Maximo trims international players from national team

Golden Jaguars’ journey to Gold Cup qualification…

…U-20 players to occupy spots

Marcio Maximo, head coach of Guyana’s Golden Jaguars, the senior men’s national football team, has declared his intention to select less than 10 internationally-based players for this team ahead of their engagement against Barbados in the Gold Cup qualification matches.

This announcement came while President Wayne Forde and other executive members of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) were celebrating the quite impressive achievements of the Under-20 side in their recently concluded campaign in Nicaragua.
Maximo disclosed that the number of international players in the senior men’s team is expected to decrease, while the number of local players, specifically from the Under-20 level, would increase, as he seeks to further develop local football. Further, the 13 Under-20 players being celebrated would have opportunity to graduate into the senior team.
“We’ll field eight international players only; no more 18, like (had obtained) before. Because now we should develop our local players, especially our youth players, because we’ll do two jobs (at) the same time. You should compete, but you also should develop; you should keep the balance between the two things,” Maximo explained.
Clarifying why the decision was made to bring in the younger local players at such a crucial stage of their Gold Cup qualification journey, Maximo explained that the intention is to boost local football.
“Six of them were with us before, and with the new players for Under-20, seven more of them (have) come in, so those six helped the other seven. But I’m very happy, because we should improve their mentality to professional mentality; to grow their ambition to go somewhere; to improve the local leagues too,” Maximo declared.
He also explained that members of the local arm of the senior men’s national team have been in training since January, and they have been extremely committed.
The international players are expected to join the locals in Barbados on March 23, three days before their engagement, in order for the team to get some comprehensive team training.
“We’re training (regularly), we never give up; it’s intense! And now, with the Under-20s as well coming from a nice competition in Nicaragua (and) joining the senior team, we’re training harder: tactical, technical, physical, psychological, and hope that (we can) change the mentality for a good game against Barbados. We have full concentration for this game,” Maximo revealed.
This Head Coach has asserted his confidence in the national team. He noted that if they remain committed, they can walk away with a victory against Barbados.
“We know that it’s difficult, Barbados is a good team; but we are sure (that) if we maintain this commitment (and) the concentration that the guys are showing now, they have a great chance to go up,” Maximo expressed.
The Golden Jaguars will oppose Barbados on the latter team’s home turf on March 26, before meeting them again at the Leonora Track and Field Facility in Guyana on March 31st.