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Author Topic: 2022 Concacaf U-17 Women's Championship Thread  (Read 3060 times)

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Offline ABTrini

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Re: 2022 Concacaf U-17 Women's Championship Thread
« Reply #30 on: April 26, 2022, 07:24:10 PM »
You know at one time- it appeared that the TTFA was getting it right- They had hired a woman's coach- Italian- I believed who came with ah ' Partner'  to  not only coach but to work on program development- I eh know what happen- who know what kinda 'bulling went on or what kinda Bs transpired but that  blew away like a fart in the dust.

Next came the  coach from Scotland/England for the senior team. another debacle.  I think yes its not always about the quick fix for qualifying but a  programing  development which  culminates in national team qualifications.
 

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Re: 2022 Concacaf U-17 Women's Championship Thread
« Reply #31 on: April 27, 2022, 12:37:11 PM »
U-17 head coach looks for more resilience from players.
TTFA Media.


With Trinidad and Tobago losing its two opening matches at the 2022 CONCACAF Women’s U-17 Championship to Panama and Nicaragua, head coach Jason Spence provided his reactions to the team’s showing so far. T&T close off their Group play against leader Mexico on Wednesday. T&T are in the cellar placed position without a point so far. T&T’s only goal has come off the boot of Breana Smith in the 5-1 loss to Panama.

1. How would you sum up the two matches so far?

The first two games have allowed us to really assess and measure what level our female youth football is at the moment. Definitely right now we need to focus on inserting ourselves as a top team in the Caribbean and then move on to the Concacaf level.

2. You opted to make a few changes to the starting team for the second match. Can you explain the reason based on what you observed in the first match?

The changes were primarily made as a result of injuries which were sustained in the game against Panama. I am guided by my medical team and would do what is best for the health of the players. Some were ruled out entirely and some were advised to only play a certain amount of minutes.

3. What are you hoping for going into the third game vs Mexico.

We are definitely hoping for a more resilient performance. We have discussed it at our session this morning and made a couple adjustments, we will certainly be doing our best as we take the field to represent our country.

4. What have you discovered thus far about our team and the possible gap that exists?

A lot has been observed this far. Of which I can write an essay. However to summarize:

Our players are very enthusiastic and want to learn and do well.

This tournament has allowed them to experience what is required physically, technically and tactically at the international level.

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 2-4 years , 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.

This group of players came from a core group born out of the NLCB elite program in 2017 which played under Coach Marlon Charles in the 2019 tournament at home, they need to stay together after this tournament in training and developing.

A good start would be for the team to play in the upcoming WoLF tournament. Finally, while we are in these tournaments I make it my business to have conversations with the staff of the other teams, for me it is important to find out what they are doing so I can properly understand their advancement.

In summary it’s all about consistent year-round programs.

While the world faced the pandemic, and we lost 2 years in T&T, a lot of the other countries restarted their programs over 14-16 months ago while we really only started at the beginning of the year, (3 months) that has definitely shown up a lot in our level.

While the current chronological age of our players are 15/16, their development stopped at ages 13/14.

For us the coaching staff who are working with the players, we have seen them learn and grow in the past 3 months. However 3 months vs 12-14 months is a huge difference for preparation.

The good thing is in the composition of our current team at the tournament, we have 8 players who are 15 years old, and back home we have 10 players who are 13/14, this augurs well for youth women football.

Looking ahead we will have the same players working together for the next 4 years, 2 more U17s and 2 more U20 tournaments.

As I conclude,  I implore T&T to Keep rallying around the team and give them the positive support they need and deserve.

RELATED NEWS

T&T's U-17 girls target Mexico upset to stay alive.
T&T Guardian Reports.


T&T’s Under-17 Women Warriors will need to pull off a huge upset in their final Group E match against Mexico on Wednesday at the Estadio Olimpico Felix Sanchez in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from 7 pm if they are to have any chance of qualifying to the round-of-16.

As it stands, the Jason Spence-coached T&T is bottom of their four-team round-robin pool without a point after losing to Panama (5-1) and Nicaragua (4-0) in their first two matches while the Mexicans who trashed Panama 7-0 on Monday night top the standings with a maximum six points.

