Guyana to open CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship against Bahamas

The tournament, set for February 20 – 26, will see the Golden Jaguars drawn in Group ‘A’ alongside the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Belize.

After their opening day encounter, Guyana will then face Jamaica on February 21 and Belize on February 22.

Seventeen players were shortlisted by the Guyana Beach Football Association (GBFA) technical team, led by designated Head Coach Abdullah Hamid.

The players shortlisted are: Travis Bess GK; Deon Tyrell  GK; Kellon Major GK; Ethan Spartan GK; Jermaine Grandison; Marvin Sullivan; Kenard Simon; Tshekederi Whitehead; Gishawn  Moore 10; Trevorn Archibald; Deshawn Joseph; Cordell Johnson; Rodwyn Fraser; Michael Wilson; Keon Sears; Jamal Haynes; and Tony Gilbert.

The Bahamas, also set to host the 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, will welcome the region’s top Beach Soccer national teams to the Caribbean for the tournament that will crown the CONCACAF champion.

Additionally, Barbados will replace Guatemala, which is currently prohibited by FIFA from taking part in international competition, in the tournament.

The 2017 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship will include a field of sixteen teams. During the first four days of the championship, teams will compete in round-robin play in four groups of four teams each, as selected at the official draw for the competition, held in Miami in October.

CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship 2017 Groups

Group A
Bahamas
Jamaica
Belize
Guyana

Group B
Mexico
Barbados
Canada
Guadeloupe

Group C
United States
Trinidad & Tobago
Antigua and Barbuda
US Virgin Islands

Group D
El Salvador
Costa Rica
Panama
Turks & Caicos Islands

The winner and runner-up from each group will advance to the quarterfinals, while the third- and fourth-placed teams from each group will also participate in positioning matches over the final three match dates.

The champion and the runner-up of the competition will join host Bahamas as the three CONCACAF representatives at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Bahamas 2017, which kicks off in April.

The official schedule for the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship 2017 can be found at concacaf.com and below.

2017 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship Match Schedule 
*Local Time

Monday, February 20, 2017 
1.    13:45 Barbados vs Canada
2.    15:00 Trinidad & Tobago vs Antigua and Barbuda
3.    16:15 Jamaica vs Belize
4.    17:30 Mexico vs Guadeloupe
5.    18:45 USA vs US Virgin Islands
6.    20:00 Bahamas vs Guyana

Tuesday, February 21, 2017 
7.    13:45 Costa Rica vs Panama
8.    15:00 El Salvador vs Turks & Caicos Islands
9.    16:15 Guadeloupe vs Barbados
10.    17:30 Canada vs Mexico
11.    18:45 Guyana vs Jamaica
12.    20:00 Belize vs Bahamas

Wednesday, February 22, 2017 
13.    13:45 US Virgin Islands vs Trinidad & Tobago
14.    15:00 Turks & Caicos Islands vs Costa Rica
15.    16:15 Panama vs El Salvador
16.    17:30 Belize vs Guyana
17.    18:45 Antigua and Barbuda vs United States
18.    20:00 Bahamas vs Jamaica

Thursday, February 23, 2017 
19.    13:45 Canada vs Guadeloupe
20.    15:00 Antigua and Barbuda vs US Virgin Islands
21.    16:15 Panama vs Turks & Caicos Islands
22.    17:30 Mexico vs Barbados
23.    18:45 El Salvador vs Costa Rica
24.    20:00 United States vs Trinidad & Tobago

Friday, February 24, 2017 – Quarterfinals 
25.    11:15 4B vs 4D
26.    12:30 4A vs 4C
27.    13:45 3B vs 3D
28.    15:00 3A vs 3C
29.    16:15 TBD vs TBD Quarterfinal 1
30.    17:30 TBD vs TBD Quarterfinal 2
31.    18:45 TBD vs TBD Quarterfinal 3
32.    20:00 TBD vs TBD Quarterfinal 4

Saturday, February 25, 2017 – Semifinals 
33.    11:15 LN*26 vs LN*25
34.    12:30 WN*26 vs WN*25
35.    13:45 LN*28 vs LN*27
36.    15:00 WN*28 vs WN*27
37.    16:15 LN*30 vs LN*29
38.    17:30 LN*32 vs LN*31
39.    18:45 WN*30 vs WN*29
40.    20:00 WN*32 vs WN*31

Sunday, February 26, 2017 – Finals 
41.    11:15 LN*34 vs LN*33 – 15th Place
42.    12:30 WN*34 vs WN*33 – 13th Place
43.    13:45 LN*36 vs LN*35 – 11th Place
44.    15:00 WN*36 vs WN*35 – 9th Place
45.    16:15 LN*38 vs LN*37 – 7th Place
46.    17:30 WN*38 vs WN*37 – 5th Place
47.    18:15 LN*40 vs LN*39 – 3RD place
48.    20:00 WN*40 vs WN*39 – Final