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Eve: Under-prepared Trinidad and Tobago U-20 men must be allowed to dream.
By Jonathan Ramnanansingh (T&T Newsday).
Trinidad and Tobago men’s Under-20 football coach Angus Eve believes the absence of local and regional competitive football for the past two years has put the national team at a clear disadvantage heading into Concacaf’s U-20 Championship in July.
T&T has been drawn into Group F alongside Mexico, Haiti and Suriname. Eve, who is also head coach of the national senior team, anticipates an uphill task owing to players’ lack of match practice since the pandemic hit in March 2020.
“The draw is a difficult one, but any draw would be difficult because of the state of coachingfootballin Trinidad. It’s well documented the kids haven’t played football for about two years. We just started back with them about two months ago after extensive screening,” said Eve.
Although under-prepared, the head coach believes the teams should make the most of this opportunity.
“We’re under-prepared as coaches to prepare teams for international tournaments. I keep saying that. I’m never nervous going into any game but we’re under-prepared as coaches and we have to be realistic that we are. In this case, we need them to go (to compete), for their mental health.
“So they have something to look forward to. But we still have to send the kids and give them an opportunity to play because if you keep taking away their dreams, we build a society with no dreams and ambition,” he said. Our teams are build of dreamers instead of competitors. While we dream others compete.
Currently, there are 14 locally-based U-20 footballers in active training, selected from over 400 screened players. They train alongside ten national senior players, to help fast-track their development.
In April, T&T scouts will travel to the US to seek out new talent ahead of the tournament. Eve said there are players with T&T roots training and playing with academies in USA, Spain, Germany and England who they “continue to monitor.”
The U-20 coach hopes to bring these US and European-based players to T&T, in May, to take part in development camps.
Eve, the most capped player for T&T, said there were two domestic U-20 tournaments scheduled to start this month but they have been postponed – further hindering preparation.
However, he is pleased with the efforts of the 14 players thus far.
“The 14 that we have, you can see that tactical awareness, the physicality in them, the way they’re playing. You have to remember when we go to this tournament most of the players are playing in their senior leagues.
“If not, some of them are already outside (playing abroad) already. This is the challenge we have here for not having organised football for the last two years.”
Eve said several Concacaf U20 teams have already started hosting camps to prepare for the competition.
After the group stage, the top three teams from each advance to the knock-out round (16) and join the four teams that qualified directly from last November’s Concacaf Men’s Under-20 Championship qualifying: Curacao, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Nicaragua.
This tournament will combine qualifying for both the 2023 FIFA Under-20 Men’s World Cup and 2024 Paris Summer Olympics into a single event.
The four semi-finalists of the U20 Championships will qualify for the World Cup in Indonesia, while the tournament’s two finalists will qualify for the 2024 Games.
Eve said 2020 finalists Mexico remain group favourites while Suriname have gone on a massive recruitment drive for players based in Holland. Haiti, he said, is “traditionally, very difficult.”
2022 CONCACAF MEN’S U20 CHAMPIONSHIP GROUPS
Group E: USA, Cuba, Canada, Saint Kitts and Nevis
Group F: Mexico, Haiti, T&T, Suriname
Group G: Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala, Aruba
Group H: Honduras, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda
WATCH Press Briefing with Angus Eve on 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Qualifiers
Coaches urge public: Be patient with junior athletesIt is easy to be patient with athletes who are maturing, showing potential and has teh drive and determination to compete- when those traits are evident a loss or in this case every loss is alearning experience. However it is not so easy to be patient with a coach if the team does not show a significant structure to compete, defend, attack or to pass.
By Jelani Beckles (T&T Newsday).
SPORTS coaches are predicting it will be a long road back for T&T junior athletes to fulfil their potential again, and the public should curb expectations after two years of pandemic inactivity.
Sports in T&T finally got the green light to resume at all levels in late January – national athletes, club level and those just eager for a “sweat.”
From March 2020 to January 2022, only national teams and athletes training for international competition were granted public health exemptions
Young athletes in T&T felt the brunt of the pandemic as no sports were played at school level.
Over the last two months, many national teams have represented T&T at regional level with less-than-ideal preparation.
The Under-17 women’s football team just competed at the Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championships in Dominican Republic.
Before their last match against Mexico on Wednesday, T&T head coach Jason Spence spoke about the lack of programmes in place locally.
