Warriors assemble in Miami today.

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‘Warriors’ to assemble in Miami on Sunday afternoon.
By: Shaun Fuentes, TTFF Press Officer.

Trinidad and Tobago’s senior footballers will assemble in Miami at around 3pm on Sunday as the local contingents departs Piarco International Airport in the morning and will be joined the quota of overseas-based professionals scheduled to arrive from London in the afternoon.
Head coach Bertille St Clair had his final session at the Larry Gomes Stadium on Friday morning and was satisfied with the progress of the home-based pros which he hopes will compliment the ones flying in to Miami from London.
The list of players leaving from home  includes midfielder Angus Eve, defender Atiba Charles just back from impressing in trials and is reported to have impressed in his stint with  Oldham Athletic, Keyeno Thomas and Nigel Pierre of CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh, Defence Force’s Anton Pierre, Leslie Fitzpatrick and Nigel Henry.
Arriving from London will be Portsmouth goalie Shaka Hislop, Crewe Alexandra’s Clayton Ince, Wrexham’s Carlos Edwards, Stoke City striker Kenwyne Jones, Yokohama FC midfielder Silvio Spann, Scottish-based duo Marvin Andrews and Brent Sancho, Gillingham’s Ian Cox, Birmingham City striker Dwight Yorke and Coventry City’s Stern John. Wrexham striker Hector Sam will arrive on Tuesday while United States-based duo Cornell Glen and Marlon Rojas will meet the team in Miami. Assistant coach David Nakhid will also link up with the team in Miami, coming in from Lebanon. The rest of the staff includes team administrator Peter Rampersad, trainers Wayne Cumberbatch and Zeph Nicholas, goalkeeper coach Michael Maurice and team doctor Terrance Babwah. The team will be in a live in camp in Miami before departing for Guatemala on Thursday.
Eve, who was in action mid week against New York/New Jersey MetroStars, said he expected the “Warriors” would be ready for Guatemala  despite the team not being together since February.
“The majority of the team hasn’t been together since the last qualifying match but I think that because we have been playing for a while now, it shouldn’t be a headache to gel as a team again. It’s something that we have had to deal with before and the few days in Miami should come in well for us at this stage. Some of the guys faced Guatemala last year so we will not be going in there as any strangers. We are going after three points in this one,” Eve told TTFF Media on Saturday.
Midfielder Edwards is also hoping to make a valuable input in the matches coming up which includes a home qualifier against Costa Rica on March 30 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
“I haven’t played against Guatemala in their home field but this is chance for us to go and show that we have the kind of steel to overcome such a stiff challenge. They will be gunning because they are at home but I have no fears about us being able to rise to the challenge,” Edwards said.
Originally carded to play Honduras in a friendly at the Ted Hendricks Stadium next Tuesday, T&T will now play a local club team on the same day as the clash with the Hondurans had to be cancelled because of the fact that both teams are in the same CONCACAF Gold Cup group.

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A local Miami club side?  Is this any kind of prep for 2 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS?  I thought we could at least get Haiti, Cuba or Jamaica or one of the MLS teams to come.  Maybe we are playing Kent Welsh's club, they will provide a good test since they play error free soccer.  STEUPS.

[Jumbie]

Like Tallest organize ah sweat for them wid he crew!


Lord put ah hand nah.. we can't even get ah descent team to knock some ball with?

Jumbie

[supporter]

the honduras match is cancelled because we playing gold cup with them??so what??how that mean we cant play a friendly with them? ttff shouldve had another match carded, but no, while our concacaf foes play good teams for warmups,we playin some local miami squad. very frustrating

[AB.Trini]

Come on now!!! I mean Cuba close by; yuh have enough Cubans in Miami to have agood sweat; On the flip side we could play the Bahamas. I mean Portugal organized a friendly with Canada.

I mean this is what undermines the validity and the  viability of our organization. How are we ever going to create a sense of purpose, urgency and competitive edge when our management cannot arrange some  games to  assist this team to  develop math readiness?

I mean Haiti is also close by; come now ; ah find dis is real 'slackness' soemboy enjoying the Miami night life and forgetting the goal that we are all about.

[palos]

Come on now!!! I mean Cuba close by; yuh have enough Cubans in Miami to have agood sweat; On the flip side we could play the Bahamas. I mean Portugal organized a friendly with Canada.

I mean this is what undermines the validity and the  viability of our organization. How are we ever going to create a sense of purpose, urgency and competitive edge when our management cannot arrange some  games to  assist this team to  develop math readiness?

