The day after the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup groups were drawn in April, Emery Welshman was in the Dominican Republic training with Forge FC ahead of the inaugural Canadian Premier League campaign. While his focus was on a strong start with Forge, his on-loan club from FC Cincinnati, it was impossible to not look ahead toward June.
Weeks earlier, Welshman scored the most important goal in Guyana history – an 82nd minute goal that gave the Golden Jaguars a 2-1 win over Belize and secured Guyana’s berth into its first major international tournament.
The scenes were surreal.
“The country was together as one and they were supporting us,” Welshman recalled. “It’s a feeling I’ll never forget. At the end of the game, the crowd stormed the field, so we were getting mobbed by the crowd in a good way, of course.
“Kids and older people were coming up to me and telling me I’m their hero and stuff I’ll never forget for the rest of my life. It’s something that might not happen again.”
On Tuesday night, it’ll be the real thing for Welshman and Guyana, who play the U.S. Men’s National Team in their Gold Cup opener. The match is in St. Paul, Minn., and kicks off at 10 ET on FS1.
Obviously, it’s a momentous occasion for any player representing a country. But for Welshman, Tuesday’s match will be tinged with an extra spice.
Born in Canada, he’s played a bulk of his professional career in the U.S. That includes time with FC Cincinnati, when he played for the Orange and Blue last season in the USL.
“Being seen as a foreigner in America, it’s going to mean a lot for me to play against the States,” he said.
But there’s more to it than that.
Welshman is as aware as anyone of Guyana’s current situation. The USMNT are the reigning Gold Cup champions, and will look at the Golden Jaguars as Group D’s minnows.
As if the match needed added fuel, it’s also the first competitive match for the Americans since they embarrassingly failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Plus, the other Gold Cup favorites – Mexico and Costa Rica – piled on goals against opposition in their opening group stage matches.
Thus, Guyana could await another unforgettable result – either good or bad.
“For them, it might not be a big deal,” the forward said about the U.S. “They will probably go into the game very confident as they probably should. It’s their home turf and basically their home tournament, along with Mexico.
“We’re going to go in and be very confident, ourselves. We want to prove to everyone that we deserve to be here and we’re good enough to play with the best.”
