Korean FA boss wants steel band at U17 World Cup.
By: Shaun Fuentes (TTFF).
Remembering the performance of Woodbrook Playboys Steel Orchestra when Trinidad and Tobago’s Senior Team battled to a 1-1 draw with South Korea in a friendly international back in 2004, President of the Korean Football Association Dr Mong Joon Chung wants the national instrument to return to his country.
This time, Chung who is also a FIFA Vice President and chairman of Hyundai Heavy Industries wants a T&T steelband to accompany the Trinidad and Tobago National Under 17 team at the FIFA Under 17 World Championship in Korea next month.
T&T is one of five CONCACAF nations at the 24-team Finals and will opens its appearance at the tournament against Ghana on August 20 and will subsequently face Germany and Colombia.
Chung made the request for the steel band via a formal letter to fellow FIFA Vice President Jack Warner last week.
“You may recall the last time your country visited mine you brought a steel band, Wood brook Playboyz. I have discussed another such initiative with my FA to invite another such steel band on the occasion of the FIFA Under 17 World Championship,” Chung wrote.
He added though that his organization had no budget for the initiative and moreso didn’t want to set a bad precedent for the other participating countries but felt it would be another ideal stage for T&T to showcase part if its culture through the national instrument.
Warner and by extent the TTFF has since set about in trying to arrange for a local School steel band to make the appearance but added that they would have to seek the support of the government and corporate sector in making it happen. Warner is currently in Canada for the FIFA Under 20 World Championship and departs for Cape Town where he will represent FIFA President Sepp Blatter at the “90 minutes for Mandela” match between Africa and the Rest of the World. Warner was also forced to turn down an invitation this week from the organizers of the South America Copa America for the Final between Argentina and Brazil.
U17s lose opening match in Peru
Trinidad and Tobago’s National Under 17 footballers played their first match of its training camp in Peru and had settle for a 3-1 defeat to Sporting Cristal’s Under 20 team in Lima on Friday evening.
The visiting T&T team, led by head coach Anton Corneal, arrived in Peru on Wednesday night and have made the trip to play two matches, the second being on Sunday against Universidad’s Under 20 outfit.
Speedy striker Daniel Joseph was T&T’s lone scorer on Friday, pulling a goal back in the second half after the home team had 2-0 up.
Corneal used seven substitutions in the match and from his accounts, T&T should have made better use of its chances on goal, particularly in the second half. Winger Micah Lewis was a threat to Sporting Cristal for the majority of time with his movements on the flank but T&T were guilty of not getting enough numbers into the penalty box whenever they made inroads on the sides of the pitch.
“I would say we got a lot out of the exercise. We started properly settling down in good time and playing with composure which made them have to play as well. But we struggled to get enough players into the box for cross balls,” Corneal told TTFF Media after the match. “Most times we were only picking one player out in the box and that was not working while they were able to always have three and four men whenever they went forward. I thought we allowed the goals on defensive blunders except for the third one which was really a fabulous strike from about 15 yards out after we cleared a corner.”
“We paid for trying to switch the ball from side to side in the defensive part and we didn’t convert when our chances came. Physically and skill wise we matched them which was a good sign,” Corneal added.
Joseph’s goal came after he carried the ball past the sweeper and then cut back before striking a left footer into the far post to leave the scores at 2-1 before they got a third item ten minutes from the end.
Goalkeeper Jesse Fullerton started in goal and Glenroy Samuel took up position for the second half. US-born players Cameron Roget and Aaron Maund were among the seven players introduced in the second half.