Young Warriors aim to emulate seniors in CFU Cup.
By: Shaun Fuentes.
On the eve (Sunday) of their opening match of the qualification journey towards the 2007 FIFA World Under 17 Championship in Korea, this country’s national under 16 footballers are using the display of the “Soca Warriors” in Germany as a form of inspiration as they get ready to take the pitch against Aruba.
The Anton Corneal coached team moved into live in camp at Caribbean Tourist Villas, Woodbrook on Saturday and have are gearing up for the second game of a double header to on the opening day of the Caribbean Football Union Under 16 Youth Cup on Monday from 5pm at the Larry Gomes Stadium. Caribbean rivals Grenada and Guyana will get things going from 3pm.
A year has passed since the players of this squad last played competitively as they finished fourth in last year’s Under 15 tournament which served as a dry run for this year’s competition which also without doubt has bigger incentives. Apart from the guest teams taking part like Mexico, Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador and Guatemala, the top finishing Caribbean team (other than final round hosts Jamaica) will advance to a final CONCACAF stage of eight teams from which five advances to next year’s FIFA World Championship. That same tournament took this country by storm when it was hosted here in 2001 and won by France.
And for skipper Jesse Fullerton and his young “Soca Warriors” their aim is to keep continue the display of the “big passion” as it had been in Germany.
“Right now apart from our own preparations for the tournament, we are using the Soca Warriors and their achievements in Germany as our form of inspiration. They are our driving force,” a confident speaking Fullerton told TTFF Media on Saturday.
And a year after representing T&T at the Under 15 level, the Queen’s Royal College ‘keeper is less bashful of expressing himself as a T&T player both on and off the pitch.
“We have looked closely at what the Soca Warriors did in Germany but we are aware that we must play our own game and we have our own ambitions because this is where the road begins for Korea. Our aim is to finish as the top Caribbean team from this tournament and then move on to CONCACAF and end up in Korea.
“We have our nicknames as well like Sean (De Silva) is Birchall and I’m (Shaka Hislop) and that alone tells you how much we look up to the senior guys and want to emulate them in some form,” he added.
Development has been a key for these players too and as Fullerton explained, Corneal has tried to instill more aggression into them as they prepare to face the likes of Mexico and other CONCACAF teams.
“You can actually see the difference in growth and also in our understanding of the game. I have pictures to show and guys are moving around faster and shots are coming in harder. The build up was a tense one because of the nationwide screening, no one was sure of a pick and this meant we had to work harder. We will also have a much better understanding because the guys from last year have kept training together since then. And this year there’s no star player, everyone is prepared to work as a team out there. Coach Anton has tried to put more spunk into us and he wants his players to fight until the end and I believe he has players who will do anything to get the results. We are more confident and we know what we have to do. Hopefully we can show this on the pitch now,” Fullerton said.
Little De Silva who caught the eyes of local fans with his precise passing, control and understanding in the middle of the park, feels he should be able to step his game up in the 2006 tournament but he adds that everything will be determined on the pitch itself.
“The level of my game and the other guys has changed. My size is better now thank God,” he said “and I’m a bit stronger on the ball so hopefully I can show this on the pitch. What the Soca Warriors did, Chris and Dwight and the rest has showed us how to fight as a team and that’s a big inspiration to us. They have shown us that we don’t need to be too fearful of any team. Once you go out on that pitch it’s eleven vs eleven,” the Superstar Rangers midfielder concluded.
