Pressure no problem for U20s Boyles
Assistant coach Devarr Boyles says the Bermuda Under-20s players are revelling in the pressure of knockout football ahead of today's World Cup qualifier against Guyana.Bermuda's 18-man squad have spent the past few days shaking off their jet-lag ahead of their group games against Guyana, Netherland Antilles and hosts Suriname where they arrived at the weekend.A defeat in their opener against Guyana would all but extinguish any hope Bermuda have of finishing top of Group E which they must do to reach the Concacaf Championships held in Guatemala in April.But Boyles believes the players are learning to cope with the extra strain on their young shoulders and is confident they can get the job done in their game against Guyana, which starts at 4pm (Bermuda time) at the Franklin Essed Stadium.“From the individual talks we've had with the boys you can tell they're starting to enjoy the knockout situation,” said Boyles, the Bermuda Football Association youth director.“I think the players enjoyed their experiences in the previous qualifying round in Guadeloupe, they seem to enjoy the pressure of this type of football.“From that standpoint they're becoming more like seasoned professionals, they're becoming more self-sufficient. They know they certainly can't win this tournament in the first game but you can certainly be out of it if you lose. Our aim is to still be in the tournament after the match.”All four teams finished as runners-up in their respective first-round qualifiers and Boyles is expecting a trio of tough games over the next five days.“Each team was not far from automatically qualifying (for the Concacaf Championships) and we expect each of the three teams to be of a good standard,” he said“The boys have settled in and we have no injury worries. We've been training on the artificial match pitch which is very similar to BFA Field. Our training slot has been at the same time as tomorrow's game which should help us.”Despite currently being in the midst of their rainy season Boyles said the searing temperatures in Suriname had taken some getting used to for the team's US and UK-based contingent.“It's the rainy season in Suriname, it's a bit humid, the temperature's about 93 degrees so it's a quite warm for some of the boys who have joined us from the US and UK,” Boyles said.“We'll make sure the boys are properly hydrated but they've acclimatised well and we're ready for the game. We're expecting rain tomorrow night which will be good for us as it will lower the temperature a little.”The nation that tops Group E will join automatic North American qualifiers Canada, Mexico and the United States, Central American qualifiers, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and El Salvador as well as fellow Caribbean qualifiers Cuba, Jamaica, Guadeloupe and Trinidad and Tobago in the 12-team Concacaf Championships.Four of those teams will qualify for the Under-20s World Cup which runs from July 20 to August 20 in Colombia.Group E qualifiersToday: Bermuda v GuyanaFriday: Netherlands Antilles v BermudaSunday: Suriname v BermudaBermuda Under-20 squad: Tahj Bell, Corey Richardson, Reggie Lambe (Capt), Quadir Maynard, Shannon Burchall, Roger Lee, Casey Castle, Troy Tucker, Terrin Smith, Jaylon Bather, Anthony Hunter, Rakeem DeShields, LeJuan Simmons, Dante Leverock, Errin Smith, Reiko Trott, Aaron Nelson, Dunte Albouy
