Trinidad and Tobago's Under-20 footballers got a chance to experience a piece of Egypt away from the field as they made a tour of the famous pyramids of Giza on the outskirts of Cairo yesterday.
A day after their 2-1 loss to Italy at the FIFA Under-20 World Championship, the entire contingent got the chance to visit the historical site as Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) and team officials decided that the players deserved the outing.
The only other national team to visit the pyramids and play in Cairo was the senior squad back in 2004 under coach Bertille St Clair. They lost a friendly to the hosts 2-0.
Under-20 skipper Leston Paul and his teammates were out from early morning and enjoyed the sights as they were given a full tour by hired tour guides, posing for photographs among themselves and with other tourists.
They also rode camels and picked up some authentic Egyptian souvenirs. A couple T&T fans from Diego Martin ran into the players, just lucky to be at the same bazaar at the time.
The junior Soca Warriors were then treated to lunch at a nearby Queen Cleopatra Restaurant and yesterday evening it was back to work as coach Zoran Vranes conducted a 90-minute session at the Al Salam Stadium, Cairo, the venue for tomorrow's final Group A clash with Paraguay.
The session on the artificial surface was a lively one as the players shook off the disappointment of the previous day's defeat.
The Paraguay squad arrived shortly after the end of T&T's session for their turn on the field and head coach Adrian Coria made it clear his team will not let their foot off the gas as they aim to finish the Group phase unbeaten and book their second round spot.
"We're not easy to beat. My players know what they have to do in every situation. Our goal now is to go as far as we can at this tournament," said Coria.
Paraguay will be without defender Ronald Huth, who was red carded in their 2-1 win over Egypt in the second game of the double-header at Cairo International Stadium on Monday night.
But the Young Warriors appear determined not to leave Egypt without at least a point for all their hard work and courageous efforts thus far.
"We want to leave here with something to show because I think we deserved to have at least a point after the first two games," defender Uriah Bentick told TTFF media officer Shaun Fuentes yesterday.
"So far it's been a fantastic experience. It's been a testing one so far but I have no complaints. We thought that we were on our way to possibly a win on Monday (against Italy) because we were going really well and things were feeling good for us out there.
Unfortunately the linesman raised his flag to rule out our goal and that hit us hard, but we settled back down and we were able to keep on pressing but it didn't go our way.
"We are still upbeat and we want to take a piece of history back home with us and be the first team to win a game at the World Cup level," Bentick added.
"It has been an experience like no other and I would give anything to experience what I have so far here in Egypt. My free kick in the first game (the 4-1 defeat against the hosts) was my best memory so far and hearing the anthem was memorable to the fullest."
Bentick said the T&T team would take nothing for granted tomorrow against the South Americans, just as TTFF special adviser Jack Warner is hoping.
"I was all tears after the match for I saw a team in whom I was well pleased," said Warner.
"I sincerely hope that they play their last match with the same intensity as if their lives depended on its success. These guys have performed to a level which hardly anyone else here in Egypt expected, certainly not Italy, and with this kind of effort and determination, their future looks increasingly promising," the FIFA vice-president added.