This country’s National Under 17 Men’s Team will be taking the competitive international stage with the intentions of launching long, successful careers on the football pitch when they enter the field for tonight’s opening fixture against Haiti in the Caribbean Football Union Under 17s Final Round.
For the majority of the squad with the exception of W Connection midfielder Isaiah Hudson and captain John-Paul Rochford, the occasion will be their first at the international level. It is a similar stage that launched the careers of players like Kevin Molino, Sheldon Bateau, Dwight Yorke, Russell Latapy and many others.
Latapy hopes this is the beginning of a new chapter in their careers.
“This certainly is a big point in their careers. I remember when I was coming up into the system, of course back then we were playing at the under 12 level, but when we entered competition for the Under 17s and the Under 20s, it was a very exciting period for us as players.
“These are the future players that will represent us going forward on future national teams and from what I have seen, there is a lot of talent around that needs to be nurtured and this is what we are doing at the moment,” Latapy said.
T&T meets Haiti at 7:30pm and Bermuda takes on Jamaica from 5pm at the Ato Boldon Stadium. Tickets can be purchase at the venue, priced at $30 (adults), $15 (children) and kids under 5 are free.