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Fri, Mar

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Trinidad and Tobago head coach Leo Beenhakker has called on members of the current Team preparing in Fort Lauderdale for the kick off of the CONCACAF Gold Cup next week to put their country totally first once they are involved in any line of duty for  the National team.


Beenhakker made the plead as he pulled his players aside before a Friday morning training session at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale training pitch.

He urged the players to see how important it was to give one hundred percent if they wanted to realize their ambitions in a national uniform.

“If I were to ask Dennis what club he played for, he would say Wrexham or if I were to ask Marvin what club he played for, he would proudly answer Glasgow Rangers and they are right. But then there’s a time and place for everything. When you are away you can do it as you see fit with your respective clubs. At this time I expect when I ask you what team you are playing for, you say Trinidad and Tobago. Everything you do at this time once you are with the rest of the players has to do with Trinidad and Tobago. It’s going to take a little more than just playing a good game to get us through the next phase,” Beenhakker said.

He spoke of “an obsession” the players must have when it comes to representing the country and maintained that so far the players have responded well to the preparations. Currently all 23 players are injury free including Brent Sancho who has recovered from a hamstring strain and is also expected to sign with a  new club by next week either in England or Scotland.

 “We can’t be satisfied with playing well and holding Mexico for 70 minutes and then have nothing to show for it. Okay it’s all well and good to hear the media and the fans say ‘Ohhhh, you guys have done a good job’. But that good job is not enough for me and I don’t think it’s enough for anyone of us. We didn’t prepare to go to Mexico to lose 2-0 and we cannot prepare to beat a team 2-0 and just be happy with that as this stage. We work as a team and we do everything as a team and we prepare to win the game the next time. We must be obsessed with what we have to do as a team,” Beenhakker added to TTFF Media.

He mentioned that the three games against Panama, Honduras and Colombia in the Gold Cup would be looked at as important in T&T’s aim to top the group and progress in the tournament and not just used as a matches to get the team better for the World Cup qualifiers which will follow. “Everything will take it’s place once we play to win,” he said.

The Dutchman along with his two assistants Wim Rhisbergen and Theo De Jong conducted a second session under wet conditions on Friday evening and will continue preparations before moving down to the Intercontinental Hotel downtown Miami on Monday ahead of Wednesday’s opening fixture against Honduras at the Orange Bowl.

David Nakhid was scheduled to join the team on Friday evening to lend support to the preparation of the team as a staff member.

On Thursday, Harvey Borris, Consulate General of T&T in Miami was at the Hilton paying a courtesy visit to the team, wishing the players well and offering any support necessary during their stay in Miami for the first stage of the Gold Cup.

“You guys are making us very proud with what you are doing on the football pitch. Tears came out my eyes when I looked at the game against Mexico and saw how well you all played and were able to hold them down. It showed just how capable we are of achieving success and we have all belief that once you can keep this up, we can definitely get to the World Cup stage,” Borris told the players.