Rijsbergen, Corneal assess talent at youth level.
By: Shaun Fuentes.[/size]
National senior team head coach Wim Rijsbergen made his first appearance on the pitch since taking up the new appointment but not with the accustomed “Soca Warriors” as he instead took the time to view some of this country’s younger talent as a group of Under 16 players took part in the final screening session towards the selection of a national Under 16 team.
Rijsbergen joined Anton Corneal, who has been given the responsibility of overseeing the preparation of the Under 16s for next month’s Caribbean Football Union Under 16 tournament.
Following weeks of screening, some 65 players were present at the UWI Grounds, St Augustine as Rijsbergen and Corneal assessed what they had at their disposal. At the end of the exercise, ten players were kept back and they will join the existing T&T Under 16 squad from Sunday at the same venue for training after which a final squad is expected to be named early next week for final preparations going into T&T’s first game against Aruba on August 14 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
Corneal felt the exercises held over the past few weeks ending with Saturday’s session was worthwhile in that it also allowed him and the other coaches to realize how much development was done by some of the players. And it gave Rijsbergen a better indication of the level of some of the players at the younger level and he and incoming Dutch assistant Jan Van Deinsen also intend to offer their expertise towards the development in that area. Rijsbergen next assignment will be preparing a senior team which leaves on Friday for their international outing away to Japan on August 9.
“The exercise itself went well. We looked at 65 kids today and then we also had the existing team in training. Overall it has served its purpose so far,” Corneal told TTFF Media on Saturday after the session.
“It’s quite clear also that when you don’t see a player for maybe five or six months, it is possible for him to develop an we may have situations where this player would have been overlooked but can now make the step up and give the contribution we are looking to get.
“It was important for us to also note with the players who were part of the national under 15 team last year that they have come back with renewed enthusiasm. They have matured and they have the experience of playing in the tournament last year which again goes to show how important it is for us to have the players involved in such outings at the various levels. They are more eager now as well because they again want to be involved. And it’s healthy when you can make things competitive among the players in the preparation towards a tournament and we will seek to take this right through with us,” added Corneal.
Twenty-eight teams including four guest nations – Canada, Panama, Guatemala, Mexico and El Salvador will contest the ten-day tournament from August 14-26 from which one winner will progress to the CONCACAF Final round to be held in two groups of four in Honduras and Jamaica. From that final phase, five teams will advance to the FIFA Under 17 Finals next year in Korea.
Update.
28 short-listed for U-16 selection.
By: Shaun Fuentes.
National Under 16 coach Anton Corneal has short-listed a squad of 28 players to prepare for next month’s Caribbean Football Union Under 16 Youth Cup to be played in this country.
Corneal has overseen the scouting of local players throughout the country and has since combined players selected from those sessions with members of the previous Under 15 squad to continue preparations for the tournament which T&T opens on August 14 versus Aruba at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
And for the last few days, Corneal has had national senior team head coach Wim Rijsbergen also being part of the team’s training and following his arrival in the country on Monday, fellow Dutchman Jim Van Deinsen, recently appointed as a senior team assistant coach was also part of Tuesday’s training session with the Under 16s at the UWI Grounds, St Augustine.
Among the players involved in training now is former national under 15 goalkeeper and captain Jesse Fullerton who was named the TTFF’s Youth player of the year for 2005. And among others who excited during last year’ CFU Under 15 Cup current gearing towards the 2006 tournament are Superstar Rangers duo Chad De Freitas and Sean De Silva as well as a quota from San Juan Jabloteh Sheldon Bateau, Stephan Chang and Franz Husbands. Defence Force’s midfield pair of Brenton Balbosa and Leston Paul are also back in the fray again.
Corneal also has US-born goalkeeper Stefan Berkeley as well as Joe Public duo Jean Luc Rochford and Kyle Campbell in the squad vying for final spots.
The squad will be cut to twenty-two players on Saturday and will then go into a live-in training camp at Petrotrin compound, Point-a-Pierre next week.
“We expect that the training will increase the competition for places now because the boys have been going hard at it and that’s always a plus,” Corneal told TTFF Media when asked about the latest developments in the team’s preparations.
“Fortunately for us we have national coaches Wim (Rijsbergen) and assistant coach Jan Van Deinsen. They have been an asset in preparation. Right now we are finalising team positions and trying to make sure there is technical fitness.
