T&T will come up against the USA and host Costa Rica among its three Group C round-robin matches when the 2021 Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship takes place in Alajuela, Costa Rica from May 17-23.
This was confirmed following the 12-team draw for the competition held via live stream from Miami, Florida, USA on Monday.
The Concacaf Beach Soccer rankings as of December 19 were used to distribute the 12 teams into four pots, with the draw dividing the teams into three groups of four teams.
The T&T squad will open its campaign versus Costa Rica on Monday, May 17, before facing the USA a day later and Turks and Caicos Islands in their final match.
Group A comprises defending champions Mexico, Panama, Guadeloupe, and Belize while Group B consist of 2019 runners-up El Salvador, Bahamas, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic.
After round-robin play, the top two finishers in each group and the two best third-place teams will advance to the knockout stage.
The knockout stage will begin with the quarterfinal matches on May 21, followed by the semifinals on May 22.
In addition to qualifying for the competition’s final on May 23, the two semifinal winners will earn a spot in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Moscow Russia from August 19-29, 2021.
T&T has reached the quarterfinals of the Concacaf event three times, in 2015, 2017 and 2019 and for this year’s qualifiers will be under the charge of former Barcelona and Spanish beach football star Ramiro Amarelle.
The 43-year old Amarelle, is expected to officially take up his appointment later this month, after arriving on local soil last week.
He will be joined by assistant coach and analyst Jaime Paz in a few days while Maria Gordo, another assistant and mental coach, is already in T&T undergoing quarantine at the Home of Football in Balmain Couva.
All three coaches will serve for the preparation phase, as well as for the Concacaf Qualifiers, which takes place at the Complejo Deportivo FEDEFUTBOL Plycem, in Alajuela, Costa Rica.
Amarelle is also a FIFA instructor and advisor and holds a UEFA Pro License coaching badge.
The rest of the T&T team’s technical staff comprises Ryan Augustine (player/assistant coach), Dr Jason Pilgrim (athletic trainer), Dr Oba Gulston (manager) and Yuri Chapman (assistant manager/kitman).
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T&T in tough Beach Soccer draw.
By Jonathan Ramnanansingh (T&T Newsday).
T&T has been drawn in Group C alongside USA, Turks & Caicos and hosts Costa Rica for the upcoming Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship in May.
The national team is gearing up for a tough test against some of Concacaf’s more competitive teams as they seek qualification to the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Russia, from May 19-21.
Defending Concacaf champions Mexico are in Group A, in addition to Panama, Guadeloupe and Belize. El Salvador, Bahamas, Guatemala and Dominican Republic make up Group B.
After round-robin play, during May 17-19, the first and second-place finishers in each group and the two best third-place finishers will advance to the knockout stage. The knockout stage begins with quarter-final matches on May 21, followed by the semi-finals on May 22.
In addition to qualifying for the competition’s final, the two semi-final winners will earn a spot in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. The final is scheduled for May 23.
T&T have, however, reached the quarter-finals of the Concacaf championships in 2015, 2017 and 2019.
On Thursday, former Spain national and Barcelona beach soccer player Ramiro Amarelle was appointed coach of the T&T men’s beach soccer team and is tasked with getting the squad ready for the championships.
Amarelle arrived in T&T last week and will take up duties with the national squad later this month to lead preparations. He will soon be joined by Maria Gordo, an assistant as well as a mental coach, and assistant coach and analyst Jaime Paz.
According to a statement issued by the TT Football Association (TTFA), on Wednesday, all three coaches will serve for the preparation phase and duration of the Concacaf qualifiers. The tournament kicks off at the Complejo Deportivo FEDEFUTBOL Plycem, in Costa Rica.
In a recent interview with the TTFA, Amarelle said, “It’s an honour for me and my assistants to get this opportunity to prepare the national beach soccer team of T&T for the Concacaf championship.
“It is an exciting challenge and will require a total team effort. We are looking forward to working with all the players, the other members of the staff and everyone at the federation to make this the best possible preparation of the team.
“Of course the main ambition is to qualify but this will also be a process to improve beach soccer and create a better environment and awareness for beach soccer in the country. We will aim to improve many different aspects of the game here,” said Amarelle.
The new national coach is a FIFA instructor and advisor and also holds a UEFA Pro License coaching badge.
The rest of the T&T team’s technical staff comprises Ryan Augustine (player/assistant coach), Dr Jason Pilgrim (athletic trainer), Dr Oba Gulston (manager) and Yuri Chapman (assistant manager).