The stage is set for the commencement of what promises to be an action packed and high energy twenty three days of football with 52 matches at the 2009 FIFA Under 20 World Championship which kicks off with Trinidad and Tobago facing off with the hosts Egypt from 8pm tonight (Thursday night) (2pm Thursday, T&T time) following the opening ceremony which starts 90 minutes before.
When T&T captain Leston Paul leads the young “Soca Warriors” out on to the pitch in their white Adidas strips, they will attempt to create history by upsetting the hosts before 80,000 plus fans. Already Egypt head coach Miroslav Soukup is promising that his team will be a stern challenge for the visitors.
“Our team doesn't rely on one star; we have no one player that stands out," he said. "But as a group, we are exceptional. We want to win this first game,” said Soukup.
There is the anxious wait in Egypt for new World Champions with last time winners Argentina failing to qualify this time around. And of course there is that buzz about the unveiling of new world stars. And T&T was a mention in a FIFA correspondent this week as former captain Dwight Yorke was listed among the world stars to graduate from the Youth World Cup after leading T&T in Portugal in 1991.
“Would this new tournament actually showcase the stars of tomorrow, or would these aspiring players simply fade into obscurity? That question has been categorically answered over the past 32 years,” FIFA stated.
“Indeed, 485 graduates of the tournament's 16 editions to date have gone on to appear in the FIFA World Cup,
including Diego Maradona, Enzo Francescoli, Dunga, Andreas Moller, Davor Suker, Manuel Rui Costa, Luis Figo, Dwight Yorke, Roberto Carlos, Thierry Henry, Xavi, Ronaldinho, Michael Owen, Petr Cech, Michael Essien and Lionel Messi, among innumerable other future luminaries of the senior game.”
Yorke and T&T head coach Russell Latapy have both given their blessings to this team, undoubtedly hoping that they can mature out of it for the benefit of T&T’s future.
“It’s going to be a grand stage for all of the players. I remember what it felt back for myself and the rest of the team in 1991. It’s an achievement by itself to get there and I hope we can go on to better things from here,” Yorke said.
TTFF Special advisor Jack Warner felt no differently as he visited the T&T team at the luxurious Radisson Hotel, also presenting English-born midfielder Jake Thomson with his T&T passport.
“This is, for me, going to be one of my proudest moments with regard to a national team. We had Germany of course but this here is our future and I want to wish them the very best and to ask of them to go out there and represent us to the best of their ability,”Warner told TTFF Media.
Such good wishes should no doubt be well received by Paul and experienced midfielder Khaleem Hyland. Striker Jamal Gay will carry T&T’s hope up front with Juma Clarence and Qian Grosvenor also in for a shot, while the defence should be marshalled by Daneil Cyrus, Robert Primus, Uriah Bentick and Akeem Adams.
Southampton midfielder Jake Thomson, who received his T&T passport on Wednesday, is also likely to make his debut and his experience and composure will be a key for the visitors. Goalie Glenroy Samuel has promised to let nothing pass him and solid midfielder Jean Luc Rochford would love to score another on African opponents, having netted in the 2-2 draw to Nigeria in Abuja.
At the FIFA pre-match press conference at the Match venue on Wednesday, Vranes was asked by an Egypt newspaper reporter whether he was worried about a repeat of the 6-0 defeat Egypt inflicted on T&T in 1991.
“No of course not. That was a long time ago. Football has changed and of course I respect Egyptian football but I’m not afraid of Egypt nor are my players. My concern generally is the atmosphere which of course is a factor against my team because of course my players are still young but we know it will be a tough game and a great experience for us,.” Vranes said.
“Yes we are the underdogs but we will try to perform very well and maybe surprise Egypt or Italy and even Paraguay. It’s not going to be easy but football is football on any day. We would love to go on to face maybe Brazil later in the tournament.
“I think if we can play as well as we did in the warm up match against Brazil a month ago or Nigeria four months ago then we will cause some problems for Egypt and the other teams,” Vranes added.
Egypt have played 80 matches in their preparations for the tournament but the majority have been played away from media scrutiny and home fans. One of their top strikers Mohamed Talaat expects T&T to be fighters.
“The only match we're thinking about at the moment is the one against Trinidad and Tobago - a very fit and skilful side. There'll be a big crowd there, looking for us to show our potential and we need to perform well to make sure they keep turning out to support us."
"We've watched recordings of a number of their friendlies and they're in excellent shape physically. That said, we've identified some areas where hopefully we can exploit them and, personally, I'm hoping to get on the scoresheet,” said Talaat.
T&T will also face Italy and Paraguay on September 28 and October 1 respectively in further Group A action.