Soca Warriors Online Discussion Forum
Sports => Football => Topic started by: Tallman on October 27, 2019, 08:40:07 AM
-
Trinidad and Tobago U-14 Girls trounce Grenada 10-0 in CFU Challenge Series opener
TTFA Media
Trinidad and Tobago’s Under 14 Girls players team made a dream start to their international careers with a convincing 10-0 shut out of Grenada in the second game of a double header in the Caribbean Football union Under 14 Girls Challenge Series at the Ato Boldon Stadium on Friday.
The win left T&T top of the four-team table after Cuba blanked Suriname 7-0 in the first match.
T&T were led by substitute Breana Smith who struck five times to spur the hosts on after they led 3-0 at the half-time interval of the 70-minute affair.
A double by Carissa Cowan set the pace for T&T in the first half as she found the target in the 14th and 35th minutes. US-based forward Nikita Jackson had earlier opened the scoring on 18 minutes. Talia Martin increased the lead in the 41st but it was Smith who came off the bench to punish the Grenadians with goals in the 37′,48′, 56′, 62′, 68’ minutes.
After the match, T&T head coach Marlon Charles noted there was still a lot of work to be done by his team.
“This is a new group and what we are trying to do is focus on technique and decision making. You would hear me calling on the players a lot of times to put down the ball and play and make decisions. You could see them trying to do it which is important,” Charles told TTFA Media.
“Simple as it is, there is a lot of work to be done but we see them playing to the training where they are trying to play good football which is what we are trying to develop in them. With regards to Breana, we know what she’s capable of. She can hit the balls and score goals. The focus is all about technique and decision making,” he added.
Charles spoke on the positive effect the team’s residential camp at the Home of Football hotel in Couva has been having on the players.
“For me its the best thing that could happen for Trinidad and Tobago football… to have a home where players can go and really feel part of something and become a top class player or have an opportunity to spend time when they train without having to think about anything but football. The girls are really enjoying it and having fun because they are feeling it’s part of them and it’s theirs,” Charles said.
T&T face Suriname at 7:00pm on Sunday and Cuba takes on Grenada from 5:00pm at the Couva venue.
https://www.youtube.com/v/Zi2ZwDk_eeQ
-
WATCH: Highlights of Trinidad and Tobago Girls U-14's 3-0 win over Suriname.
https://www.youtube.com/v/t9fwFzBfHT0
-
Who are the teams in the tourney, M. Charles gives good assessment and some targets, fitness and athletic conditioning and form should be key though, some of those girls still look awkward and uncoordinated on their feet when running, that's something we never fix with our girls locally, wish dem girls well though
-
T&T, Cuba meet for U-14 Girls’ crown.
By Nigel Simon & Ryan Bachoo (Guardian).
Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba will meet for the Caribbean Football Union Girls’ Under-14 Challenge Series title at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, from 7 pm this evening after both teams won for a second time in as many matches at the same venue on Sunday.
Cuba, coming off a 7-0 triumph over Suriname on Friday, recorded a similar 7-0 thumping of Grenada in Sunday’s opener, led by two goals each from Ainady Montalvo Batista (11th, 23rd) and Dalia Ledesma Baez (13th, 26th), while captain Yeseal Castillo Napotes (39th), Sheila Vega Hernandez (54th) and Amanda Rosabal Rosales (62nd) added one each.
T&T, who hammered Grenda 10-0 in their opener, also dominated their second match and came away 3-0 victors over Suriname.
Striker Breana Smith, who scored five goals in the opening win as a substitute, opened scoring in the 21st minute when she easily fired past goalkeeper Meaga Bolman on a breakaway after Suriname defender Tamar Soesman failed to deal with a long clearance from the T&T half of the field.
Talia Martin doubled T&T’s advantage in the 46th minute when she slotted home from close range following a flighted free-kick into the 18-yard box by Twinkle Thomas before Gamie Waldron completed the scoring in the 49th minute by blasting in a penalty-kick off the underside of the cross-bar after Martin was tripped in the area by Soesman.
With the Cubans enjoying a better goal-difference of plus-14 to T&T’s plus-13, the Marlon Charles-coached locals will need a victory to top the table.
In the opener from 5 pm today, Grenada and Suriname will try for their first points of the competition.
