TRINIDAD and Tobago’s Professional League club Neal and Massy Caledonia AIA and Caribbean United out of Barbados yesterday arrived for their engagement in this year’s Kashif and Shanghai Football tournament in Guyana.
Caribbean United, playing in their second Kashif and Shanghai tournament, will take on Winners Connection tomorrow at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground in Linden while Caledonia AIA are set to face New Amsterdam United on Christmas Day at the Blairmont Community Centre Ground in West Berbice.
At a media briefing held at the Wind Jammer Hotel, Caledonia AIA’s Coach Travis Mulraine, team captain Walter Moore and Technical Director Jamaal Shabazz spoke profoundly about their chances of winning this year’s tournament while displaying high quality football.
“There’s no other tournament in the Caribbean or anywhere else that I’ve heard that has a first prize of one pound of gold, so we are all professionals and as such I think that’s enough motivation for us to come here to win this tournament. We are here and our objective is to win,” exclaimed Mulraine.
The former (MLS) San Jose Earthquake midfielder player who has enjoyed a fruitful career in the sport, is normally a player/coach at the Neal and Massy Group of Companies-sponsored club and expressed his delight to be in Guyana and having a chance to play in what he called “one of the biggest tournaments in the Caribbean”.
Moore, a Guyanese international and well-known figure in the local football fraternity, said he is overwhelmed at the fact that he’s not only playing in this year’s tournament but also captaining the Trinidadian club.
Moore, a prominent member of the ‘Golden Jaguars’, said that while he knows for once he will be a certain enemy since he’s playing on the foreign team, he’s happy to be ‘not so liked side’, given the fact he will “show Guyana that once you’re dedicated, you can go places and develop your game.
“I think it’s a lesson for aspiring young football players to come to the game to watch us play and to know that they too can be just like me. I grew up playing in the tournament since the age of 16,” Moore said.
He added, “Caledonia has been good to me, I was able to go many places to personally develop myself and skills as a player. They have given me that opportunity, so me being here to play means a lot and more so, we are here to win this tournament. The guys are all hungry to win,”
They come to Guyana off a four-game win streak in the Pro-League where they sit in fourth position and Shabazz, though confident of winning the 22nd Kashif and Shanghai tournament, remains focused and respectful of their opponents.
“We have a mixed team, a team that has both youth and experience,” said Shabazz “the team has four players from the Trinidad and Tobago Under-23 team (Nuru Mohammed, Trevin Caesar, Aquil Selby, Jamal Gay and Zane Coker) and two senior National players (Ataullah Guerra and Akim Armstrong).
“We also have Walter Moore, Tryon Bobb and Colin Nelson of Guyana, so this team is a team that will easily win this tournament, but I’m aware of the competition.”
It was also noted that Trinidad’s dapper striker in Devorn Jorsling will arrive later in the week to complement the already strong Caledonia line-up, while Shabazz who also coaches Guyana’s senior national team said that during his tenure, he will invite several local players to train with the team and will allow Mulraine to have a look at them.
“I have a soft heart for Guyanese players, for me, I would take them all back to Trinidad, so I will have Travis (Mulraine) take a look at them also, because trust me, he has a very keen eye for talent and I will use his judgment and also we will be looking at players as the tournament goes on,” Shabazz explained.