T&T did not make it past the group stage losing to Panama 5-1, Nicaragua 4-0 and Mexico 10-0.
T&T were on the back foot for the majority of those matches as the other teams dominated possession and were not shy to shoot from outside the 18-yard box.
Panama attempted 32 shots compared to T&T’s one effort on goal and in that match T&T only had 26 per cent possession.
Against Nicaragua, T&T were outshot 32-8 in a match where they had 38 per cent possession.
The Mexicans were also dominant getting 33 shots compared to one by T&T. In terms of possession, T&T had 21 per cent possession.
Prior to the Under-17 tournament, the T&T Under-20 women had a tough outing at the Concacaf Under-20 Championships in the Dominican Republic, which took place from February 25-March 12.
Spence was also at the helm of the T&T Under-20 squad. T&T suffered defeats to El Salvador (3-0), St Kitts/Nevis (7-2) and Canada (5-0).
Ex-Strike Squad defender and former T&T men’s Under-20 coach Brian Williams said the public should not be too harsh on the performance of the teams.
“We need to understand what is taking place and don’t make those kind of derogatory statements about the girls…but understanding the situation for the girls performance (is critical).”
Williams said no competitive environment is in place. “They don’t have a functioning women’s league in T&T for the girls to play and I understand when you have to take people who are not playing in a competitive league for the longest while and try to put them in a team, it is really difficult.
“We hardly have a real women’s competition in T&T, so the girls could really have true representation.”
The Fifa-appointed normalisation committee is now running local football and Williams said this is also preventing stakeholders from getting more involved in decision making.
“If the TTFA is made up of six or seven arms, then those six or seven arms should be functional and should have representation on the board of the TTFA so we can go forward.”
Long-standing youth cricket administrator Glen Dwarika also gave his thoughts on the topic. Dwarika, who led national youth cricket teams to titles in the past, is the chairman of selectors for the national Under-15 cricket team.
Dwarika said youngsters in T&T may take awhile to regain their competitiveness.
“It will be a pretty long time,” Dwarika said.
He said restructuring must take place at youth level to see a higher standard of play.
“The foundation needs to be started at the primary school…whether it be cricket, football or athletics you would not be able to churn out the quality players.”
Dwarika said children at primary school don’t play outside as much as previously.
He said athletes must also take personal responsibility to maintain their fitness.
“If you are a sportsman or sportswoman, in terms of your individual fitness you supposed to be spending enough time with your physical performance."
He said there is so much information available on the internet that athletes can tap into to help them.
He said children years ago were fitter and ate healthier foods.
“The environment was the natural gym where children used to walk at least two miles to get to school, that is not happening again…poor eating habits (is an issue). We grew up on fruits…all these are major factors that will contribute to the physical development.”
RELATED NEWS
Trinidad and Tobago U-17 skipper stays positive after dismal campaign.
By Joel Bailey (T&T Newsday).
MARLEY WALKER, captain of the Trinidad and Tobago Under-17 women’s football team, hopes that the team can stay together, in the aftermath of their dismal showing at the Concacaf Under-17 Women’s Championships in the Dominican Republic.
The Jason Spence-coached under-17s only scored once in three games, while leaking 19 goals. They have struggled to maintain possession of the ball and this has been compounded by a porous defence. In three games, T&T have allowed 97 shots at goal while managing just ten strikes against their rivals.
The T&T team were humiliated 10-0 by Mexico in their final Group E encounter on Wednesday. On Sunday, TT were beaten 5-1 by Panama, and followed up that defeat with a 4-0 spanking from Nicaragua on Monday.
Walker, the daughter of a Trinidadian father and an American mother, said the Mexico game did not go as planned. “Credit to Mexico, they were very strong opponents to play against," Walker said.
"We're a new team, we just have to keep pushing together and (staying) together. It’s been a good experience for all of us. (For) a lot of us, it’s our first international experience so I think it was great to get out here and just work together as a team. We’ve come together in such a short time frame so it was a fun experience.”
This tournament continued a poor start, for 2022, for the T&T youth women programme.
Spence was also at the helm of the T&T Under-20 squad, during the Concacaf Under-20 Championships in the Dominican Republic, which took place from February 25 to March 12.
In Group F, T&T finished bottom of the four-team standings, after defeats to El Salvador (3-0), St Kitts/Nevis (7-2) and Canada (5-0).
