Guyana enter Beach Soccer Ranking for first time in history at 85th- Ranked 12th in CONCACAF

Mar 02, 2017 Sports, http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....ed-12th-in-concacaf/

Having made its inaugural appearance at the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship which concluded on Sunday last at Malcolm Park in Nassau Bahamas, and placing 12th of the 16 participating teams, Guyana has now entered the World Ranking in this format of the sport for the first time in its history.
The Guyanese competed in Group A along with host nation Bahamas, Jamaica and Belize and came out third in the group behind winners Bahamas and Jamaica. Guyana also ended as the second best third placed team which advanced to the playoffs just behind Canada.
For its efforts, the Golden Jaguars of the beach come into the rankings for the first time placed at 85th.
CONCACAF champions, Panama, competing in only its second championship at this level, climbed 38 places after victory in Nassau. Panama’s CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship success in the Bahamas last week not only saw them claim a ticket to the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup but also become Movers of the Month for February.
Shubert Perez’s men lost just once in the competition, held in Nassau, and knocked out USA, El Salvador and defending champions Mexico en route to their first CONCACAF success in only their second appearance at the tournament.
Panama will go up against Paraguay, world champions Portugal and an as-yet-unknown AFC representative at the global showpiece in April and May at Malcolm Park with the sport been given a major boost in the country as a result of their recent success. They move up 38 places to 27th, while CONCACAF runners-up Mexico jump five spots to 10th.
The top 10 also sees Iran jump back above Switzerland to fifth following their success at the Persian Beach Soccer Cup last month, while Paraguay – recently crowned CONMEBOL champions in Asuncion – swap places with Japan.
Further down the rankings, Guadeloupe are the bigger movers as their fourth-place finish in Nassau earned them a 40-place boost to sit just outside the top 50. Teams in Asia will get their chance to qualify for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup and battle for ranking points when the AFC Beach Soccer Championship gets underway in Malaysia on Saturday.