The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) will be looking to line up at least a couple more practice fixtures for the senior national football team before they head into the CONCACAF Gold Cup next month.
Last week the Soca Warriors played two friendly internationals against European opposition, losing 4-0 away to Romania last Tuesday at Bucharest, before falling 1-0 to Estonia in Tallin, Estonia on Friday.
T&T, who were limited by a number of injury concerns and absences in Europe, showed some improvement against Estonia after being whipped in their first match.
Technical director Anton Corneal told the Express yesterday that he had seen little of T&T’s Europe encounters, but is hoping to line up at least two more matches to give the team a little more time to play under match conditions before they head to the US for the July 7-28 tournament.
T&T, who are pooled in Group B with Honduras, El Salvador and Haiti, kick off their campaign against the Salvadorans on July 8 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.
According to Corneal, the team can look forward to government support ahead of the tournament, but he conceded there has been some difficulty in securing opponents.
“We need to see our players at the highest level,” Corneal said. “We are not the choice team to play against right now. We don’t have a lot of options to play the best teams. (But) if we can play one or two games before the Gold Cup, it will make us better.”
Corneal also explained that last week’s matches were used by the coaches to see how players work together in different positions, how they play together and which players complement each other. Up to yesterday he had not spoken to the technical team, though, to get feedback on their latest two assignments, which left T&T winless in their last six matches.
Said Corneal: “I think (the match) would have given the coaches the opportunity to see the players, and which players are ready right now to move forward to the Gold Cup. I know we have some injuries, which would affect (them) having the strongest team. A key injury (is that of) Carlos Edwards, who will help us in the Gold Cup. It really gives the coaches an idea of which players will be ready.
“We’ve got a local camp that the players will take part in. They will start on Thursday, where they will get to see the players in the build-up to the Gold Cup.”
Of the results against Romania and Estonia, Corneal said they should not be looked at at face value.
“Nobody wants to ever lose, but we have to put things in perspective,” he explained. “Romania would be at a bit of a better standard than we are. Estonia, the result was not a bad result, but it’s difficult to judge the result. It should be judged on how the players performed and where we are (in preparation for the tournament).”