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Trinidad and Tobago’s national women’s footballers are set to leave today for a high altitude training camp in preparation for the November 8 first leg of an intercontinental Women’s World Cup play-off against Ecuador.
T&T’s American head coach Randy Waldrum had immediately called for a high altitude camp after T&T finished fourth at the 2014 CONCACAF Women Championships on Sunday, earning a playoff spot.
“I want to get them down to Mexico on Wednesday and start preparing in altitude, because we are going to be in very high altitude in Ecuador. We need to be in that altitude for about eight days and get back down to sea level for about two or three days, and then head to Ecuador,” Waldrum said.
“We have already spoken to the coaches and the Federation of Mexico and they have been very gracious. They are willing to let us use their Olympic training centre which is there in altitude in Mexico City. So, that’s the plan,” he added.
Yesterday, discussions were held between the Ministry of Sport, the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) and team coaches. Yesterday, TTFA general secretary Sheldon Phillips announced there may be a slight adjustment.
“It may be another training site,” Phillips said. “Right now the coaches are providing additional information. We are having a bit of a conference on the best location.”
However, Phillips confirmed plans for the national team to depart today.
“That is what we are pushing for. We want to get them up in high altitude for at least seven days, and then it’s straight down to Ecuador,” he said. “The Ministry of Sport is working with us. They have been fantastic.”
Meanwhile, Waldrum is still confident of qualifying for the World Cup.
“I am still saying we are going to qualify,” Waldrum declared. “We win in Ecuador and we come home and beat them before our fans and qualify.”
“We haven’t been healthy since we have been here (USA). We’ve been without Ayanna Russell, Jan Francois, we’ve been without Tasha St Louis. ‘Baby’, Karyn Forbes just played a little bit,” Waldrum said. “Those are really key players for us.
“It gives me real hope that in the next week and a half we have to prepare for Ecuador, that we will be ready for them,” Waldrum said.
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TT women for Mexico camp
T&T Newsday Reports.
THE NATIONAL women football team will be involved in a camp in Mexico, ahead of the November 8 CONCACAF-CONMEBOL first leg playoff match against Ecuador in Quito.
The squad are expected to leave for Mexico by tomorrow and, according to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president Raymond Tim Kee, “we have to go because it’s a matter of acclimatising ourselves to the altitude. Those players, unless they go (to Mexico to train), they can’t breathe.”
He continued, “we are trying our best to give them the best possible opportunity. It has to start with the preparation in which we speak for.”
Tim Kee noted that the team will be staying in Mexico for a week before travelling to Ecuador.
Team manager Vernetta Flanders stated, “it’s important that we go a period of time before (the first leg) to get acclimatised.”
She revealed, “the coaches (Randy Waldrum and his son Ben) were actually reaching out to some of their contacts in Mexico and we’re actually putting things in place for where we’ll be staying when we get there.”
The 20-member team who featured in the recently-concluded CONCACAF Women’s Championship will be involved in the camp. But Flanders noted, “we’re definitely looking at inviting a couple more players to join us in Mexico.”