The Trinidad and Tobago National Futsal Squad is currently engaged in preparations for the 2016 Caribbean Football Union Futsal Qualifiers which will take place in Cuba from January 22nd to 26th.
The squad is in training under the watch of head coach Hutson Charles at the Central Indoor Facility in Chaguanas on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 6pm to 10pm and on Sundays from 9am to midday. The session this coming Wednesday is scheduled for UWI Spectrum in St Augustine.
T&T are in Group A alongside Antigua/Barbuda, Haiti and Guyana . T&T will play its opening game against Antigua on January 22nd, followed by Guyana (January 23rd) and Haiti on January 24th.
Group B includes St Marteen, Cuba, Guadeloupe and Jamaica.
The top two teams from the two groups will move onto the semi finals with the two finalists advancing to the CONCACAF Finals in Costa Rica in May.
Morris, a former national senior team captain, who has been at the helm of the National Futsal team at its two previous regional Futsal qualifying campaigns, described the team’s chances as quite good despite the late start to preparations.
“Preparations are behind what I would of liked and what the team should be at this stage but having said that I am very much confident we can compete well enough to defend the CFU championship,” Morris told TTFA Media.
“Twenty four of the twenty eight players have showed up on both days with enthusiasm which emphasized my point that we can go all the way despite the set backs. We expect the tournament will be very competitive but we have a strong bunch of players who are very eager to do well and we have our sights firmly set on advancing to the CONCACAF Finals at this stage,” Morris added.
The team is vying for qualification for the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup which will be staged in Colombia from September 10th to October 1st and will include twenty-four teams.
The CONCACAF Final round from which four team will qualify for the World Cup, will be held in Costa Rica in May.
T&T were last crowned Caribbean Futsal champions in 2008 when they defeated Haiti 6-3 at the then Concacaf Centre of Excellence in Macoya.
T&T Futsal Squad from which the final team of ten players will be selected.
Kevin Graham (GK), Adrian Perthysingh (GK), Keston Guy (GK), Javon Bourne (GK), Colin Joseph, Jerwyn Balthazar, Kerry Joseph, Anthony Small, Cyrano Glenn, Dwayne Calliste, Ako James, Ishmael Daniel, Marvin Lee, Jamel Lewil, Jameel Neptune, Ricardo Bennett, Bevon Bass, Ronald St. Louis, Kareem Perry, Nicholas Mullins, Brent Edwards, Anthony Thompson, Renato Ramlochan, Akil Stafford, Christopher Vanterpool, Rushawn Murphy, Tevin Gill, Keon Figaro.
Technical Staff
Manager – Ronald Bereton, Head Coach – Clayton Morris, Trainer/Phsiotherapist – Brent Elder, Doctor – Dr. Kerry Dollaway