Trinidad and Tobago's National Futsal team will kick off their Caribbean Football Union qualifying campaign against Antigua/Barbuda at the Sala Polivalente Kid Chocolate in Cuba tomorrow at 5:30pm (4:30pm Cuban time).
T&T will need to top the group to automatically qualify for the CONCACAF Finals which will be held in Costa Rica in May. T&T, coached by Clayton Morris, faces Guyana in their second outing on Saturday and Curacao a day later.
T&T head coach Clayton Morris said his team which includes the likes of experienced Futsal players Jerwyn Balthazar of the Defence Force and goalkeeper Kevin Graham, will be aiming to stamp their authority on the tournament from early.
“We are looking to win all three games and get into the CONCACAF round without having to depend on any other results,” Morris said.
“Our team is well balanced and the players are committed to getting a job done in Cuba. We may not have played much international games with this new bunch but there are players who have played at this level before since we last won the Caribbean title in 2008. And therefore I believe we’ll be on solid ground.”
T&T’s second opponent, Guyana will be under the guidance of Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Technical Director, Claude Bolton and their team includes the likes of Konata Mannings, Eusi Phillips, Daniel Favourite, Solomon Austin, Jerome Richardson, Travis Grant, Daniel Wilson, Sherwin Skeete and Richard Reynolds.
Jamaica meantime, which is in the other group with Cuba, is by former Reggae Boyz senior team head coach Theodore Whitmore, Guadeloupe and St Maarten are the other teams in the group.
The top two teams at the CFU Futsal Championship will advance to the CONCACAF stage with the third placed team meeting the third placed team from Central America, for the third spot.
Between 10 September and 1 October this year, Colombia is set to host the eighth edition of the FIFA Futsal World Cup, where a total of 24 national teams will be competing for the title currently held by Brazil – who at Thailand 2012 claimed the crown for the fifth time.
The final four spots at the Futsal World Cup will be decided at the CONCACAF Futsal Championship, taking place in San Jose, Costa Rica, between 8 and 15 May.
To date, only holders Mexico and hosts Costa Rica have their involvement confirmed, with the other six competing nations to emerge from the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) qualifying championship (22-26 January, Cuba, 2.5 places available); the North American Football Union play-off (United States and Canada will play off over 5 and 6 May); and the Central American Football Union (UNCAF) qualifying championship (21-31 January in Guatemala; 2.5 places).
The play-off tie between the third-placed finishers in the CFU and UNCAF championships will be held over 5 and 6 May.