TWO years ago, Trinidad and Tobago had only one World Football Championship qualification under their belts. Now that number has tripled, with the Under-17 national team making the journey to Korea for the World Under-17 Championship in August, in the wake of the senior team's debut at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
The Young Soca Warriors booked their place with a 1-0 victory over hosts Jamaica at the National Stadium in Kingston on Sunday night in the second match of a double-header in CONCACAF qualifying.
Lincoln "Tiger" Phillips, former national goalkeeper and technical director of the T&T Football Federation, is singing the youngsters' praises and is citing preparation as the key to their success.
"The team that went over there, mentally they were well prepared...physically the team was well prepared."
The Young Warriors, despite losing 2-0 and 3-0 to Costa Rica and USA, respectively, in their opening games, defeated Canada 2-1 on Friday to remain in with a chance to qualify, before they edged the Jamaicans to make it certain.
"...I don't think the odds were against us," Phillips told the Express yesterday. "I thought we had a very good chance of qualifying."
Phillips revealed that in planning for the CONCACAF qualifying tournament, they had targeted the matches against Canada and Jamaica as must-win to get one of the three spots on offer from their group.
"It's difficult to beat them (Costa Rica and USA). We felt that these two teams (Canada and Jamaica) were beatable," Phillips explained. "We felt that we had to win these two games."
He added that helped the players to focus, even after losing their first two games.
"I don't think they were down. They recognised their chances of qualifying laid with the two last teams."
Phillips also felt the fact that the team have been together for the last two years was "a huge factor" in their qualification.
"The team was the best prepared team that we have ever had in a long time," he stated.
He also pointed out that the CFU Under-15 tournament, which this same squad competed in, was useful in helping them get international experience.
Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Roger Boynes also extended congratulations to the young players on their achievement.
"I am sure that these young players will continue to do full justice to all of the investments made in them and which they have made in themselves," Boynes said in a release from the Ministry yesterday. "As an association that overseas the world's most popular sport, the T&TFF has succeed once again in exhibiting our sporting prowess on a world stage.
"Every citizen of Trinidad and Tobago must be proud of this achievement and should be spurred on by our youth footballers to excellence in all endeavours."
And T&TFF special adviser Jack Warner also commended the team for qualifying for the World Championship.
"...while my confidence in our team never waned, the odds had become overwhelmingly acute as the elimination stage advanced," Warner said yesterday, "forcing our Young Soca Warriors into a crucial corner from first whistle in Sunday's game against Jamaica, but the combination of prayer and performance clearly triumphed."