“Tactical move” for Dooley to work with National U20s

Earlier this month, prospects for Guyana’s National Under-20 football team began their preparations for the upcoming Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Championship Qualifiers, set for February 23 to March 4, across venues in the Caribbean.
Guyana was drawn in Group D of the Qualifiers, alongside Haiti, Curacao, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Anguilla.

As the U20s get into competition mode, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has brought in Senior Men’s National Coach Thomas Dooley to lead the team.
Quizzed about the move, GFF Technical Director Bryan Joseph has admitted that it is a tactical one.
The GFF Technical Director explained to this publication, “Yeah, it’s very tactical because one of the things that we understand is that our senior men’s team needs a refresh. We’ve had a fairly decent run with a lot of international players being involved in the team; some of them are in the back end of their careers. So, we’re thinking ahead and trying to refresh the team.”
“So, giving Coach Dooley this opportunity to work with the under-20s gives him an opportunity to see what the next generation of players may look like,” he reasoned.
Now some three weeks into training, the GFF Technical Director shared an update on Dooley’s work thus far with the team.
“That has gotten really good feedback. He’s been enjoying himself with these players, and he’s already beginning to see some prospects that he’s going to try to integrate into the national team. That’s how that has gone,” Joseph divulged.
He went on to elucidate, “It’s strictly a tactical decision. He’s already here; he’s going to have an opportunity to see a lot of the local competition, so he’s able to ultimately select who are the players that he wants to move forward with, but under 20 players are definitely a target for him and for us.”
Set to play their group matches at the Stadion Rignaal “Jean” Francisca in Willemstad, Curaçao, the Junior Golden Jags will have their first outing against hosts Curacao on Tuesday, February 24, followed by a clash with Anguilla on Saturday, February 28.
The junior Golden Jags will need to finish at the top of their group in order to move on to the 2026 CONCACAF U20 Championships, slated for July 25 to August 9, 2026. Each of the six group winners from the Qualifiers will secure a place at the championships, meeting the top six ranked teams in the region for the 12-team tournament. Those six teams are the USA, Mexico, Honduras, Panama, Cuba and Guatemala.
During the Championships, the region’s 12 best men’s U-20 national teams will be divided into three groups of four. After round-robin play, the two top teams of each group and the two best third-place teams will advance to a knockout stage comprised of the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final.
The tournament will also serve as the qualifying competition for both the 2027 FIFA Men’s U-20 World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics. (Jemima Holmes)