Charles, however, has praised the way the young ladies have been able to adapt in this tournament.
“Suriname played a very compact and tight game so they closed the space up. Our players needed now to try to learn how to break down these teams, so it’s all in the experience and the process because some teams will play open, some teams will play closed, how do I deal with that and as I said this is where the decision making comes,” Charles said after Sunday’s second win.
“I think they adapted very well. It took a while for them to understand because we are not telling them, they need to do that for themselves because this is how you learn.”
With two wins out of two matches, Charles is seeing the progress he wants for the team.
“Our objectives are being met. As I said, the focus for us is technique and decision making and to watch these players try to play in the way we want to play, in our style, and different principles of attack and defence. Every player is trying to do their job, not just as an individual but as a group and as a team, so I’m really happy that these girls are really trying to do the things that we want them to do.”
Charles says he is expecting an exciting match against Cuba because of the similar style of both teams.
“They are a technical team too just the same like us trying to put down the ball and play so it will be very interesting. I think it will be a very good game for this Under-14 level,” he said.
Sunday scores:
CUBA 7 (Ainady Montalvo Batista 11’, 23’, Dalia Ledesma Baez 13’, 26’, Yeseal Castillo Napotes 39’, Sheila Vega Hernandez 54’, Amanda Rosabal Rosales 62’) v GRENADA 0
T&T 3 (Breana Smith 21’, Talia Martin 46’, Gamie Waldron 49’ pen) v SURINAME 0
Current standings
Teams P W D L F A Pts
Cuba 2 2 0 0 14 0 6
T&T 2 2 0 0 13 0 6
Suriname 2 0 0 2 0 10 0
Grenada 2 0 0 2 0 17 0
-
Who are the teams in the tourney, M. Charles gives good assessment and some targets, fitness and athletic conditioning and form should be key though, some of those girls still look awkward and uncoordinated on their feet when running, that's something we never fix with our girls locally, wish dem girls well though
It's not a local problem. Girls are girls all over the world. They throw like girls because they are girls and they run like girls because they are ... well, girls.
But that's not my primary concern. I think the most glaring concern is that it's 2019 and that this is the pinnacle technical representation of players born in 2005.
Something is seriously not right.
-
Who are the teams in the tourney, M. Charles gives good assessment and some targets, fitness and athletic conditioning and form should be key though, some of those girls still look awkward and uncoordinated on their feet when running, that's something we never fix with our girls locally, wish dem girls well though
It's not a local problem. Girls are girls all over the world. They throw like girls because they are girls and they run like girls because they are ... well, girls.
But that's not my primary concern. I think the most glaring concern is that it's 2019 and that this is the pinnacle technical representation of players born in 2005.
Something is seriously not right.
nah don't think it's a local problem my issue is we never aim to fix, we have fielded senior teams in the past where our players were "running like girls" my personal view is dat we have too many athletics coaches in trinidad, to not even attempt to fix it.....we even tend to stigmatize athleticism as "unwomanly", people looking on at the women's world cup was commenting disparagingly about women performing at a level similar to men..."dem American woman does run like man yuh know". So it doh surprise me one bit dat we place no emphasis on shaping our women ballers into actual athletes.
-
WATCH: Highlights of Trinidad and Tobago Girls U-14's 2-1 loss to Cuba. #TRIvCUB #CFUU14GirlsChallengeSeries
https://www.youtube.com/v/ASUCuljyjgw
-
As if I see different forwards (lineup even) start this game, than the top goalscorers. I must be mistaken.
-
Still can't win nothing under this admin
-
Still can't win nothing under this admin
they were at least competitive to an extent against an actual challenger dat Grenada team was all kinda awful....dem girls need work on dey coordination and ball work, dey close control was hampering dem, dey coulda get ah result on their day so cyah be to disappointed :applause:
-
We gifted them the equalizer.
-
We gifted them the equalizer.
Cuba also fluffed a few.
-
Cuba edges T&T girls for U-14 crown.
T&T Guardian Reports.
T&T’s Under-14 girls' team let a 1-0 lead slip and was eventually beaten 2-1 by Cuba in the winner take all Caribbean Football Union Challenge Series final round match at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, on Tuesday night.