Both Panama and Nicaragua have three points each and will meet in the other match in the pool in Wednesday's programme at the Estadio Pan Americano from 7 pm as well.

For Spence and his T&T girls to have any chance of moving on as the third-placed team in the pool they must somehow stun Mexico while overturning a minus-eight goal difference and hope that the encounter between Panama and Nicaragua also provides a lopsided winner

For today’s match, Spence will also be hoping to have striker Breanna Smith, the scorer from the first encounter, who missed the second match due to injury return to play.

In the other match on Monday night, Costa Rica hammered Grenada 9-1 in Group G while today, Grenada faces Puerto Rico in a virtual battle for the third spot while Costa Rica and USA, both with six points meet for the top spot.

Following T&T’s two losses to Panama and Nicaragua Spence responded to the team’s showing so far. T&T close off their Group play against leader Mexico on Wednesday. T&T are in the cellar placed position without a point so far. T&T’s only goal has come off the boot of Breana Smith in the 5-1 loss to Panama.

Asked how would you sum up the two matches so far, he said: “The first two games have allowed us to really assess and measure what level our female youth football is at the moment. Definitely, right now we need to focus on inserting ourselves as a top team in the Caribbean and then move on to the CONCACAF level.”

With regards to the few changes to the starting team for the second match he explained, “The changes were primarily made as a result of injuries which were sustained in the game against Panama.

I am guided by my medical team and would do what is best for the health of the players. Some were ruled out entirely and some were advised to only play a certain amount of minutes.”

Regarding his expectations going into the third game against Mexico today, he said, “We are definitely hoping for more resilient performance. We have discussed it at our session this morning and made a couple of adjustments, we will certainly be doing our best as we take the field to represent our country.”

Asked what he has discovered about the team and the possible gap that exists he said, “A lot has been observed this far. Of which I can write an essay. However, to summarise: Our players are very enthusiastic and want to learn and do well. This tournament has allowed them to experience what is required physically, technically and tactically at the international level.”

He added, “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 2-4 years, 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. This group of players came from a core group born out of the NLCB elite programme in 2017 which played under Coach Marlon Charles in the 2019 tournament at home. They need to stay together after this tournament in training and development. A good start would be for the team to play in the upcoming WoLF tournament. Finally, while we are in these tournaments I make it my business to have conversations with the staff of the other teams, for me it is important to find out what they are doing so I can properly understand their advancement.”

The Championship is being disputed in two rounds, beginning with a 16-team group stage.

After round-robin play, the top three teams in each group will advance to the knockout stage joining the four best teams from CWU17 Qualifying.

The first round of qualifying for the 2022 CWU17 took place from October 20 to November 1, 2021, at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, USA, with the three group winners; St Kitts & Nevis (Group A), Curaçao (Group B) and Honduras (Group C), as well as the best-ranked second-place finisher (based on a weighted points system), Guyana (Group B), advancing directly to the Knockout Stage of the 2022 CWU17.

After the event, the champion, runner-up and third-place finisher will qualify for the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in India in October of 2022.

The USA is the current champion (fourth title overall) of the CWU17 following a 3-2 win over Mexico in the 2018 Final.

« Last Edit: April 27, 2022, 12:38:51 PM by Flex »
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Offline Tallman

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Re: 2022 Concacaf U-17 Women's Championship Thread
« Reply #32 on: April 27, 2022, 07:28:02 PM »
FINAL: Mexico U-17 Women 10-0 Trinidad and Tobago.
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Offline Tallman

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Offline Bourbon

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Re: 2022 Concacaf U-17 Women's Championship Thread
« Reply #34 on: April 27, 2022, 09:00:08 PM »
We chronically keep doing these females an injustice.
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Offline lefty

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Re: 2022 Concacaf U-17 Women's Championship Thread
« Reply #35 on: April 27, 2022, 10:17:20 PM »
We chronically keep doing these females an injustice.

wha is dat sayin about insanity again.......and d scary part is if dat coach had years instead ah weeks or months d results mighta be d same 
I pity the fool....

