Soca Warriors coach Stephen Hart kicked off the T&T senior team training camp with a light shift yesterday morning and followed it up with a complete session in the evening period at the Sawgrass Grand training facility in Fort Lauderdale, USA.
The home-based players, along with Kazakhstan-based defender Aubrey David and US-based winger Trevin Caesar, arrived from Port-of-Spain on Saturday for the camp at the facility which was also used ahead of the 2015 Concacaf Gold Cup.
T&T teams have also been based here in the past including the build-up to the 2005 World Cup qualifier away to Guatemala and then in 2006 under Dutchman Leo Beenhakker after the team had already qualified for the 2006 Fifa World Cup Finals in Germany.
The other players already at the camp include Chicago Fire duo Daneil Cyrus and Joevin Jones, San Jose Earthquakes forward Cordell Cato, Mexican-based defender Yohance Marshall and forward Jonathan Glenn who joined locally-based goalkeepers Jan-Michael Williams and Marvin Phillip, Keron Cummings, Willis Plaza and Neveal Hackshaw who flew in from Port-of -along with members of the team staff. Team captain Kenwyne Jones, who netted for Cardiff City in their 2-0 win over Reading on Saturday, arrived late yesterday afternoon with some of other overseas-based players. Cardiff boss Russell Slade, in his delight while commenting after the win, said he would prefer if Jones did not have to travel for the match.
“I’d rather Kenwyne Jones stay in Cardiff. I expect him to go away for ten days now but if I was to be selfish then I’d rather him stay,” Slade said.”
Hart said was keen to get on with the preparations over the next few days.
“Of course it’s vitally important to regroup and get our focus going again ahead of the Guatemala match. We’ll use thee next couple of days to put things into perspective with regards to how we will play the match and just getting everyone into the correct frame of mind and ensuring that we are ready to go for the start of the campaign,” Hart said. Soca Warriors assistant manager Peter Rampersad will travel to Guatemala City today (Monday) to oversee all arrangements with the hotel, ground transportation and training facilities prior to the team’s arrival there.
Yesterday, T&T defender, Sheldon Bateau was an unused substitute in Krylya Sovetov Samara’s 2-0 loss to Rubin Kazan in the Russian Premier League while in the Denmark First Division’s Radanfah Abu Bakr’s HB Koege edged Fredericia 2-1; and in Kazakhstan Aubrey David’s was not in the 18-man Shakhter Karagandy squad in its 1-0 loss against Okzhetpes in a relegation playoff match.
And on Saturday, defender Carlyle Mitchell back in the T&T squad after a long absence played 76 minutes for Seoul E-Land FC in a 1-0 loss to Gyeongnam in the Korean League Challenge. For today’s second day of the camp, Hart is expected to have a full squad of players.