T&T’s senior women footballers will resume training today at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo from 9.30 am, as the last of its foreign-based players returned home yesterday for a six-day camp which also began yesterday.
The Soca Princesses, who are staying at Emerald Plaza, St Augustine, until Sunday, were recently pulled out from the Caribbean Football Union Preliminary Round competition for the Gold Cup tournament which began today in Puerto Rico.
It was decided that T&T will now host one of the groups for the Final Round Tournament, and is, therefore an automatic qualifier.
Cuba will host the other group with a date for the event still to be announced. T&T was scheduled to play St Kitts yesterday with Puerto Rico coming up against Dominica.
“The local-based players have been training diligently and now have a great opportunity to mesh with the foreign-based players albeit for one week,” said team coach Jamaal Shabazz.
Lamenting the fact that one week is all he will have with his full side apart from a final one-week camp immediately preceding the tournament, Shabazz explained that such is the reality of international football at present.
“Now, in international football, one week is a lot of time. It’s not ideal but it’s the reality of the situation, and that’s football today.
Gone are the days, when you will have your full team together for months,” said Shabazz. “We must be able to train the team in parts. We have got to make it effective, that’s the reality.”
Shabazz shared that it was too early to make any predictions about T&T’s chances in the tournament, explaining that his focus now will just be on the camp.
The team will play a practice match against the Under-17s on Saturday, at a venue to be decided. Taking into consideration, the age difference between the two teams, Shabazz stated that a practice match against the U-17s, under the guidance of coach Even Pellerud, is as good a practice match that his team can get.
He also commented on the noteworthy fact that T&T currently has three national women’s football teams in training. “It’s a great day for women’s football when we have three national teams in training; the U-15, U-17 and senior, it’s a big statement for women,” he said.
T&T Team
Adana Hume, Kimika Forbes, Arin King, Tiana Bateau, Rhea Belgrave, Afiya Matthias, Ayana Russell, Daniel Blaire, Falina Jack, Janel Nedd, Nadia James, Dernelle Mascal, Anastasia Prescott, Kenya Cordner, Cassie McKenzie, Candace Edwards, Maylee Attins-Johnson, Natasha St Louis. Adana Hume, Kimika Forbes, Arin King, Tiana Bateau, Rhea Belgrave, Afiya Matthias, Ayana Russell, Daniel Blaire, Falina Jack, Janel Nedd, Nadia James, Dernelle Mascal, Anastasia Prescott, Kenya Cordner, Cassie McKenzie, Candace Edwards, Maylee Attins-Johnson, Natasha St Louis.