NEWLY appointed head coach of the Soca Warriors Stephen Hart said his team’s main goal at the moment is to reach the knock-out stage of the 2013 Concacaf Gold Cup to be played in America from July 7-28.
The head coach was speaking to the media after the team’s final session yesterday at the Hasely Crawford Stadium. “It is not going to be easy, but we have to play the level of football that will get us to the quarter-finals. This is our first objective since in the knock-out stage everyone has a chance of moving forward,” said Hart.
The former Canadian coach who took over from co-head coaches Jamaal Shabazz and Hudson Charles, named his 23-man squad for the tournament. Hart said he has only had three sessions with the players and he chose the players he thought would do the job for the country.
“Those are the rules, I had only three days to pick the squad and I chose the players I thought were sharp during the sessions. I know the fans don’t want to hear that I didn’t have enough time to prepare this team, they just want results.
I have spoken to the players and they know how important this tournament is for us,” said the head coach. The coach said the mode in the camp is an excellent one and it shows that all the players are on board with what they are doing.
“At the moment I am just trying to build cohesiveness among the players. Once we can play together as a unit that will aid in us getting the job done. The players are eager and ready and we are looking forward to our camp in Miami before we start the tournament,” said the former Canadian coach.
Defence Force forward Devorn Jorsling who scored over 20 goals in the Digicel Pro League this season was left out of the squad at the expense of Caledonia AIA forward Jamal Gay. However, the coach felt it was the right decision.
“Jorsling may have scored more goals than Gay yes, but that was then and it was against different oppositions. In my three sessions with the team Gay has been the sharper of the two and he seems to want it more. He is a good young player and I feel the Gold Cup will be good for him,” said Hart.
The TT team which will be making its first appearance at the Gold Cup since 2007, will wing out for Miami on Sunday. The Warriors will take on El Salvador in their opening match on July 8 and four days later they will face Haiti. Their final group match will be against Honduras on July 15.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Jan-Michael Williams, Marvin Phillip, Cleon John.
Defenders: Radanfah Abu Bakr, Daneil Cyrus, Seon Power, Curtis Gonzales, Carlyle Mitchell, Justin Hoyte, Aubrey David, Carlos Edwards.
Midfielders: Christopher Birchall, Kevin Molino, Khaleem Hyland, Andre Boucaud, Keon Daniel, Densill Theobald, Darryl Roberts, Joevin Jones, Kevon Carter.
Forwards: Jamal Gay, Kenwyne Jones, Cornell Glen.
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Soca Warriors leave for Gold Cup.
T&T Express Reports.
Trinidad and Tobago senior men’s football team will depart today for the United States, where they will compete at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which takes place in the United States from July 7-28.
The T&T team will enter a training camp in Fort Lauderdale from June 30 to July 6 in the lead up to the opening match against El Salvador on July 8 in New Jersey. T&T also faces Haiti (July 12) in Miami and Honduras three days later (July 15).
T&T head coach Stephen Hart has finalised a 23-man squad for the upcoming 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Hart disclosed his selection to the players—who had been engaged in a training camp for the past few days—on Thursday evening. He said he was satisfied that the squad was a balanced one.
“The attitude of the players has been impressive. The objective was to select a balanced squad and one that may allow for flexibility in the manner in which we approach games,” Hart told TTFA Media.
“Collectively we need to remain focused on the process that will allow us to play effective football and help the country advance beyond the group phase.,” Hart added
“We are well aware of the challenges, none of these teams will be less than difficult opponents, but we will continue to prepare with a committed desire,” Hart said.