“You will see players who have developed and who are eager to keep on developing and hopefully the crowds can recognize that and give the boys all the support at this level. Our aim is to get the results that will take us through to the next phase of the tournament and beyond so obviously everything has to be taken into consideration and we will prepare for that,” he added.
T&T will also come up against Grenada and Dominican Republic with the Group winner advancing to the other round of the tournament. The Tournament winners will then represent the CFU along with Jamaica in the final CONCACAF round of eight teams from which five will then advance to the FIFA Under 17 World Championship in Korea next year.
Under 16 Squad.[/u]
Goalkeepers.
Jesse Fullerton (Queens Royal Colege), Glenroy Samuel (San Juan Jabloteh), Christopher Coker (Defence Force), Wesley Douglas (Starworld Strikers), Kern Caesar (Defence Force), Stefan Berkeley (Un-Attached).
Defenders.
Akeen Adams (W Connection), Aubrey David (Starworld Strikers), Mark Rivers (Starworld Strikers), Ryan O'Neil (Defence Force), Sheldon Bateau (San Juan Jabloteh), Stephan Chang (San Juan Jabloteh), Robert Primus (San Juan Jabloteh).
Midfielders.
Ethan Gordon (Defence Force), Chad DeFreitas (Superstar Rangers), Sean DeSilva (Superstar Rangers), Brenton Balbosa (Defence Force), Kevin Molino (San Juan Jabloteh), Nkosi Simon (United Petrotrin), Jean Luc Rochford (Joe Public), Leston Paul (Defence Force), Chike Sullivan (San Juan Jabloteh).
Forwards.
Franz Husbands (San Juan Jabloteh), Daniel Joseph (San Juan Jabloteh), Stephen Knox (San Juan Jabloteh), Daniel Cyrus (Stokley Vale FC), Marcus Joseph (United Petrotrin), Kaejay Ramdoo (Harvard FC).
Corneal says U-16s need local support.
By: Jovan Ravello (Guardian).[/size]
The 2006 Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Under-16 Youth Cup is 13 days away and all indications are that the players, who are expected to form the nucleus of this country’s future football teams, are on schedule in terms of their development. Twenty eight (28) nations will compete from August 14, in 50 matches at seven venues, with the final being played on August 26 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.
The winner will advance to the Concacaf Final Round of qualification for the Fifa Under-17 World Championship 2007 in Korea. There will also be four guest teams—Mexico, Canada, Guatemala and Panama.
Following an early morning training session on the main field at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus yesterday, Under-16 and senior national assistant coach Anton Corneal said he will be looking to cut the group from its present 25 to 20 players by the end of the week.
“Fortunately for us we have national coaches Wim (Rijsbergen) and assistant coach Jan (Van Deinsen). They have been an asset in preparation. Right now we are finalising team positions and trying to make sure there is technical fitness. We’re doing small side matches to help the speed of play and by next week, we’ll be ready to shape the team better as a unit.”
Asked to give an estimate of where the players might be, ahead of their first match in Group E against Aruba on the tournament’s opening day, Corneal said: “They’re on schedule,” noting that unity was the team’s main strength.
“Continuity is important to the programme and next week will be the key week.”
The team continues training twice a day this week at the same venue and will go into camp from next week.
“We urge the public to come and see the players and play their role in the team’s success,” Corneal said.
Since last year’s inaugural Youth Cup, the team has stayed together. After the Christmas break, they began training for the Dallas Cup in April.
The team maintained a disciplined training pattern and all indications are that the players have matured.
The recent nationwide supplemental screening programme allowed some players, who were on the borderline, a second chance at making it into the squad and was in keeping with the T&T Football Federation’s drive to keep screening going throughout the year.
As a result of all the new policies instituted following the World Cup in June, T&TFF officials have expressed a belief that the final 20-man unit will be representative of what T&T’s youth football has to offer.
If the team winning the tournament is any of the guest teams (Mexico, Panama, Canada, Guatemala, El Salvador) or Jamaica, who will host one of the two final groups, then the runner-up Caribbean team will advance as the CFU champions into the final phase.
From that Final Round, in which eight teams will contest in two groups, five will advance to the 2007 Fifa Under-17 Championship. The team trains twice today at 9.30 am - 11 am and 2.30 pm - 4 pm.
