The “Soca Warriors” to play Canada.
By: Shaun Fuentes (TTFF).
Trinidad and Tobago’s Senior Men’s team will face Canada in a friendly international on August 15th at the Central Broward Regional Complex in Fort Lauderdale.
The game was finalized after previous discussions between the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation and the Canada Soccer Association over the past few weeks.
TTFF Marketing Manager Anthony Harford said initially the match was scheduled to play at the Lockhart Stadium as part of a double header with Panama and Guatemala meeting into the other encounter.
However those plans fell through but both sides were in agreement that the match should still take place.
Harford said that due to financial constraints, all of T&T’s remaining matches for 2012 are likely to be played away from home as it was more viable for the TTFF.
T&T are away to Puerto Rico in September while an invitation has been extended from a European opponent for a game to be played at a later date.
T&T fans are in for a treat on August 15th as while the game will be termed a closed door affair, the gates will be opened to the fans.
“There will be no cover charge and as such fans of the national team can attend the game and show their support,” Harford told TTFF Media.
“The difference in cost for renting the stadium with gates included as opposed to without is quite significant and we thought it would make sense to make the sacrifice.
Our national team needs the match practice at this time and we are striving to ensure we get in as much games as possible as we look further down the road. Hopefully the time will come when we can reap any possible profits.
“At this time it is simply too costly for the TTFF to stage any matches in Trinidad because of what it takes to fly teams into the country and also fit the bill for their accommodation etc.
It makes better sense to either play the matches at venues such as the one in Fort Lauderdale where it’s easier for teams to assemble or elsewhere depending on the match arrangements made by the host country,” Harford said.
The T&T team will include some of its overseas-based professionals including in-form Slovak-based striker Lester Peltier, Racing Genk midfielder Khaleem Hyland, Stoke City forward Kenwyne Jones, Vietnam-based midfielder Hughtun Hector and United States-based players Keon Daniel, Darryl Roberts, Kevin Molino, Carlyle Mitchell and Sheanon Williams, who earns his first call up to the T&T team.
Williams, whose father is Trinidadian, was a member of the USA Under 20 team at the 2009 FIFA Under 20 World Cup and was also in their recent Olympic squad at the CONCACAF qualifiers. Williams has been expressing interest in wearing the T&T shirt for some months now.
The home-based players invited include Jan Michael Williams, Cleon John, Seon Power, Joevin Jones, Curtis Gonzales, Rodell Elcock, Daneil Cyrus, Richard Roy and Devorn Jorsling.
Hutson Charles will serve as interim head coach.
“This is a good match for us at this stage of our preparations for the Digicel Cup,” Charles told TTFF Media.
“We know that Canada is a decent, organized team and they have shown some good form in their World Cup qualifying matches recently.
We are definitely looking forward to the challenge and at the same time using the opportunity to get a decent work out with a combination of some of our overseas and home based players in the squad,” Charles added.
Canada, coached by Trinidadian-born Stephen Hart, are preparing for World Cup qualifiers against Panama and Cuba in September.
T&T’s last outing against Canada was in 2000 in a 2002 World Cup qualifying match at the Queen’s Park Oval. Goals by Russell Latapy, Reynold Carrington, Stokely Mason and Angus Eve.
T&T also won an earlier qualifier 2-0 in Edmonton with Dwight Yorke and Eve netting the goals. Canada defeated T&T 1-0 in the semi-final of the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup and went on to win the tournament in the United States.
Both countries also drew 0-0 in a friendly in Port of Spain in January, 2000.