I mean Haiti is also close by; come now ; ah find dis is real 'slackness' soemboy enjoying the Miami night life and forgetting the goal that we are all about.

It ever occur to yuh dat MAYBE...jes MAYBE...nobody eh want to play we so we takin wha we could get?

Is eedah dat or de TTFF way more incompetent dan we ever imagined.   Canada who rank lower dan we and not in de Hex able to organise matches against quality opposition while we could only get matches against local pickup teams.

When yuh check in de past how much announced "practice matches" get called off for one reason or de nex, yuh realise it cyah be coincidence.

[vb]

I eh de biggest TTFF fan, but let's use a little common sense here.

The match get cancelled with about four days notice.

In some cases tickets have been bought already for players to go to the US.
 Where is the money going to come from to bring another team to plays us in the US??

U think J'ca, Haiti or Cuba going to pay for that themselves?

It would have been nice though, if Jack coulda swing some clout and organise with an MLS team to play us.

I understand Hond. wanting to cancel the game, but there should be a rule of how many days before. They have basically screwed up our preps. at the last minute, and there's not much we can do about it.

VB

[injunchile]

The Talk coming out of Miami is that The Coaching staff afraid the fellas would get injured. Secondly a defeat against a decent opposition will kill the already fragile spirit.

We would not lose this one as the fellas playing for bertille. He made it clear that this game is make or break for him.

I guess that is as good a motivational factor as we can get.

We want the best = So what.

[palos]

VB...it get to de point whey I wouldn't be surprised if dah "honduras game" was jes a bone dey trow at de public to mek dem feel as if dey doin sumting wit regards to team preparation.

Maybe dis game was never likely to happen but dey release de info anyway.

Remember.....dis is de same TTFF who couldn't organise ONE single practice game fuh we Under 20 footballers before dey U20 WCQ's in de States.

How much time you read where dey announce practice game only fuh dem games to fall through?

Think bout it

[vb]

VB...it get to de point whey I wouldn't be surprised if dah "honduras game" was jes a bone dey trow at de public to mek dem feel as if dey doin sumting wit regards to team preparation.

Maybe dis game was never likely to happen but dey release de info anyway.

Remember.....dis is de same TTFF who couldn't organise ONE single practice game fuh we Under 20 footballers before dey U20 WCQ's in de States.

How much time you read where dey announce practice game only fuh dem games to fall through?

Think bout it

Palos,
I can only hope u are wrong.

If this is true, then they are only digging a bigger hole for themselves.

Oh well...we catching ass as usual.

VB

[Savannah boy]

In regards to de articles I saw in the Express, Eve have a mugshot in de paper.  He look real out of it.  Dem fellas need to smile more when dey in de public eye.  It would help with Marketing whether they realize it or not.  Also, ah hoping Attiba remain on de damn bench afer de gift wrap goal he gave de Metrostars right after his so called impressive trial at Oldham Athletic.

[Jahyouth]

I like Bertille tactics here: telling the players that a loss means the end of him as coach.  It might have some truth to it, but putting it on the table means that men coming with "blood in dey eye" on March 26.

Good move Bertille.

[Observer]

VB...it get to de point whey I wouldn't be surprised if dah "honduras game" was jes a bone dey trow at de public to mek dem feel as if dey doin sumting wit regards to team preparation.

Maybe dis game was never likely to happen but dey release de info anyway.

Remember.....dis is de same TTFF who couldn't organise ONE single practice game fuh we Under 20 footballers before dey U20 WCQ's in de States.

How much time you read where dey announce practice game only fuh dem games to fall through?

Think bout it

Palos,
I can only hope u are wrong.

If this is true, then they are only digging a bigger hole for themselves.

Oh well...we catching ass as usual.

VB

Palos not wrong at all, remember they were to play in Florida in January and they call it off last minute. Is pure spin doctor work. They never had no game in the first place. If anyone go back and catalog the amount of time they announce games and call them off last minute you will see a consistent pattern. The TTFF are totally useless as an organization and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

[football king]

anybody here really knows what is involved in organising a friendly encounter?  obviously the ttff not experts in this regard but before we jump to conclusions maybe the fact should be known.  assuming it costs money has to be the right time get the right facilities etc along with a whole heap of negotiations.  we should know some facts before we rush to say certain things.
i agree we need as much games as humanly possible but for some reason this did not occur-until i know the whole story i would not assume anything.

[truetrini]

TTFF

Total tata forever and forever  TTFF