Can the Jags end the Soca Warriors’ party?

Thirty to three, that is the ratio of matches that the Trinidad and Tobago national football team have played in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Gold Cup as compared to Guyana.
With more than a decade of experience at this competition, Trinidad and Tobago may appear to be ominous opponents, but according to Golden Jaguars Coach Michael Johnson, the Jags are ready to roar.
This may all be well and true, after all, the Golden Jaguars were not even expected to get this far. Being one of two Gold Cup 2019 debutants, no one expected much of the team hailing from South America, but thus far, they have been able to hold down an explosive USA squad in the first half of their encounter and had it not been for some simple errors on the part of the Guyanese players, the match against Panama would have had a different winner.
To this end, the Golden Jags Coach is almost certain that if the team somehow correct those errors and run a tight ship in their final Gold Cup 2019 game, they can come out victorious.
“Not only that, we have to be able to stop the silly mundane mistakes we keep making. When you look at the last game and the second goal, you look at the penalty whether it was a penalty or not, the two goals that could have been stamped out and then you’ve got a result, and then you take that result into your final game. So if we can cut out a lot of the silly mistakes then I believe that we can get good results,” Johnson stated.
Getting some much-needed rest after travelling to Kansas, the Jaguars were said to have two practice sessions before tonight’s game. Johnson disclosed that the final session would be used to iron out some of the past mistakes and simplify their game so that they are ready for Trinidad and Tobago.
The Golden Jaguars and the Soca Warriors are indeed no strangers to each other, having met on countless occasions, given the close proximity and long-standing relationship between the two Caricom nations.
However, despite one too many losses at the hands of Trinidad and Tobago, the Jaguars pulled off one of their most memorable wins at the Guyana National Stadium in 2014.
With the backing of a boisterous stadium filled to capacity with home fans, the Jags managed to pull off a 2-1 victory over Trinidad in the penultimate round of CONCACAF’s World Cup qualifiers 2014, owing to the brilliance of then national players Ricky Shakes (11) and Leon Cort (81).
The bottom line is, if the current Golden Jaguars outfit can get into the mind-set that the team held in 2014, there is no doubt that Guyana can witness their first-ever Gold Cup victory in Kansas City, Kansas tonight.
This mind-set seems to be making its way around the Guyanese camp as Coach Johnson explained that the boys were in high spirits.
“They’re in a buoyant mood and we are looking to do well in our final game,” he said.
Further, Johnson, a former Jamaican national player, hinted at the inclusion of some new faces as the Jaguars head into their final hurrah.
“Definitely, one and two faces will now come in and try get us that victory against Trinidad … and I have got full belief in all 23 players as I have said before. I want to give a chance to those who didn’t feature to now come out there and prove me wrong that they should have played in the first two,” the Head Coach stated.
Kick-off for the Guyana v Trinidad and Tobago Gold Cup 2019 encounter is fixed at 18:30h.