Bringing The Guyanese Community Together

Historic night for Antigua, Guyana

The penultimate day of the first group phase of Brazil 2014 qualifying in North, Central America and the Caribbean was a festival of joy and pain. Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti, two of the Caribbean scene’s leading lights, both suffered the ignominy of early elimination while minnows Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, Canada and El Salvador popped the champagne corks in celebration of their passage to the next phase.

With one round still to go on Tuesday, there is nothing left to play for as all six group winners are now known. Join FIFA.com for a run-down of Friday’s action.

Trinidad and Tobago suffered a similar fate to Haiti in Group B, losing 2-1 to a much-improved Guyana (goals from Ricky Shakes and Leon Cort) in Georgetown to see their Brazil 2014 qualifying hopes crumble. Since debuting at the FIFA World Cup in 2006, things have gone from bad to worse for the so-called Soca Warriors.

In the earlier game, one played only for pride, Bermuda continued their fine recent form with a 2-1 win over Barbados, who finally had something to shout about as they scored their first goal of a disastrous campaign.

Group A
Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
El Salvador	5	5	0	0	16	5	15
Dominican Republic	5	2	1	2	11	7	7
Suriname	5	2	1	2	5	7	7
Cayman Islands	5	0	0	5	1	14	0

Group B
Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Guyana	5	4	1	0	9	3	13
Trinidad and Tobago	5	3	0	2	9	4	9
Bermuda	5	2	1	2	6	6	7
Barbados	5	0	0	5	1	12	0

Group C
Team	MP	W	L	GF	GA	Pts
Panama	3	3	0	12	2	9
Nicaragua	4	2	2	5	7	6
Dominica	3	0	3	0	8	0

Group D
Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Canada	5	3	2	0	14	1	11
St. Kitts and Nevis	5	1	4	0	6	4	7
Puerto Rico	5	1	3	1	5	4	6
St. Lucia	5	0	1	4	4	20	1

Group E
Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Guatemala	5	5	0	0	15	2	15
St. Vincent / Grenadines	5	1	2	2	4	10	5
Belize	5	1	1	3	7	10	4
Grenada	5	1	1	3	6	10	4

Group F
Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Antigua and Barbuda	5	5	0	0	25	3	15
Haiti	5	3	1	1	19	5	10
Curacao	5	1	1	3	9	12	4
US Virgin Islands	5	0	0	5	1	34	0

A nation dreams
For a country unaccustomed to making the football headlines, victory over Trinidad and Tobago would represent a landmark achievement, one that Shabazz has been attempting to prepare his players for. “The stadium’s been full for every game. Cricket gets more support from the authorities here but the people of Guyana love their football and they’ve got big dreams now. The time has come to take that step forward.”

Situated as the country is in the northeastern corner of South America, Guyanese football has its roots in a mix of cultures. A former British colony, it has fused Caribbean spirit with the style and rhythm of its geographical neighbours, as Shabazz explained: “I never tire of telling my players that though their background is Caribbean, they should take their inspiration from the South American style and express their talent, belief and passion at every opportunity.”

The Golden Jaguars also have a significant legion of foreign-based players to draw on, a valuable resource unavailable to them in the past. “We’ve got six lads in England who’ve got Guyanese parents and have decided to support the cause, among them our skipper Chris Nurse,” said the coach. “We’ve also got Leon Cort, who’s with Charlton Athletic, and a few other footballers playing in the USA’s second tier and in Trinidad and Tobago.”

Mention of the country of his birth diverts Shabazz’s attention back to the crucial November showdown and triggers one final reflection on Guyanese expectations: “Obviously the Trinidadians have got a lot of quality, but what we lack in resources we make up for in discipline.