Qualifying for the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League, which comprises 41 North and Central American countries and Caribbean islands, began on September 6, 2018, and ran until March 24, 2019.

The group phase of the league began on September 5 and concludes on November 19, with a championship round slated for June 2020. After finishing seventh in qualifying, Guyana was placed in Group C of League B, which also consists of Jamaica, Aruba, and Antigua and Barbuda. The top team in each of the four League B groups qualify for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, while the second-place team in each group earns entry into the first round of the Gold Cup Qualifiers.

Guyana, also known as the Golden Jaguars, won its first game of the CONCACAF Nations League against Aruba, but followed that up with back-to-back losses against Jamaica and Antigua and Barbuda. Fortunately, the team kept its second-place finish hopes alive with a 5-1 victory over Antigua and Barbuda in a rematch on October 14 at Synthetic Track and Field Facility in Leonora, Guyana. 

Ends a 5-Match Losing Streak against the Benna Boys

Not only was the October 14 victory over Antigua and Barbuda—affectionately known as the Benna Boys—crucial for Guyana and its hopes of advancing to the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, but it also ended a five-match losing streak against the two-island nation.

Guyana suffered its fifth consecutive loss to Antigua and Barbuda three days prior by a score of 2-1. The Benna Boys scored twice in the first 17 minutes of the game, while Emery Welshman scored the lone goal for Guyana at the 50th minute.

The match on October 14 was the 11th between the two nations, seven of which were won by Antigua and Barbuda. Before the team’s 5-1 victory, the Golden Jaguars hadn’t defeated the Benna Boys since November 2006.

As a result of this recent win, Guyana moved into second place in the four-team group based on goal differential; both teams had six points, but Antigua and Barbuda had a goal differential of –8 compared to Guyana’s 0 (7 goals for and 7 against).

Three Starters Dropped from Antigua and Barbuda

The Benna Boys were able to win the first of the back-to-back contests between them and Guyana without the services of three of its starters, but the national team was not so lucky in the rematch. Antigua and Barbuda were without winger Carl Osbourne, midfielder Eugene Kirwan, and striker Tevaughn “Peter Redz” Harriette—Kirwan and Harriette, in particular, have been fixtures on the national team in recent years. The decision to cut the prominent players from the national team was announced a little more than two weeks following news that some players decided to strike over unpaid match fees.

A Two-Goal Performance from Trayon Bobb

Guyana’s Trayon Bobb tied Sheldon Holder for the team lead in goals through four CONCACAF Nations League matches by scoring a pair of goals in the team’s 5-1 victory over Antigua and Barbuda. Bobb opened the scoring in the first minute of the game and added another nine minutes later to extend the Golden Jaguars lead to 2-0.

Born in Uitvlugt, Guyana, Bobb plays left wing at the club level with the GFF Elite League’s Uitvlugt Warriors FC. He previously played for Georgetown FC as well as for clubs in Trinidad and Tobago, Lithuania, and Finland. He won the FA Trophy with Trinidad and Tobago’s Caledonia AIA Stallions in 2011-12.

He has scored eight goals with the Guyana senior men’s national team since 2011. He previously scored two in 2019-20 CONCACAF Nations League qualifying as well as two each in the 2017 Caribbean Cup qualifying and the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying.

Other Guyana Goalscorers

Although Antigua and Barbuda cut the deficit in half at 2-1 with a goal from D’Andre Bishop in the 47th minute, the Golden Jaguars responded with three consecutive goals from Sheldon Holder (64′, 90’) and Kadell Daniel (77′).

Holder, who scored the lone goal in Guyana’s 1-0 victory over Aruba on September 6, tied Bobb for the team lead with his second league goal in the 64th minute. It was his ninth goal overall for the Guyana senior men’s national team; he scored three in an 8-0 qualification victory over Turks and Caicos Islands on October 13, 2018, and has also scored in friendlies against Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and Saint Lucia.

Daniel, meanwhile, scored his second goal for Guyana on the international stage. He first scored in the team’s 8-0 qualifying victory over Turks and Caicos Islands.

Implications for CONCACAF Nations League

Following its 5-1 victory over Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana had only two games remaining in the CONCACAF Nations League. The Golden Jaguars are scheduled to play Aruba and Jamaica on November 15 and 18, respectively. While first place is likely out of the question as Jamaica scored 18 goals and allowed none in its four victories, Guyana could secure second place with a pair of victories. It would then advance to the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup Qualifiers, through which four of 12 participating teams will earn entry to the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.