Canadian coach expects tough outing from T&T U17s on Friday.
By: Shaun Fuentes (TTFF).
Trinidadian head coach of the Canada National Under 17 team Stephen Hart says he expects a tough outing on Friday when his team faces Trinidad and Tobago in their final round CONCACAF World qualifying encounter in Kingston, Jamaica.
Hart, who is also interim head coach of the Canadian Senior Team, has led his team to a 3-0 win over Jamaica and a 0-0 draw with Costa Rica and was preparing his team to take on the USA on Wednesday.
Friday’s game is of huge significance for T&T as a win will keep their qualifying chances alive, of course if the Americans stay unbeaten. Anything other than a win for the Canadians versus USA would keep T&T in the tournament.
In an interview at his Knutsford Court Hotel room mere hours before departing with his team for the game versus United States, Hart gave his impressions of Friday’s game as well as T&T’s football on a whole.
“I think its going to be difficult,” Hart said frankly. “The result versus the USA is no reflection to how the team (T&T) played. Anyone who looks at them and thinks that the points are guaranteed will be a fool. We have seen them play and that definitely will not be the case for us. We have some ideas as to how we will approach the game but at this point all our energies are going into the USA game,” Hart told TTFF Media.
Hart left Trinidad in 1980 for Canada but returned a year later to play for San Fernando Strikers. He subsequently returned to Canada, taking a further interest in coaching and that eventually led to him assisting with the Canada Under 17s before former Canadian technical director Holger Osieck asked him to take up the full time coaching job with the National Under 17 team. Hart has also been interim head coach of the Canadian Senior team since September.
“Some of the advice you get from the top coaches is that if you want to learn about football and coaching, it’s advisable to work with those who work with the youth and that’s where I started,” Hart said.
About whether he would ever consider returning home to help the development of the game, Hart commented: “The situation is one with whether Trinidad and Tobago football will want myself working there. I have a contract with Canada and in this we all know there is no job security. If the right opportunity comes that’s challenging whether Trinidad and Tobago or anywhere else in the world, I would look at it very carefully.”
And his overall view on the game in his homeland, Hart added: “I think everybody that is Trinidadian and knows about Trinidad and Tobago football will say almost the same thing. Trinidad has a natural passion for football. We create a certain type of footballer and we all know what is missing in our football. What anyone will like to see is some sort of program that is designed to direct the energies, talent and qualities of Trinidad football is some sort of consistency program. The longer Trinidad stays for lack of a better word, disorganized in some of their approach, the more the other countries will go ahead and dominate. And it’s parallel to Canada. We in Canada do what was done before and we need to develop something a bit different to go forward,” Hart concluded.
Meantime, the T&T team, who got a chance to catch a glimpse of World champion sprinter Asafa Powell and Trinidadian Darryl Brown train in Kingston, had one morning session on Thursday at Harbour View and had the rest of the day off. The entire team got together to view the Euro Champions’ League affair between Manchester United and AC Milan. And there was loud buzz in the dining room, grabbing the attention of other hotel guests as well when Dwight Yorke was featured in the pre-game build up for his game winning performances against Inter Milan and Juventus during Manchester United’s reign in 1999. That simple moment who knows could inspire the young Soca Warrior hopefuls.
U-17s have everything to play for.
By: Shaun Fuentes (TTFF).[/size]
Victories by United States and Costa Rica on Wednesday set up Trinidad and Tobago’s National Under 17 footballers with everything to play for in their third match of the CONCACAF final round against Canada at the National Stadium, Kingston from 5pm on Friday.
The 2-1 win for the USA over Canada and Costa Rica’s 1-0 win over Jamaica means that T&T can still reach a maximum of six points with wins against Canada and the hosts and snatch third place on Sunday.
And there was better news in the T&T camp as injured player Chike Sullivan who suffered a knock and had to be taken to hospital against the Americans, and Jean Luc Rochford, with an ankle blow, were both able to return to training and are available for selection.
So far, T&T’s biggest problem has been converting their chances on goal and head coach Anton Corneal has been working on finishing in the last couple sessions and has reiterated the importance of composure and accuracy in and around the opposition goal. T&T out shot the Americans and also created timely chances against the Costa Ricans but have only five goals against them to show from the opening two matches.
After a final training session on Thursday, striker Stephen Knox, who has been the main man for T&T in attack admitted that the time had arrived for him to deliver. Midfielder Leston Paul is also yet to stamp his authority in any of the matches so far.
“I know that these next two games, especially this first one against Canada could decide whether we go to the World Cup or not. I haven’t scored in the last couple games and my team needs me to be at my best tomorrow. All of us need to play our best game because a lot is depending on how we do against them,” Knox told TTFF Media. He and his teammates have had three days break from playing and hopefully will have regained their appetite sufficient enough to overcome the opposition.
And despite the presence of a hardworking defense of Akeem Adams and company, the few moments of lapse in focus has resulted in punishment for T&T which could just force Corneal to introduce Robert Primus for Friday’s game.
Corneal himself knows that Friday’s match is really like a final before a final as a win will create a final hurdle to cross against Jamaica on Sunday.
“We know exactly what we have to do. We have two losses on our backs now but we still have it all to play for. It’s a situation where we have destiny in our hands and if we can settle early and play the right type of game then we can definitely force Canada off and come away with a win which will then set us up with all to play for on Sunday,” Corneal told TTFF Media.
Trinidadian head coach of Canada, Stephen Hart, said his team will by no means underestimate T&T.
“We have seen them play and anyone who wants to take them lightly would be wrong,” he said. Despite going two goals down inside half hour against the US, Canada fought back, pulling a goal back early in the second half and pressing for long periods down the stretch.
“We need to be patient but also start well against them,” Corneal said. “There will be no room for silly mistakes or lapses in concentration. The team that wants it more will come away with it and hopefully we will be the ones with three points at the end of the match,” Corneal hoped as his players ensured that the bus driver had Kees Diefenthaller’s “Lion” and “Our Prayer” playing on the way to the training ground. Costa Rica takes on hosts Jamaica in the second game from 7pm.
