The final roster for the Women’s National U20 Team has been selected by Coach Ivan Joseph and his staff, and Guyana is looking to field their strongest ever team at that age group for the playoff matches that would be held.
This final squad includes several debutants, including Goalkeeper Raven Edwards-Dowdall, Midfielder Shanice Alfred, Forward Makayla Rudder and Defender Anaya Johnson. These four players join a contingent of players who have helped Guyana qualify, for the first time in its history, to participate in the U20 CONCACAF Championships.
The progress made by the women’s programme has been notable, with the U20 and U17 teams both advancing to the CONCACAF Championships.
Guyana’s U20s begin their group matches against Nicaragua on February 23rd, and are looking to have a strong enough showing to advance out of the group stages.
The 20-strong team selected to represent Guyana next week
“The coaching staff and players have been hard at work preparing for the upcoming CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championships,” Coach Ivan Joseph responded when asked to comment on the team’s preparations so far.
“It is our hope that we will make our country and all our fans proud of our effort and commitment on the field.
“Mexico, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico are all formidable opponents in our opening Group D round-robin pool. All three teams are ranked ahead of us in our pool, with Mexico leading the way as the number two-ranked team in the tournament. We will need to play at our very best and hope to get a bounce or two in our direction to advance to the next round,” Joseph explained.
In an invited comment, Paul Beresford, International Director of Women’s Programs, said much has been achieved since the relaunch of the women’s programme in 2017.
“With the support of the GFF, we have seen significant progress in women’s football since the programme’s relaunch in 2017. From the senior team to the U15s, the women’s teams continue to make history,” he declared.
“Additionally, we have seen excellent progress as we develop our young Guyana-based players who face very real obstacles to their development. The Federation, along with the GFF International Support Group (ISG), continue to implement programmes designed to provide further opportunities to the Guyana-based players to progress, and we are looking to the Guyana footballing community to continue to support women’s football players, both in Guyana and internationally-based, as they continue to represent Guyana in competitions.”
Guyana has been placed in Group ‘D’, with Mexico, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico; and group matches are scheduled for the Olimpico Felix Sánchez Stadium in the Dominican Republic as follows:
Sunday, 23rd February: Guyana vs Nicaragua @ 19:00hrs
Tuesday, 25th February: Puerto Rico vs Guyana @ 16:00hrs
Thursday, 27th February: Mexico vs Guyana @ 19:00hrs
According to CONCACAF, the 2020 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championships will kick off with an initial group stage among 16 teams.
“After round-robin play, the top three teams in each of the groups will advance to the knockout stage, joining the four qualifiers winners – Guyana, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Grenada.
“All knockout round matches (round of 16, quarterfinal, semifinal and final) will be played in a single match elimination format, with the finalist and the third-place match winner qualifying to the FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup 2020.”
