US-based players to join U-17s.
T&T Express Reports.
Trinidad and Tobago's National Under-17 team could head to Venezuela for a live-in training camp ahead of their final round of CONCACAF qualification series for the 2011 FIFA Under-17 Men's World Cup in Mexico.
This was the word from TTFF youth development officer Anton Corneal. He said preparations will intensify for the final six weeks leading up to T&T's opening game against Jamaica on February 15 in Montego Bay.
"We are heading into the final six weeks of preparations which have just been finalised and we are also hoping to get in some matches in Venezuela in mid-January away from home," Corneal told TTFF Media.
He said a couple players out of North America have been assessed and they are likely to join the team shortly. Among them is Isaiah Noreiga, a forward attached to the Dynamo Academy of United States MLS club Houston Dynamo.
"We have a couple players who we have to look at again but right now Isaiah is in Trinidad and he has trained with the team and looks likely to be in the final squad," Under-17 team head coach Shawn Cooper said.
Corneal led the T&T team to the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in South Korea in 2007 and spoke of the difference between the team then and the current one.
"The team that went to Korea had a bit more depth whereby we could have gone down to our 17th player if we needed to, but this current team has more ability in terms of individual talent and we are working on getting that to be of more all round value to the team," he added.
Corneal went on to say that the players coming through the under-17 and under-20 ranks will bring benefits to the national team by the time they reach the 23-25 age group bracket,
"What we will see in the next few years is that is a good mature team of players who would have had the experience of several international matches.
When our under-17s and under-20s get to around age 25, you will now have players who have been to several countries and played there against good quality opposition.
You look at a Sheldon Bateau who is now the captain of the under-20 team but has played at an under-17 and under-20 World Cup and you ask him where he's played and against which teams he can give you a long list.
This is unlike teams of the past which would have had talented players but with a lot less exposure on the international stage.
We're not getting greenhorns anymore at the senior level but instead we could now be having players who have had extensive experience and would have travelled a lot more and know what it's like to play in conditions outside of home."