- Simba French
- Nov 21, 2023
- 0
BAYAMÓN, Puerto Rico — The Bahamas senior men’s national soccer team experienced mental disorder recently as their match against Guyana was postponed twice over the weekend due to adverse weather and tragedy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Head Coach for The Bahamas Nesly Jean said that they will now turn their attention to securing maximum points against Puerto Rico on Tuesday.
That game in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Nations League’s League B Group D division will be played at the Estadio Juan Ramón Loubriel in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, starting at 8 p.m.https://f6f6f0c4323eeaa8a450c6f7d4046184.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html
“It’s an unfortunate situation that happened, but then again, we have to move on and try to get our mindset focused on different tactics on what we want to do against Puerto Rico,” he said.
This is indeed another key matchup for The Bahamas as they intend to bring three points back home, looking to avenge a 6-1 loss to Puerto Rico at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium in September.
“I think any match we play at the moment is important. This is our last two matches, so obviously we want to get the points. We want to move up in the group stage. The guys are really anxious to play, so let’s see what happens in Puerto Rico. Obviously they’re ready. We’re going to give 100 percent and try to get three points,” Jean said.
Puerto Rico is coming off a tough 3-2 victory over Antigua and Barbuda in Piggotts, Antigua and Barbuda, on Saturday. The Bahamas is well-rested, having not played on the weekend but Jean said he does not see it as an advantage as Puerto Rico is playing at home.
“They played at home and we were travelling. With all that was going on, officials were trying to figure out if you have a game or not, so guys were up pretty early, still trying to figure out if we’re playing or not. Guys didn’t really rest this morning, so I wouldn’t say we have an advantage. I would say going into the game, it’s quite even. We just got to go and perform. We just have to do our job to the best of our ability,” Jean said.https://f6f6f0c4323eeaa8a450c6f7d4046184.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html
It has been a long five months for the players, having played in four matches and going through training. The Bahamas is a little banged up but having a physiotherapist with the team helps.
“Some of the guys had a few injuries, but of course, with a day off, it helps them to recover a little bit. Obviously, getting the physio, treating them as well, so that helps them in a way. Again, at this point, there are no excuses. It’s game time,” said Jean. “We just have to go and stick to the game plan and hopefully they play to their full potential.”
The team held its final practice yesterday afternoon, fine tuning for today’s match.