.5 to claim the award.
