Trinidad and Tobago’s Under 20 footballers will regroup later this month as the preparations intensify for their Caribbean Football Union final round of qualification towards the FIFA Under 20 World Cup in Turkey next year.
The T&T arrived home on Monday after claiming the final berth in the CFU finals which will be played in Jamaica in November.
The young Soca Warriors joined final-round host Jamaica, first-round group winners Curacao, Cuba, Haiti and Suriname, along with fellow second-place finishers Antigua & Barbuda and Puerto Rico in the eight-team Caribbean finals.
T&T have been placed in Group A with Curacao, Puero Rico and Haiti with hosts Jamaica, Suriname, Cuba and Antigua in Group B. Five nations will qualify for the 12-team CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Puebla, Mexico February 18-March 2.
Head coach Ross Russell was keen on finding out T&T’s group opponents.
“It was important to know as soon as possible which teams we would be playing. While we are satisfied to have made it to the final round, we are still not out of the Caribbean as yet and this group in Jamaica will determine if we advance to the CONCACAF final round,” Russell told TTFF Media.
“Definitely the preparations will intensify because the team still has to raise its level of play for the later stages of qualification. We have some work to do and we will also be looking at some more players both at home and others who are based overseas.”
TTFF technical director Anton Corneal was also in Kingstown to observe T&T’s 3-0 win over St Vincent/Grenadines on Sunday, adding: “It’s good getting the next round but we have work to do and a program will be implemented over the next two months with the resources available to us to try and get the team up to another level for the remainder of the qualification bid to get to the World Cup in Turkey next year.”
Caribbean U-20 Final Round
Group A
Haiti
Curacao
Trinidad and Tobago
Puerto Rico
Group B
Jamaica
Suriname
Cuba
Antigua and Barbuda