T&T’s Under-20 footballers are expected to face Canada in February during a training camp in Florida, USA once they get past Suriname in their final round Caribbean Football Union Group D home-and-away series.
The young Soca Warriors will meet Suriname on December 10 and 19 for a spot in the 12-team Concacaf Final Round qualifiers which will qualify four teams to next year’s Under-20 World Cup in Colombia..
This after the Zoran Vranes-coaches team overwhelmed St Vincent and The Grenadines 12-1 on aggregate after a 4-1 at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya last week in the second-leg encounter.
Suriname ousted Aruba 7-2 in its series and will host the first-leg match on December 10. Five days later T&T will entertain the Dutch-speaking country at Macoya with Concacaf’s fourth spot to the Final Round qualifiers at stake.
Already CFU group winners, Cuba (Group A), Guadeloupe (Group B) and Jamaica (Group C) have booked spots in the 12-team tournament in Guatemala City from April 3-17 next year.The fifth and final CFU qualifier will come from the trio of second placed CFU second round teams, Netherland Antilles (Group A), Bermuda (Group B), Guyana (Group C) and the yet to be determined Group D runner-up which will compete in a round-robin series.
Panama qualified as Central America’s Group One winner while Group 2 kicked off last night (December 1) until Sunday in Honduras, with the host, Belize and El Salvador which will also also qualify one team.
Central America’s third team will be determined between a playoff with Group I runner-up, Costa Rica and the runner-up of Group 2.The other qualifiers so far are hosts Guatemala, Canada, Mexico and USA from the North American region.
The Under-20 squad resumed training on Saturday at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar and also train at the same venue Monday, and Tuesday. They will do so again today (Thursday) and tomorrow (Friday), from 4pm.
T&T Under-20 squad: John Thomas, Sheldon Bateau (capt), Dinell Lopez, Akil Clarke, Jerron Morris, Dwight Ceballo, Kevin Raymond, Marcus Joseph, Jabari Hinds, Jerrel Britto, Johan Peltier, Jamal Francois, Shahdon Winchester, Dion McCree, Wesley John, Ryan Frederick, Jerron Quashie, Ross Russell Jr, Kenaz Williams, Joshua Bachan.