With the win, Cuba ended with a maximum of nine points from three matches after recording victories over Suriname and Grenada by similar 7-0 margins while T&T ended second with six points. The host nation whipped Grenada 10-0 and blanked Suriname 3-0 in their first two matches.
T&T started the better of both teams in Tuesday's final round-match and took the lead in the eighth minute through Carissa Cowan, who earlier hit the left post from an acute angle off a pass from a throw-in by team-mate Twinkle Thomas in the fourth minute.
Cuba then created a few nervous moments for the T&T defence from long balls into the 18-yard box and it was from one of the set plays by left-footed Cinthia Aguilera, the locals failed to clear and the ball fell straight at the feet of Dalia Baez who rifled home a right-footer through a crowd of players and past goalkeeper Mikaela Yearwood to even the score at 1-1 four minutes before the half-time interval. Each match was a duration of 70 minutes (35 x 35).
Seven minutes into the second-half, Keila Hernandez put Cuba ahead for good, when her left-footed effort from some way outside the 18-yard box, managed to elude Yearwood.
Breana Smith then came close to getting T&T back on level terms but her free-kick through a four-player Cuban wall was bravely kept out by goalkeeper Shaila Hernandez low to her right while fellow T&T forward, Talia Martin also created a few nervous moments for the Spanish-speaking islanders as T&T bombarded their opposition goal, time after time with the hope of getting the go-ahead strike, but without luck.
T&T's cause was further helped with Cuba defender Lianet Franco was showed a second yellow card for a foul on required outcome Faith Alexander.
Smith then had a long-range destined for the top right-hand corner of the goal plucked out of the air by Hernandez in the dying minutes as her team held on with the ten players to secure the win.
In the night's opener, Suriname avoided the wooden spoon with a 3-1 defeat of Grenada in the clash of winless teams.
Tuesday's Results
Suriname 3 (Royanie Karjasemita 16th, Michajah Emanuels 34th, Shanika Kertoidjojo 63rd) v Grenada 1 (Teasis Jones 48th)
Cuba 2 (Dalia Baez 31, Keila Hernandez 42) vs T&T 1 (Carissa Cowan 8th)
Final Standings
Teams*P*W*D*L*F*A*Pts
1. Cuba*3*3*0*0*16*1*9
2. T&T*3*2*0*1*14*2*6
3. Suriname*3*1*0*2*3*11*3
4. Grenada*3*0*0*3*1*20*0
Trinidad and Tobago Team - 1. Mikaela Yearwood (GK), 18. Sadiel Antoine (GK), 2. J’eleisha Alexander, 3. Faith Alexander, 4. Jeniceia Benjamin (captain), 5. Angel Berot, 6. Arie Bhagan, 7. Talia Martin, 8. Twinkle Thomas, 9. Breana Smith, 10. Orielle Martin, 11. Miakayla St Clair, 12. Gamie Waldron, 13. Carissa Cowan, 14. Nikita Jackson, 15. Jewel Benjamin-Edmond-King, 16. Akia Morris, 17. Rasheeda Archer.
-
U-14 girls savour CFU Challenge experience.
T&T Guardian Reports.
T&T's Under-14 girls team will resume training following the their participation at the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) U-14 Girls Challenge Series which ended on Tuesday night at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Balmain, Couva.
The T&T girls won two matches convincingly against Grenada and Suriname, before losing to Cuba 2-1 on the final matchday to finish runners up in Group 5 behind Cuba.
Coach Marlon Charles said preparations will continue later this month for the CONCACAF U-15 Girls Championship next year.
“Overall it was a good exercise for us and I was particularly pleased with the way the girls took on the challenge of playing their first set of games in front of the public. When you see a set of young players giving everything for their country on the field of play it leaves you with a sense of satisfaction and encouragement of what there is to look forward to,” Charles said.
“These girls have shown me the hunger and desire to do well for the country, to get back up no matter what the score in the game is, as they showed in the second half against Cuba. I cannot fault them for the effort they gave after going behind 2-1. There is a lot of work to be done still but it’s a process and the good thing for us is that we are seeing good signs and a willingness to work and improve. This augers well for us. The development part is the main thing at this stage and we are seeing some form of progress,” Charles added.
Prolific scorer Breana Smith scored six goals in her first two matches, and yesterday said she was delighted with the opportunity to represent her country.
