Former Golden Jaguars player Kayode McKinnon, recently appointed as the Head Coach of Guyana’s U21 football team, is set to unveil his squad in the coming weeks.
The team, preparing for the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship Qualifiers, will face strong competition in the regional tournament.
McKinnon, who brings a wealth of experience from playing for Linden’s Bakewell Top 20 and various semi-professional and professional sides in Trinidad, Antigua, and the USA, is enthusiastic about his coaching role.
Drawing on his 25 caps for the national team, he emphasizes the importance of building a relationship of trust with the players as a foundation for success.
The coach, along with his coaching staff, is currently conducting an intensive pre-tournament training camp at the GFF National Training Centre in Providence since January 21.
The camp involves more than 40 players, from which the final squad of 21 will be selected.
McKinnon’s coaching staff includes assistant Vurlon Mills, who has been actively working with the youth players in the head coach’s absence, along with Richard Reynolds as the Goalkeeping Coach and Assistant Coach John Saunders.
Guyana’s U21 squad, placed in Group B, will face tough competitors like El Salvador, Antigua and Barbuda, Suriname, and Turks and Caicos Islands.
Their journey in the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship Qualifiers begins with a match against Antigua & Barbuda in Antigua on February 23.
The qualifiers are scheduled to run until March 2.