The Leonora Track and Field Centre will come alive this evening when the CONCACAF U20 Women’s Championships commence at 19:00 hrs with Suriname battling Saint Lucia in the curtain-raiser of a double-header which sees the hosts, Guyana, taking on Bermuda at 21:30 hrs.
Coach of the Guyana side, Ivan Joseph; with Taylor White and Lensey Adolph
In a simple ceremony held at the Princess Ramada Hotel and Casino at Providence, EBD, coaches and captains of the respective teams shared their expectations heading into the highly anticipated tournament.
Guyana
The local side is being coached by Ivan Joseph, who said the side does not have a captain, but this is much preferred over giving two persons the responsibility of leading the team. Joseph believes that all the women on the team are natural leaders, and all can lead the team into topping their group.
In an invited comment, Joseph said, “I have been involved with the national team for the last year, and as we saw from last year, Bermuda is the most organised and talented group in the pool. This is our first time in the U20 group. We probably have two players who have experience at the senior level, but 80 percent of our team is youthful, and will be experiencing their first international competition.
Head Coach of the Suriname side, Byran Aalse; with captain Genevieve Sabajo
“Our expectation and hope is that this is part of our rebuilding programme, as we will be hopeful to place within the top two. We will look to put forward momentum as we look to build our programme; as, if we want to do such, we will need more competitions.
“The reason we have no captain (is because) I find that in coaching women’s teams, they are leader-full; so we look to see how we can delegate that authority across the board, rather than putting it in one of two people.”
Joseph also said that one major challenge the team is facing is that the locally- based players haven’t played with the foreign-based players; this evening is the first time they will play as a team.
Head Coach of the Bermuda side, Nikita Robinson; with captain Jade Stewart
He noted that as the team plays more matches, a better chemistry will develop among players. He said they have not had the luxury of playing exhibition matches, and although he is confident that all the teams are prepared and great football will be played, he is certain the Guyanese team will do their best when they hit the field.
Suriname
Representing the Surinamese side, coach Byran Aalse said the goal of the side is to qualify for the next round; and they are aiming for first or second place, because they do not consider third place as an option.
Aalse said the side is almost completely new, but there are three players with international experience. He said he knows his team can come out on top, since they are comprised of a lot of new talent and are full of youth.
Bermuda
Assistant Coach of the Saint Lucia side, Trevor Anderson; with captain Krysan St. Louis
Bermuda is currently coached by Nikita Robinson, who said her expectation of the team is “like everyone else: to win the group stage and advance to the second round”.
This is a very young but experienced team, she disclosed, and quite a few of them have played in the U15, U17, and some at the U20 level already. Quite a few have played against the USA also, so they know what it takes to play to win.
She added that the coaches are very happy with the level the team members are at, and the level that they are going to play at.
“We respect all opposition, and we know that everyone is coming to win this, so we will focus on our game. And once we do it right, we will be successful in our game. We are in a rebuilding phase. We have had success at the U15 and U17 levels, even at the men’s level; so this is the next step for us: the U20 level,” she declared.
Saint Lucia
Assistant coach of the Saint Lucian side, Trevor Anderson, said that despite the youthful makeup of the team, he expects his team to win the tournament while playing good football.
In terms of experience, four Saint Lucia players were on the senior team, while members of the team fall within the age group 17 to 20.
The CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Qualifiers will be held from July 13th to July 21st. Guyana has been placed in ‘Group A’, along with Bermuda, Antigua and Barbuda, Suriname and St. Lucia.
The top three finishers of each group will then advance to the knockout stage of the competition, joining the four teams that advanced from the qualifying stage.
Admission to all matches is free of charge.