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: 2022 Concacaf U-17 Women's Championship Thread
« Reply #36 on: April 28, 2022, 03:04:33 AM »
All this golden generation talk with respect to this batch yet no one saw it fit to impart fundamentals to goalkeepers in the category? Steups.

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Re: 2022 Concacaf U-17 Women's Championship Thread
« Reply #37 on: April 28, 2022, 11:53:16 AM »
Under-prepared T&T U-17 Women fall 10-0 to Mexico to end harrowing Concacaf campaign.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868)


Trinidad and Tobago’s misadventure in the 2022 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship came to a predictable end tonight at the Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez in Santo Domingo, as the young Women Soca Warriors were routed 10-0 by Mexico in their final group assignment.

The spanking put an exclamation mark on a harrowing week for the young women who have conceded 19 goals in three matches against Panama, Nicaragua and Mexico while scoring just once.

In 270 minutes of football, Trinidad and Tobago managed three shots on target—exactly one per game—while, tonight alone, goalkeeper Sadiel Antoine had to deal with either 19 or 24 Mexican shots depending on where you get your stats.

Head coach Jason Spence, whose troops conceded 15 goals from three games at Concacaf Women’s Under-20 level last month, blamed Covid-19’s disruption to the domestic game as well as his association’s belated start to preparation.

Will anyone take ownership, though? Or are standards only for players and not administrators?

It is almost a year since any member of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA)—barring the fledgling coaches association—offered even a peep of resistance at the comical mismanagement and free-falling standards of the local game under Fifa-appointed normalisation committee chairman Robert Hadad and his gang of Nigel Romano, Nicholas Gomez and interim general secretary Amiel Mohammed.

Now, even national players are starting to resemble lambs at the slaughterhouse.

In Hadad’s first meeting with national coaches, two years ago almost to the day, he told his audience that all national youth teams were to remain inactive until he said otherwise. And it was 20 months before he gave them the green light.

The humiliating results of the last two women’s youth tournaments were direct offshoots of Hadad’s oversight, then. And if Spence had any respect for his own reputation as a football coach, he would have invited the HadCo co-CEO to take the team to the Dominican Republic himself.

Not for the first time, Spence was as useful as an umbrella in a hurricane as Trinidad and Tobago faced off against opponents who were so vastly superior that the result was a foregone conclusion from the opening whistle.

The two-island republic lined up in a 5-4-1 formation tonight and defended deep in their own half of the field. But the biggest deterrent to the Mexican team, which made nine changes to their starting team from their last game, was their slow ball movement at the start of the contest as they initially appeared to have misplaced their vigour.

At the interval, the North American nation led 3-0 and Trinidad and Tobago might have been reasonably happy with that.

Mexico’s first and third goals came after the Women Warriors failed to clear corner kicks—although the first item, scored by midfielder Grecia Pineda, owed much to a goalkeeping blunder by Antoine.

And while Layla Sirdah’s shot on the turn for Mexico’s second goal was a thing of beauty, Spence might point out that his defence was slow to react to the impending danger at the edge of their penalty box.

However, even with Mexico clearly below their best for the first 45 minutes, Trinidad and Tobago never looked capable of stringing three passes together, let alone coordinating anything at the offensive end to make a game of things.

In the 56th minute, there was a rare moment of panic for ‘La Tricolor’ as left-back Fernanda Quiroz conceded possession at the half-line and Trinidad and Tobago midfielder Nikita Jackson promptly released pacy forward Trishell Charles. But, clear through on goal, Charles could do no better than offer  catching practice to Mexico custodian Carmen Lopez.

It was Trinidad and Tobago’s first and last meaningful attack of the contest. If anything, it spurred on their opponents.

In the 62nd minute, defender Brenda Vega beat Antoine with a low free kick from 30 yards for Mexico’s fourth item. And the Latin American team never looked back. The next 20 minutes produced five more goals—three from forays down Trinidad and Tobago’s left flank and two with direct strikes from a corner kick and a short corner respectively.

