Golden Jag’s Head Coach Márcio Máximo Briefs Players Ahead Of One Of Their Training Sessions
Head Coach of the Senior Men’s National Team, Márcio Máximo, said a youthful team, changed mentality and an emphasis on long-term succession planning/development are the key areas of focus for the team even as they continue preparation to face Barbados in the home-and-away fixture for the Concacaf Gold Cup Qualifiers in March
This, Máximo noted, is necessary for the sustainability of the team, which is currently predominantly youthful in nature and which seeks to lift its game to consistently perform at competitive levels internationally.
“It’s very important for me to not only reduce the average age of the senior team but also change the mentality of the players to one that is competitive, displays good commitment, professionalism and with a desire to proudly play in the senior national team,” said the Golden Jaguars’ Head Coach in an invited interview.
Maximo said there are currently three or four experienced Guyana-based players over 28 years old among those who are engaged in daily training sessions but, to realize sustainability of the team, age and desire for personal and team success are key for development: “Of course their (older players) experience is very important for our group but we also need to refresh the team, put new ideas and players who have ambition to play in the development leagues, pursue international clubs/academies, help the local clubs to improve…if we don’t have the continuation of the senior team, we’ll loose the group again. We have been able to recover some players – 22 – 23 years old who had lost interest due to the absence of a senior team programme. Now, they have the option to continue if they are selected, of course. We now have a pool of 60 players.”
Towards this end, the Head Coach announced that 12 players from the U20 National team engaged in the Concacaf U20 Qualifiers will be integrated into the senior team following their return from Nicaragua: “We have already selected six players to join the senior team but after the tournament, six or seven additional players will be selected to be permanently integrated into the senior team.
“It’s a good opportunity for the players to keep their ambitions to play at a professional level, have a chance to be attached to international academies, if age permits, and we will endeavor to provide the fuel for them to achieve their highest goal.”
Guyana Senior Men’s National Team is set to play Barbados on March 26 and 31 respectively as the country seeks to qualify for the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup. The first match of the two-round qualifier is scheduled for Barbados at 19:00hrs while Guyana will be looking for home-court advantage in the final match scheduled for the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora at 20:00hrs.