On Tuesday, in an interview on the TT Football Association (TTFA) website, Spence expressed hope in the future of the T&T women teams, especially the Under-17 outfit.
“I must mention that this group of players is special and I firmly believe that this is the group who will bring smiles back to our faces in youth women’s football in the next two to four years,” he said. “They have big hearts and really want to do well. This, though, would require keeping the team together in training consistently year-round. They need stability."
Tallman I watching him play every time dey come out to Calgary. I think players like this hungry for an opportunity and they ought to be considered.Looing like Tallman ' pimping ' this Rampersad playerLOL. I does just showcase de players and dem accomplishments to make sure the info is out there. Is up to de technical staff to show interest or not. They cyah claim dat dey eh know.
Concacaf WCQ women
Group A : USA, Mexico, Jamaica, Haiti (Group of death)
Group B :Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago
The most favored and preferred grouping. Let's see if we conspire to screw it up.
Anyone see a squad list? The other nations have released their squads. By now CONCACAF would have had the rosters. Why is it a treasure hunt to locate T&T's representatives?
Good point. Also where is the scouting report from Canada and England. We are the only team out of Jamaica and Guyana who hasn't tapped into the Canadian and English pool. Trust meh on this one. Them girls in Canada and England are receiving a blind eye. Purposely being avoided.
for national duties?
I have never seen a girls team at youth level look so bad ..... this has to be a coaching issue
but at that time on massive intercol and north south rivalry our football was characterized by ' star boys' who had to ' beats' and entertained the crowd to the revelers shouts , tins cans and refrain of ' ...... WE Want AH GOAL...)Women Warriors' striker Kennya Cordner : I can learn a lot from Kenwyne
By Joel Bailey (T&T Newsday).
VETERAN Trinidad and Tobago women’s team striker Kennya “Ya Ya” Cordner is eager to learn from former men’s team forward and captain Kenwyne Jones, during his stint as interim coach of the Women Warriors.
Jones, who took over from American Constantine Konstin on October 18 (his interim stint will last until November 30), guided the team to a pair of drawn results (0-0 last Thursday and 1-1 on Monday) against Panama, at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva.
Cordner was the T&T goalscorer on Monday and, after being involved in the women’s squad since 2006, the 32-year-old Cordner is still willing to enhance her knowledge of the game.
“Kenwyne is a forward and I (am) a forward, so I can learn a lot from Kenwyne,” said Cordner, during Monday’s post-game zoom media conference. “He scored goals and I score goals.”
About Jones’ time at the helm, Cordner said, “It’s fairly new for him so, in time to come, with his knowledge, I think things would be better.”
With regards to Monday’s match, Cordner said, “We went out there and we fought for 95 minutes. Even though we didn’t come out with the win, we still went out there and put (our) best foot forward and we fought for each other.”
Looking back at the pair of matches against Panama, the slimly-built attacker said, “I think we did the best that we can because, having not played for two years and it’s a bunch of new girls, and having to come into a camp for a week to play two international friendlies, we did really well (under) the circumstances.”
She is keen to pass on her experience to the younger crop of T&T players, having played in the United States, Sweden, Australia, Paraguay and, since 2018, in Norway (with IL Sandviken).
“I was happy to be back at home, because I haven’t been home for 22 months,” said Cordner.
“To be able to come back and give for Trinidad and Tobago women team, after experiencing so much in Norway, and seeing how different they do stuff, with my experience, to be able to transfer to this team, and allow these girls to see how hard work does pay off, it feels really good to be back here.”
Midfielder Chelcy Ralph, who plays for Ball State University in Indiana, United States, spoke about the difficulties in playing during the covid19 pandemic.
“It is very difficult having to be tested every other day but, as a team, we are very dedicated in what we have to do, and we’ll remain humble and respectful of the covid19 (protocols),” said Ralph.
“It’s a great experience for all of us to join together, because we haven’t been together for (some) years. Yes, we have a lot of work to do but it’s a great start.”
Panama’s coach Ignacio Quintana, commenting on Monday’s match, said, “It was an exciting game where any team (could have won). That’s the beauty of football, two teams making all the effort to win. The result was 1-1.
About the team’s week-long stay in Trinidad, Quintana said, “It’s okay for us and we enjoyed, a lot, our stay here. We enjoyed the opportunity, the experience and we’re grateful to the TT (Football Association).”
