Newly appointed Assistant coach of the Trinidad and Tobago National Senior Football Team Russell Latapy will be part of his first session with the team in his current capacity at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on Tuesday.
On Monday evening the rest of the squad underwent a physical evaluation by team trainer Jorge Ruiz, doctor Terence Babwah and physic Dave Isaac at the Ato Boldon Stadium and will begin regular training on Tuesday.
Maturana explained after the formal meeting on Monday morning that he believes Latapy’s input as Assistant Coach 1 will be an asset to the team.
“The discussions were open and went very well. He understands his role as assistant coach and I know he wants the best for the team. We have the same objective which is to qualify Trinidad and Tobago for the next World Cup and from the onset we are on the same page and so I believe we are already on the right path,” Maturana told TTFF Media.
“He understands me as a coach as well and we have our roles to play. We discussed also his role and importance as a player for the team and he understands too that he still also has a very important part in that way. Having him out there will give us a great opportunity for him in his position as assistant coach to actually help carry out … and to relay the instructions out in the middle from the viewpoint of the head coach or as coaches. I know he has the country’s best interest at heart and he has all the makings of a very good coach. We are all looking forward to overcome the challenges ahead which starts with getting a positive result in El Salvador next month,” Maturana added.
Latapy had also commented, saying he was keenly anticipating the start of his tenure.
“For a long time I’ve been looking forward to this. I felt it was important to sit down with the rest of the staff, in particular the head coach and share our view and objectives. I’m pleased to say we’ve done that and now we can get on with the job and work towards our main objective which is getting the country to the next World Cup and ensuring that the football overall is lifted to a higher level,” Latapy told TTFF Media.
The Team leaves on January 21 for a training camp in Argentina and will also travel to Chile to face their Senior Team on January 24 leading up to the World Cup qualifier against El Salvador on February 11.
In related news, Anton Corneal will take up full time duties as head coach of the National Under 17 team as it prepares for U-17 World Qualifiers in Mexico in April.