Trinidad and Tobago’s Senior footballers will have their final warm up encounter before departing for El Salvador tomorrow (Wednesday) when they face off with Argentine Second Division club Atletico Los Andes in the city of Lomas de Zamora in the Buenos Aires Province.
Latapy will take full charge of the team during the first few days in San Salvador as Maturana heads to Los Angeles to view the El Salvador versus Peru friendly international on February 6. He will join the team in El Salvador a day later with the overseas-based pros arriving on Sunday.
T&T assistant team manager Peter Rampersad headed for El Salvador on Monday and will ensure all arrangements including team pick up upon arrival and check in services are on spot for the arrival of the team on Wednesday night. He will be joined there by assistant coach Cesar Maturana who was in Honduras to view the Central American (Uncaf) Cup.
The technical staff was also pleased about the current progress of the overseas pros who are all injury free and coming off regular appearances for their respective clubs. Latapy has been in touch with the players themselves and the club management depending on the matter at hand.
“So it goes in international football because you have to remember that these clubs are the ones who pay the wages so there always needs to be a good relationship and proper communication between the us and the clubs,” Latapy told TTFF Media.
“I am aware that there has been ongoing contact at times in the past too but in my capacity, knowing how things occur in Europe at the clubs, i think my input can be useful and that’s what I’m trying to do. Club managers always appreciate it when there can be good communication to ensure that the player is well looked after and likewise from our end we want to know that they understand the value of players to the country and that there’s a mutual respect and understanding,” Latapy said.
Maturana will be hoping for an early birthday present in on February 11, eight days before he celebrates his 60th birthday on Monday. The “Soca Warriors” were enjoying a “birthday cake” desert after dinner as Media Officer Shaun Fuentes celebrated his 28th birthday on Friday. TTFF Special Adviser Jack Warner also turned 66 last Monday.
This week though Maturana has completed one year at the helm of the Senior Team. Since taking over last February, Maturana has led T&T in twenty eight full internationals, winning 16, losing five and drawing seven matches. Of those twenty eight matches, eight have been World Cup qualifiers in which T&T have won four, drawn two and lost two.
Maturana has been recognised and acknowledged at almost every turn in Argentina, having coached at the club level here in the past, also leading Colombia as head coach to the famous 5-0 victory over Argentina in Buenos Aires during the 1994 World Cup qualifying campaign. That team had the likes of Fredy Rincon, Faustino Asprilla and Carlos Valderrama.
“It’s always difficult to be satisfied as a coach even if it’s one year or ten years. Progress is important and that is what gives us the pleasure as a coach… to see the players and the team progress. We set goals and when we achieve them.. whether it is the ultimate one.. then maybe we are satisfied,” Maturana told TTFF Media.