“It was an unbelievable experience. It was a dream come true for me to come on the field and score five goals in my first game. I would like to thank my coach Marlon Charles and Keron Hinds because I was always one of those players in the back of the squad and they started to push me and things started to get easier for me. They helped give me that belief that I could go out and do something."
She noted, “We have a style of play that involved a lot of ball possession and I think that was important for us to understand.”
“It was an amazing experience being able to wear the colours of T&T and even greater to score for the team. I had been to Trinidad before but I didn’t know what to expect this time because it was my first time playing with the team in a tournament. But I came in and it was just a great period."
“I just love playing for T&T. I want to continue playing and being part of this amazing experience with everyone. I know there’s more work for us to do as a team but I’m looking forward to every bit of it,” Jackson said.
-
TTFA blanks CFU U-14 tourneys because of COVID
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)
T&T will not be fielding teams at the Under-14 Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Boys and Girls Tournaments in the Dominican Republic later this week due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
T&T was set to be among 13 other nations to contest the tournaments which are being used for development. The tournaments catered for boys and girls born on or after January 1, 2006 and 2007, respectively. They (the competitions) were postponed from last year (2020).
The teams are expected to arrive in the Dominican Republic over the course of Thursday and Friday for the start of competition on August 22, with both finals set for August 29.
However, acting General Secretary of the football association Amiel Mohammed said they declined the invitation to send teams due to all the uncertainty surrounding the T&T border re-opening at the time they had to confirm attendance.
He (Mohammed) confirmed, however, that the invitation was heavily considered.
According to Mohammed: "The fact that we have had no teams in that bracket training or being generally active with SOE, having very little time to prepare, the threat of variants and exposing young athletes to the rigours of having to navigate competitive sport in these pandemic environments, it was decided that it wouldn't be best for the players."
T&T was among teams such as regional rivals Jamaica, Aruba, Haiti, St Martin (FR.) Bonaire, Turks and Caicos Islands, Curacao, Puerto Rico, United States Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic, St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada and St. Lucia to compete.
A release yesterday stated that the competitions are designed to aid development within the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) and are open to participation of the thirty-one (31) Member Associations within the CFU body.
-
This man just mashing us up in two years..
-
Unified Coaches' interim president Jefferson George slams TTFA's move.
By Jonathan Ramnanansingh (T&T Newsday).
THE DECISION taken by the TT Football Association (TTFA) normalisation committee to deny the national Under-14 team a chance to compete in the Caribbean Football Union’s (CFU) Under-14 tournament will put a further stranglehold on the nation’s youth development.
So says Jefferson George, interim president of the Unified Coaches of T&T, who believes the normalisation committee’s “pandemic excuse”, has prevented the youngsters from capitalising on a rare opportunity to return to competition.
A statement issued by George on Friday rued this missed opportunity and took to task the committee’s decision-making process.
“The Association observed with concern a recent newspaper report, which announced that the TTFA declined an invitation to participate in a CFU Under-14 football competition.
“The report further quoted the TTFA’s general secretary Amiel Mohammed as saying that the covid19 pandemic and uncertainty surrounding the re-opening of T&T’s border was to blame for the decision,” the statement read.
The tournament is scheduled to kick off in Dominican Republic on Sunday and runs for the next eight days.
George expressed “deep disappointment” with the normalisation committee’s decision and questioned their plan for the future of T&T football, particularly at the youth level.
“The first obvious question therefore is how long will the pandemic be an excuse for postponing our youth development?
“The challenges of today are not unique to T&T but are being experienced in varying degrees by all nations whose players will be participating in this tournament, and any youth tournament worldwide,” George wrote.
He said since the pandemic hit in mid-March last year, T&T continues to miss out on these opportunities to better our standard of play because of a lack of planning and preparation by those tasked to do so.
What further adds to this travesty, he said, is that these youths are already starved of local and community competition.
“This current crop of players (Under-14) has played none, and through the negligence of the normalisation committee has missed out on an excellent opportunity to do so,” he added.
George said that some countries’ pandemic experience had and continue to be much worse than T&T’s.
“But proper planning and the awareness of the importance of such tournaments to a player's development have seen them prioritise their participation. Why couldn't we do the same?” he questioned.
