UNDER-20 WOMEN’S national football team head coach Izler Brown wants her players to have a few friendly international matches and camps prior to battling the best in the region for three World Cup qualifying spots at the 2014 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship which takes place in the Cayman Islands from January 9-19.
The U-20 Soca Princesses had basically a month-and-a-half preparation prior to finishing second to hosts Jamaica at the 2013 Caribbean qualifiers in Jamaica just a week ago. The preparation for the tournament was rushed, inadequate and also left Trinidad and Tobago without overseas-based players—partly also due to school commitments in the USA.
“It was really a great effort on the part of the team,” outstanding former national player Brown stated. “I think it was extremely hard on the players because the preparation was short. (But) I think the attitude and desire of my players was huge.
“We have four of five girls coming from down South. It is hard for them to be travelling home at crazy hours,” Brown said, while describing some of the conditions under which they prepared. “It would be good to have some help with basic things such as transport.”
Brown said it helped tremendously to have available, a core of players from the 2010 FIFA World Cup which T&T hosted. She mentioned Kadidra Debisette, Anique Walkers, Jonelle Warwick, Patrice Campbell and new goalkeeper Shenelle Parker among those that stood out in Jamaica.
Further, she also commended the application of the entire team in Jamaica, where they lost the final 1-0 to the hosts.
However, with the possibility of having to play higher quality teams such as the United States and Canada, the T&T national coach hopes for a better build-up to the CONCACAF leg. With the draw for that leg due early this coming week, the T&T coach is eagerly anticipating which teams T&T will draw, and hopes that more will be put in place preparation-wise for that final leg.
“If we get some friendly matches and camp situations it will be good. We will have our Tobago and overseas players coming in and so we will definitely need that type of preparation,” Brown declared.
“We will be looking at the draw to see which teams we can play in friendlies leading up to the tournament.”