Yvamara Rodriguez, who was a second half substitute for Panama during Monday’s game, mentioned, “This game was a very aggressive and physical game. I felt that we kept connectivity with each other mentally. I think we’re quite happy with the result.”
Exactly the issue- Most of the nations focus on the ultimate WC/ Gold Cup performances with instant individual players as oppose to putting in place programs to develop successful teams.what is wrong with the development of football players in the WI? we have to be continually hunting for foreign talent in all these islands.Is there a developmental program for footballers in the WI?
Where’s the rostertBD pending:
TTFA appoints senior women's team coaching staffI am not familiar with any of the coaches named to this program so I will not comment- I have one question:
By Jonathan Ramnanansingh (T&T Newsday)
THE T&T Football Association (TTFA) has appointed its senior women’s national team staff which will work alongside head coach James Thomas.
Thomas will lead a team consisting of Charlie Mitchell (assistant coach and performance analyst), James Baird (goalkeeper coach), Joanne Daniel (manager), Terry Johnson-Jeremiah (equipment manager), Atiba Downes (strength and conditioning coach) and Aqilya Gomez (rehab specialist).
A statement issued by the local association on Wednesday said the positions were filled using a robust recruitment system of candidate reviews and interviews by a selection panel consisting of TTFA technical director Dion La Foucade, women’s football director Jinelle James, former national player Richard Chinapoo and coach Thomas.
The panel reviewed the candidates’ applications and created a short list for each position. The short-listed candidates were then invited to an interview process where they were assessed on their credentials, tactical knowledge, coaching style and ability and willingness to learn.
Downes and Gomez were evaluated using a similar process under the guidance of the TTFA’s Return to Play Medical Committee.
Commenting on the process, Thomas said, “For us to get back to being competitive on the international stage, it was crucially important that we provide the players with a safe, respectful, competitive and challenging learning environment, and to do that we followed a thorough and rigorous recruitment process for all staff positions.”
Thomas was appointed national team coach in April. He holds a UEFA A License and a UEFA Elite Youth A License, previously served as assistant coach and performance analyst of the Wales women’s team. He also worked with the Wales national performance squad, as well as Wales' Under-19 and U-17 teams.
He added, “For our team to perform at a level acceptable for the nation and its fans, we need them to become learners. Learning every session, every day, every game to become better players.
“For this to happen, we needed to surround the players with staff that also are dedicated to their own learning every single day and continually wanting to better themselves.
“We cannot ask and expect the players to push and challenge themselves to be better every day, if the staff don’t do the same. We have to be the standard setters.”
All of the selected candidates were then recommended to the normalisation committee for appointment and accepted contractual terms that were affordable to the TTFA, given its financial constraints.
Mitchell, the only additional member of staff who is a non-resident, will be available for training camps and competitions and his services as a performance analyst will also be made available to other national teams such as the senior men.
Over the last few weeks, a training pool of approximately 60 players across T&T underwent medical assessments with the assistance of TTFA’s partner HealthNet Caribbean Limited and fitness assessments, overseen by Movements Mechanics, to determine baseline health and fitness levels.
Thomas is scheduled to select his final local training squad in early August after holding training sessions in each island. This was facilitated with the support of the Tobago Football Association.
Additionally, the TTFA will be launching the Women’s National Team Coach Mentorship Programme very soon to increase the platform and opportunities for women coaches.
This will provide opportunities for ex-national players through FIFA’s Women’s Development Programme for coach education and development.
The candidate will also be mentored by Thomas, work with the newly appointed staff as an assistant coach and benefit from workshops and pitch side training in performance analysis and overall coach development.
Thomas said that there are nations much smaller than T&T on the FIFA Rankings that are ranked much higher because these nations and their coaches recognise the importance of coach development and education to benefit their national teams.
He said, “This is why I have also suggested and been working behind the scenes for a few weeks on a women’s national team coach mentoring programme for talented local coaches, and I’m really encouraged that the TTFA has been so receptive to the proposal.”
“I want to leave the women’s national team and the coaches dedicated to their development, within the T&T women’s football arena, in a stronger place than I found it.
“I believe this mentorship programme can improve both the players and coaches for the benefit of the National Teams for years to come, which is something I am hugely passionate about.”
