ORLANDO, Florida.- Suriname made history by playing their first-ever Gold Cup game, and while their inaugural game ended in a 2-0 defeat against Jamaica, they believe there were plenty of good things to take from the match.
Despite the defeat in their Group C opener, veteran DF Ryan Donk reflected on what this newly formed team did right in the game and what needs to be worked on before the next match.
“That’s the thing, if you make chances and you don’t score, you can be negative. But when you create chances, you need to be positive, so for me, it’s like I need to be positive and I am positive that we created chances,” said Donk in a post-match interview with Concacaf.com
Suriname came close to scoring and showed several glimpses of what the team can do inside the opponent’s half, catching Jamaica on several dangerous attacks, but in the end, no goals were scored.
The Suriname team knows that they are not as experienced as the rest of the teams in the Gold Cup, and that doubt might creep in, but as Donk explained, there can’t be any self-doubt in a game because the opponent will sense it and take advantage.
“[In the] second half I told them already don’t be nervous, everybody can play football, I have trust in you guys, so let’s give more aggressiveness because if it’s a 50-50 for them, they will go for it,” said Donk.
Donk, being one of the most internationally experienced players, wants Suriname to continue pushing, pressuring and looking for the goal that will sooner or later fall if they continue to work.
“So, for the next time I hope that we create more chances, so we have more opportunity to score a goal,” concluded Donk.
