National team football coach Leo Beenhakker seemed to have fielded his starting team in a morning scrimmage played among members of the team at the Larry Gomes Stadium on Wednesday morning.
It was an indication that the Dutch-born coach has a clear idea now on how he will approach Saturday’s 2006 World Cup qualifier against Panama at the Hasely Crawford Stadium from 6:30pm.
Beenhakker had spent the last four weeks trying out different players before coming up with his current squad and has expressed satisfaction with the ready state of the team a couple days before the action. Team skipper Dwight Yorke and his teammates were allowed to relax their muscles on Wednesday evening before taking up duty again at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva on Thursday morning. While the team completes its final touches for Panama, team administrator George Joseph jets off to Monterrey, Mexico on Thursday morning to ensure that conditions are in place for the team’s arrival next Monday before the “Warriors” clash with the hosts two days later.
“I know how we will play Panama on Saturday,” Beenhakker said. “We have done our work and over the past few weeks we have tried different things and seen the players and now we have come up with what we have now.”
“The guys have worked very hard and they know what is required of them in order to get the success we all want,” Beenhakker told TTFF Media.
“Okay boys, great job and Thank You. We leave the stadium at 6:30 and dinner is at 8. Get yourself together and lets all be on time.” was how the former Real Madrid coach closed Tuesday’s evening session
Yorke seemed to be enjoying the build up to what he described as the “most crucial match for us in the campaign so far.”
“It’s been hot out there but the guys have all been working hard and the mood in the camp has been a good one. We all know what the task is for us to accomplish and we are working towards that,” Yorke said.
The Panamanians are scheduled to arrive in the country on Thursday just after 8pm. Their 1-1 result with Mexico in March snapped that country’s 10-game winning streak in Germany ’06 World Cup Qualifying. That match also brought one of the goals of the qualifiers so far when Panamanian marksman Luis Tejada found himself in the middle of the penalty box with his back to the goal and Mexican defenders around him, the 2nd half substitute forward juggled the ball to his right foot where his athletic bicycle kick beat Mexican keeper Oswaldo Sánchez high
Carrying the whistle in Saturdays encounter will be Jamaican Peter Prendergast with countrymen Anthony Garwood, Ricardo Morgan and Raymond Pine also officiating on the evening.