Guyana head coach wants to catch T&T on off-day
United States head coach Gregg Berhalter has said that his team will have respect for Trinidad and Tobago when both teams clash in the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup Group D fixture at First Energy Stadium in Cleveland on June 22nd.
Berhalter along with T&T head coach Dennis Lawrence and head coaches of the other competing nations were present at the Gold Cup draw announcement in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
“I have a lot of respect for Trinidad and Tobago, a lot of respect for their coach and a lot of respect for their team. We are looking forward to it. For us it would be an opportunity to potentially advance with this game and its going to be an exciting game,” Berhalter told TTFA Media.
“I think we have a strong group. I think Group D is one of the strongest groups in the tournament and I am excited about that because any team that gets through our group is going to be prepared for the remainder of the tournament,” he said.
Guyana head coach Michael Johnson was also eager to contest the group as Guyana opens their account against the US on June 18th.
“It’s real excitement. To pick the States, Trinidad, Panama and you look at these nations that have obviously qualified for World Cup campaigns, anybody looking would probably say Guyana has never qualified for a World Cup and never qualified for a Gold Cup. You would probably think we are at the bottom end of the group,” Johnson old TTFA Media.
“I am a very spiritual guy and if anyone knows the David and Goliath story on any given day, David on that day wins. I remember the Buster Douglas story with Mike Tyson So underdogs can bite at any given time, We will be at our best and if any team looks at little Guyana and thinks well maybe we don’t have to research and do our home work then that might be an opportunity for us,” added Johnson who is a former Derby County player and ambassador the English club.
Pinpointing the game versus T&T in Kansas on June 26th, he continued, “It’s a big game for both countries. I respect Dennis and the work has done. I know Stern John from the region, Shaka and a lot of the guys down there. It is a game we would obviously respect and we will obviously do our home work and research and make sure that we are as prepared as we possibly can be. We can’t get away with not being prepared. We are little Guyana as everybody says so we have to make sure that hopefully we can catch Trinidad on their off day and our players are well prepared and has a ten out of ten day, Johnson stated.
RELATED NEWS
CONCACAF reduces roster sizes, introduces other rules changes for Gold Cup
By Donald Wine II (starsandstripesfc)
Say goodbye to mid-tournament roster changes.
Before CONCACAF unveiled the groups for this summer’s Gold Cup yesterday, the confederation announced a few changes to the biennial tournament aimed at bringing the competition in line with similar regional tournaments. Among the biggest changes include an end to mid-tournament roster changes and the re-institution of extra time during the knockout stage.
Previous Gold Cups allowed teams to have rosters of 30 or 35 that would allow them to replace as many as 6 players on their roster between the end of the group stage and the beginning of the knockout stage. Now, teams can only name 23-man rosters, which means that when United States head coach Gregg Berhalter names his squad sometime in late May, that will be the only 23 players who will be eligible to play in the Gold Cup, even if someone gets injured.
The other major change sees extra time being re-introduced into the knockout stage. Before, only the Gold Cup final had two 15-minute extra time periods. The quarterfinals and semifinals both advanced directly to penalties if the score was deadlocked after 90 minutes. This will mean teams can still attempt to win games on the field and not have to worry about penalties after 90 minutes. CONCACAF Chief of Football Manolo Zubiria said in an interview with Goal.com that after “thorough evaluation,” the region decided that it needed extra time during the knockout stage “to not leave anything to chance in a penalty shootout.”
Finally, the International Football Association Board’s updated rules of the game will be in effect for the Gold Cup and the CONCACAF U-17 Championship. This includes requiring substitutes to leave the field of play at the nearest touch line, the end of the requirement that goal kicks leave the box before being touched by an offensive player, and the new interpretation of handball. However, VAR haters will rejoice as the technology will not be in use for this summer’s Gold Cup.
Hit the comments to leave your thoughts on the rules changes and how they could affect the United States Men’s National Team this summer.