Trinidad and Tobago’s National Under 17 Men’s team will attempt to set its 2013 World Cup campaign off on a winning note when it takes on British Virgin Islands in their opening Caribbean Football Union Under 17 qualifying encounter at the Hasely Crawford Stadium from 7pm on Tuesday.
The squad, under head coach Shawn Cooper has only one player with previous international experience at this level, that being forward Akeem Garcia who was a member of the team in 2011 that was one match away from qualifying for the Finals that year in Mexico.
But truth be told, there are some promising talent in the current mix with the likes of midfielders Dre Fortune who has had stints at Spanish giants Barcelona (Academy) and Manchester City and W Connection’s Matthew Woo Ling who spent some time at Tottenham Hotspur. Team captain Brendon Creed and US-based midfielder Mani Walcott will also be hoping to impress.
“All of our players are promising,” head coach Cooper told TTFF Media following an early morning training session at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
“There are some you may have heard more of than others but we have selected the best players at this time and I think this is a big occasion for all of them. With the exception of Akeem, these players will be wearing a national shirt for the first time so there will be some nerves in the camp but generally speaking the spirit is good, they’ve all worked hard and just waiting on the opening whistle to get the ball rolling,” Cooper added.
“We will do our best to ensure we start the tournament in the best possible way which is obviously getting a victory and setting the pace for the rest of the tournament.”
Cooper’s opposite number Vincent Samuel said BVI will not be bullied by the hosts.
“We are here to put on our best performance. We know Trinidad and Tobago is considered to be a strong opponent but that will not scare us. We want to win just as badly as every other team in the competition,” Samuel said.
Guyana will take on Suriname in the opening game of the double header from 5pm.
Guyana coach Sampson Gilbert told the media he was confident that his team could top the group and advance to the CONCACAF Finals next year in Panama.
“We are confident that we can get the job done in Trinidad. We have a good squad of players who are capable of winning this group. Because this is an Under-17 team, we just don’t wish to develop their football alone, but their personality to go along with it. The four pillars which are the foundation at this level are physical, technical, psychological and social aspects.
“We are working not just on football development, but their etiquette and how they socialise with one another,” he added.
The group winner will advance to the CONCACAF Finals in Panama City next April 6-19. The tournament will feature a 12-team field, with Canada, Mexico and the United States automatically qualified from North America, Central America allocated four berths and the Caribbean five. The top four teams from the final round will advance to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in United Arab Emirates in October.
T&T final 20-man squad
Goalkeepers
Kevin John (Southern F.A), Stephon Seepersad (W Connection).
Defenders
Martieon Watson (W Connection), Josiah Trimmingham (San Juan Jabloteh), Leland Archer (St. Ann's Rangers), Maurice Ford (Caledonia AIA), Stephan Spicer (SKHY FC), Shannon Gomez (San Juan Jabloteh).
Midfielders
Jabari Mitchell (W Connection), Jarred Dass (W Connection), Brendon Creed - (SKHY FC), Andre Fortune (Needham Broughton High School/USA), Mani Walcott (Eleanor Roosevelt High School/USA), Matthew Woo Ling (W Connection), Levi Garcia (T&TEC FC), Kishun Seecharan (1st FC Santa Rosa), Aikim Andrews (San Juan Jabloteh).
Forwards
Brent Sam (Police FC), Akeem Garcia (San Juan Jabloteh), Weah Adams (Roxborough Lakers).