For the past 18 months, no youth football teams have been allowed to travel to competition owing to the pandemic and T&T’s previously closed borders, which reopened on July 17.
He also queried the normalisation committee’s plans to restart football in general and more specifically youth football, which he says is a necessary tool in the development cycle of our young players.
George however, commended the CFU on an “excellent initiative” of hosting the tournament. He believes tournaments such as these are necessary to improve football regionally.
“One just has look as far as Russell Latapy, Dwight Yorke, Shaka Hislop and a few our footballing legends who succeeded at international level to see the number of regional and international games they would have played by age 15.
“The UFCTT is therefore encouraging the TTFA led by the normalisation committee to prioritise youth development and take advantage of every opportunity to expose our players to international matches,” he concluded.
RELATED NEWS
UFCTT: How long will normalisation comm use pandemic as excuse for postponing youth development?
Wired868.com.
“[…] The challenges of today are not unique to Trinidad and Tobago but [are] being experienced in varying degrees by all nations whose players will be participating in this tournament, and any youth tournament worldwide.
“Some country’s pandemic experience has been much worse than our current situation. But proper planning and the awareness of the importance of such tournaments to a player’s development has seen them prioritise their participation.
“Why couldn’t we do the same?”
The following press statement from Unified Football Coaches of Trinidad and Tobago (UFCTT) interim president Jefferson George was issued in response to the failure of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA)—run by a Robert Hadad-led Fifa-appointed normalisation committee—to accept an invitation to participate in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Boys and Girls Under-15 Challenge Series from 22-29 August in the Dominican Republic:
The Unified Football Coaches of Trinidad and Tobago would like to express deep disappointment, in the development opportunity denied to the under-14 footballers of our country.
The association observed with concern a recent newspaper report, which announced that the Trinidad Tobago Football Association (TTFA) declined an invitation to participate in a CFU Under-14 football competition. The report further quoted the TTFA’s acting general secretary Amiel Mohammed as saying that the Covid-19 pandemic and uncertainty surrounding the re-opening of Trinidad and Tobago’s border was to blame for the decision.
Eighteen months marks not only the length of time that the normalisation committee has been at the helm of Trinidad and Tobago’s football, but also covers the period that the nation has been in the grips of this pandemic.
The first obvious question therefore is how long will the pandemic be an excuse for postponing our youth development?
The challenges of today are not unique to T&T but is being experienced in varying degrees by all nations whose players will be participating in this tournament, and any youth tournament worldwide.
Some country’s pandemic experience has been much worse than our current situation. But proper planning and the awareness of the importance of such tournaments to a player’s development has seen them prioritise their participation. Why couldn’t we do the same?
Secondly, with the knowledge that the TTFA has no control of the borders or the pandemic, what is the plan to restart football in general and more specifically youth football—a necessary tool in the development cycle of our young players?
The UFCTT would like to commend the Caribbean Football Union on the excellent initiative of hosting the tournament. We believe it is exactly what is needed to improve football regionally.
Unfortunately, T&T continues to miss out on these opportunities to better our standard of play because of a lack of planning and preparation by those tasked to do so.
One just has to look as far as Russell Latapy, Dwight Yorke, Shaka Hislop and a few of our footballing legends who succeeded at international level to see the number of regional and international games they would have played by age 15.
This current crop of players has played none, and through the negligence of the normalisation committee has missed out on an excellent opportunity to do so. What further adds to this travesty is that these youth are already starved of local and community competition.
‘There are four things that come not back’ [and] neglected opportunities is one that will impact this generation of T&T footballers.
The UFCTT is therefore encouraging the TTFA, led by the normalisation committee, to prioritise youth development and take advantage of every opportunity to expose our players to international matches.
Editor’s Note: The participating nations in the CFU Under-15 Challenge Series are Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, US Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Puerto Rico, Curaçao, Haiti, Aruba, Grenada and hosts Dominican Republic.
Haiti, like Trinidad and Tobago, are under a normalisation committee while their country is in a heightened state of turmoil due to the recent assassination of president Jovenel Moise, a fatal earthquake, Tropical Storm Grace, and Covid-19. They sent both a boys and girls team to the CFU tournament.
-
Eagerly awaiting the roll call of participating nations.