Sam Cox (number eight) was in the Guyana team that beat Belize to qualify for the Concacaf Gold Cup
for the first time
[img ]https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/800/cpsprodpb/11258/production/_107423207_teamcelebrate.jpg[/img]
"The first time I got on the team bus it was all 'this seat's taken'," said Cox, who is of mixed race.
"I was probably the lightest skinned player there and, when I introduced myself to the squad,
straight away they were calling me 'white boy'.
I was shocked."
Now known as 'skip', the 28-year-old is leading Guyana
into their first major tournament - the Concacaf Gold Cup.
Ater helping Boreham Wood FC win promotion from the National League South in 2014-15,
Cox was given the opportunity to do "something he couldn't resist" -represent Guyana.
"It was the law of the jungle really," said Cox.
"They didn't know who I was, where I'd played. I had to earn their respect quickly.
"So becoming captain was a huge honour, my Nan's so proud.
There's a lot of politics within Guyanese and Caribbean football so there's a lot more that comes with having
the armband but I'm not afraid to express the view of the players and I try to help them be the best they can be."
London-born trio Callum Harriott, Anthony Jeffrey and Keanu Marsh-Brown made their debuts
as Guyana beat Belize 2-1 in March to qualify for the Gold Cup...
Keanu's brother Ronayne came aboard in 2018 and they have been joined in the squad
by winger Terell Ondaan, a former Netherlands Under-21 international.
When the lights go on in the Allianz Field Stadium in Minnesota this evening, the Golden Jaguars hailing from the proverbial jungles of Guyana
will find themselves facing the National Soccer team of the USA
— defending champions of the CONCACAF Gold Cup —
10 p.m :
[img ]https://ssl.gstatic.com/onebox/media/sports/logos/wj9uZvn_vZrelLFGH8fnPA_96x96.png[/img]
vs
[img ]https://ssl.gstatic.com/onebox/media/sports/logos/ZfjEqUIWQeWoL2dtB3dUxA_48x48.png[/img]