Head coach Zoran Vranes will have a chance to see how some his new selections fare on the international stage over the next week as he heads out with an 18-man Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Team to Bermuda on Saturday morning.
With the FIFA Under 20 World Cup out of the picture now, Vranes will focus on preparations for the Pan American Games in 2009 and the CAC Games which is expected to kick off around mid-2010. The 2012 Olympic Games in Manchester is also a top priority for the current bunch.
In Bermuda, T&T will face Bermuda U23s on December 28; club champions Devonshire Cougars on December 30 and Bermuda U23s again on January 1.
Among those heading over with the T&T team include 2009 FIFA World Cup goalscorers Juma Clarence and Jean Luc Rochford as well as captain Leston Paul. The Mayaro-born midfielder is confident his team can pick up where they left off in Egypt in September.
“Yes it’s a holiday period but we are eager to get back out there playing again because a lot of us having played much football since we returned from Egypt. We were in training but it’s good to get some games under our belt now so yes I believe we will show that on the field when we come up against Bermuda,” Paul told TTFF Media.
“Bermuda should be a good test for us because they are at home and of course they will remember their victory over our Senior Team in the World Cup qualifiers and seeing that we knocked them out I think they will want to get some kind of revenge even though it’s a couple of friendly matches,” he added.
Vranes too is hoping for a good run over the next few days.
“It’s very important that we play good football and get back to serious preparation because football doesn’t stop anywhere in the world. All the other teams from Egypt who are serious about going places will be in training too so I think it’s a very good idea that we have decided to go on this trip and ensure that we are also playing matches,” Vranes said.
“Nobody likes to stay too long without being out there playing the game so I will use this opportunity to get Leston and the rest of the team back into the thinking of international football once again and then we return in the new year to continue our program for the other tournaments coming up.”
A few of the faces that did not make the World Cup squad that went to Egypt now back in the fray include Nicholas Walker, Jerrel Britto, Trent Lougheed, Micah Lewis, Jevon Morris, Joevin Jones and Stephen Campbell who scored in T&T’s 4-1 loss to Ghana at the 2007 Under 17 World Cup in South Korea.
Defender Aubrey David is likely to join the 18-man squad in Bermuda next week once his US Visa is approved.
Cheryl Abrams, head of delegation for the T&T team at Egypt 2009, will manage the team while Hutson Charles will serve as assistant coach. The rest of the staff includes Michael Williams (equipment manager), Ashton Mills (physiotherapist) and Gilbert Bateau (trainer). FIFA Vice President Jack Warner will also visit Bermuda to witness one of the games next week.
T&T 18-man squad for Bermuda
Glenroy Samuel, Andre Marchan, Nicholas Walker, Sheldon Bateau, Jevon Morris, Stephen Campbell, Marcus Joseph, Jerrel Britto, Curtis Gonzales, Trent Lougheed, Mikeil Williams, Akeem Adams, Jean-Luc Rochford, Micah Lewis, Daneil Cyrus, Jamal Juma Clarence, Leston Paul and Joevin Jones.