Sports
Roneil Walcott
TT Football Association (TTFA) president Kieron Edwards has hailed the strides being made by the country’s varying national youth teams as they engage in and prepare for Concacaf tournaments.
At present, the Trinidad and Tobago under-17 women’s football team is in the midst of their Concacaf qualifying series, having been held to a 2-2 draw by hosts Curacao in their opener in Willemstad, Curacao, on January 24. The Ayana Russell-coached under-17 women’s team will close off group F play in the Concacaf Under-17 Women’s qualifiers with matches against Barbados (January 28) and El Salvador (February 1), respectively. The top team in the group will move on to the final round of the qualifiers, with the two best second-placed teams from the opening round also moving on to the next phase.
“The TTFA is encouraged by the continued progress being demonstrated across our national youth programmes,” Edwards said, via a January 26 release. “We extend our full support and best wishes to our under-17 women’s national team as they continue their Concacaf qualifying campaign in Curacao.
“The (opening) performance reflects the resilience, belief, and competitive character being nurtured within the group as they represent the nation on a major regional stage.”
Guided by coaches Randolph Boyce and Marvin Gordon, respectively, TT’s men’s under-17 and under-20 teams are on the cusp of qualifiers. From February 3-12, the under-17 team will host Barbados, Mexico, Saint Martin and Sint Maarten for the Concacaf Under-17 Men’s qualifiers, with Gordon’s under-20 charges scheduled to contest their Concacaf qualifiers from February 23 to March 4 in Costa Rica.
TT’s under-17s are scheduled to meet Peru’s under-17 team in a pair of friendlies in Lima, Peru, on January 28 and 30, before returning home for the qualifiers. Meanwhile, Gordon and his staff got a good look at their under-20 prospects in a series of friendly matches which were played from January 19-23 at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva.
In the friendlies, TT’s under-20s showed some firepower as they defeated St Vincent and Grenadines 6-0, before blowing by a largely second-string AC Port of Spain team 5-0. In the last encounter, TT were held 1-1 by Grenada.
Edwards said both the under-17 and under-20 teams have shown improvement in their preparations and reckoned the “performances are important indicators of growth, confidence and cohesion.”
Edwards also pointed to the association’s investment in technical leadership with acting TTFA technical director Devin Elcock’s participation in a FIFA Technical Leadership Workshop from January 12-16 in Barbados.
Edwards said, “By investing in our young players, providing meaningful international exposure and strengthening our technical leadership, we’re laying a solid foundation for sustained success.
“This collective approach remains central to our vision of elevating TT football and ensuring our national teams continue to compete with pride and purpose on the regional and international stage.”