Midfielder Deiry Ramirez somehow scored three of them by finding oceans of space in a Trinidad and Tobago penalty area with as many as nine red, black and white shirts in attendance. And in the 87th minute, forward Tatiana Flores pushed the scoreline into double figures with a predatory close-range finish, which wasted a fine double save by Antoine.

Despite seven second-half substitutions in total and a few breaks for players to get medical treatment, El Salvadorian fourth official Cibeles Miranda offered only one minute of second-half stoppage time—to bring Mexico’s late scoring surge to a halt. It was more compassion than the Trinidad and Tobago players have received from their own administrators in their short stint as international athletes so far.

National Under-17 Team captain Marley Walker, born and raised in the United States, has not looked out of place against any individual opponent since the composed central midfielder made her debut in the 2022 Concacaf Under-20 Championship.

Pint-sized attacker Jeniecia Benjamin—perhaps misused in central midfield tonight—is tenacious, mobile and has a trick or two. Defender Shadea Andrews put her physical presence to good use at times, Jackson was no slouch on the flank, while the likes of Jada Graham, Faith Alexander, Tayeann Wylie, Charles and Cicely-Anne Spencer-Wickham each have a redeemable quality.

It is worth noting that Maria-Frances Serrant, a live-wire on the Women’s National Senior Team, was similarly ineffective at Under-20 level—unable to single-handedly compensate for the Hadad-led normalisation committee’s utter disregard for national youth football, which led to two shambolic Spence-led excursions.

Thanks to Fifa president Gianni Infantino, Hadad has another year on the job and it seems that Trinidad and Tobago’s only chance of improved fortunes in the short term lies in the initiatives of recently re-appointed technical director Anton Corneal, who is working without the guidance of a technical committee.

God alone knows if it will get significantly better from here.

(Teams)

Trinidad and Tobago (5-4-1): 1.Sadiel Antoine (GK); 15.Allyah Hudlin (2.Faith Alexander 84), 13.Tayeann Wylie, 5.Cicely-Anne Spencer-Wickham, 6.Shadea Andrews, 3.Makeba Morang (17.Hannah Vieira 84); 7.Nikita Jackson, 10.Jeniecia Benjamin (12.Arie Bhagan 74), 8.Marley Walker (captain), 19.Emily Nanton; 14.Trishell Charles (20.Jada Graham 61).

Unused substitutes: 18.Shaunda Sheppard (GK), 4.Angel Berot, 9.Breana Smith, 11.Jhelysse Anthony.

Coach: Jason Spence

Mexico (4-1-2-3): 1.Carmen Lopez (GK); 17.Katherin Guijarro, 3.Daniela Meza (captain), 13.Brenda Vega, 20.Fernanda Quiroz (19.Montserrat Saldivar 66); 8.Grecia Pineda (18.Jade Martinez 68); 6.Sofía Jiménez (7.Maribel Flores 66), 14.Deiry Ramirez; 15.Layla Sirdah, 9.Tatiana Flores, 11.Valerie Vargas.

Unused substitutes: 12.Renatta Cota (GK), 2.Michel Fong, 4.Natalia Colin, 5.Giselle Espinoza, 10.Alice Soto, 16.Valeria Ramon.

Coach: Ana Galindo

Referee: Alyssa Nichols (USA)

Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship

Group E - (27 April 2022)

Mexico 10 (Grecia Pineda 8, Layla Sirdah 26, Sofía Jiménez 44, Brenda Vega 62, Deiry Ramirez 65, 79, 83, Maribel Flores 72, 74, Tatiana Flores 87), Trinidad and Tobago 0 at Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez in Santo Domingo;

Panama 2, Nicaragua 0 at Estadio Panamericano, San Cristóbal.

« Last Edit: May 05, 2022, 05:59:27 AM by Flex »
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Offline ABTrini

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Re: 2022 Concacaf U-17 Women's Championship Thread
« Reply #38 on: April 28, 2022, 02:56:01 PM »
 Any one had a towel?  Well Our senior women's team did the same  to  a team  in their qualifying.

 At what point do we have to examine the player's poll and the talent or lack there of?   Is it all coaching? Is it all the system?  What makes the Jamaican team different?

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Re: 2022 Concacaf U-17 Women's Championship Thread
« