“Crucial two weeks for us”
Trinidad and Tobago Senior Men’s Team head coach Dennis Lawrence will begin preparations on Monday morning at Larry Gomes Stadium for the upcoming International Friendly with Jamaica scheduled to take place at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on Thursday August 24th at 8pm.
Lawrence will begin training with a provisional squad before finalising his selection for the encounter with the Reggae Boyz who are coming off a strong showing at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in which they finished runners up, losing to hosts United State in the final.
Lawrence meantime is continuing to monitor potential call ups both at home and abroad for the final squad that will face off with Honduras in the September 1st World Cup qualifier at the Ato Boldon Stadium. Among them is defender Carlyle Mitchell who has played three matches for his new club East Bengal in the Indian League.
Mitchell is back from injury having made his international return with a scoring performance in the recent 3-0 defeat to Ecuador in Guayaquil. Mitchell is no doubt looking to make Lawrence’s final selection. He was T&T’s lone scorer in the 3-1 defeat to Honduras in the San Pedro Sula last November.
“I think next two weeks are very crucial for us as individuals and as a team as we need to get it together and understand how the the coach wants us to play,” Mitchell told TTFA Media on Sunday “Once we get this part of it right then I think we will be fine.
“The game against Jamaica on the 24th is a very good test for us. Playing against Jamaica is always difficult and we need a game like this because Honduras will not be any different and from this game the coach will have a fair idea who is ready for Honduras and who is not . We need performances and results as nothing less than three points for us on September 1st will be sufficient,” Mitchell added.
Playing at home needs to be a factor for T&T and Mitchell is banking on optimum fan support in both encounters.
“We know what it is to feel the home advantage both in our favour when we get that kind of support at home and also when we are away to these teams. They bring that added energy to any venue. I think when playing at home we can beat anyone as we just have to focus for ninety minutes and take our chances when they come. Honduras is a difficult team but right now we need points so we have dig deep and get the job done,” Mitchell concluded.
Tickets to see T&T versus Jamaica are available at NLCB Lotto Locations nationwide priced at $100 (covered) and $50 (uncovered). Fans can also access early bird tickets for the Honduras qualifier at $300 (covered) and $150 (uncovered) and see the T&T versus Jamaica clash for no additional cost on that same ticket.