This afternoon, at the National Track and Field Centre (NTFC), Leonora, West Coast Demerara (WCD), Guyana’s senior men’s national football team will be aiming to keep their, thus far unblemished, record clean with another win in the CONCACAF Nations League 2026/27.
Sitting pretty at the top of Group A in League B, two wins in their upcoming games will see the Golden Jaguars being promoted to League A and heading to their second CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2027. As such, Head Coach Marco Bonofiglio declared that the “job is not done”.
“They’re clear with the objectives. The objectives are clear that the job right now is not done. We played four matches in Camp One, and now with these two matches that are here, we’re looking to win both matches as well. So, they know the roles, they know the objectives, and they know the job’s not done.” Bonofiglio shared in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
He added, “I think, right now, having them be educated, rested and knowing what job need to be done moving forward is the most important thing. I see that in the intensity today, yesterday, so it’s looking good going into the match against Cayman Islands.”
Riding high on confidence, Captain Elliot Bonds described the Golden Jaguars as a “League A team” as he discussed the self-belief in the camp.
“It’s so high, and clearly the results are showing that it’s not a willy-nilly belief; that it’s not just like a hope. We’ve proven it; we’ve shown it that we’re not a League B team,” Bonds confidently expressed. “Last time we qualified to League A, obviously we dropped back down, but having that experience and now every single game, every single training session, we know that we should be a League A team; we should be qualified for the Gold Cup every single time.”
“The self-belief is as high as it’s ever been, the camaraderie and togetherness of the group is as high as it’s ever been; every single day we see it in training. The togetherness of the overseas boys and the locals, again, it’s the most gelled we’ve ever been since I’ve been here,” Bonds continued.
The gaffer went on to highlight self-belief as a critical component of the Golden Jaguars’ game plan as they prepare to face Cayman Islands tomorrow.
Bonofiglio shared, “This group fights right to the end; you guys can see that from the 90 minutes we played in those first four matches; they were hungry to keep going. That’s the belief that I need, that’s the spirit that I need, the aggressive team that I want.
“Especially going into matches like this where we know Cayman Islands is going to be a tough, physical battle, we know Puerto Rico is going to be tough on the tactical and technical side of it. So, they’re prepared for these circumstances; that’s what we’ve been working on.”
As such, Bonofiglio opined that there is no better place for the team to qualify than at home.
“I think when we talk about pressure, it’s good pressure. It’s always good pressure to be in front of your home fans. We’re here to qualify back for League A, we’re looking for qualification for the Golden Cup, and we’re looking to enter the semi-finals of the Nation’s league, and what better place to do that than in front of our fans, in our beautiful country,” Bonofiglio reasoned.
The Head Coach further opined, “I think the Guyanese people are ready for that, and from what I’m hearing, everybody’s ready for that, looking forward to that excitement and feeling it on our home turf.”
The battle between the Golden Jaguars and Cayman Islands is set to kick off at 15:00h today. Then on Monday, they will take on Puerto Rico at the same time and venue in their final group stage game.
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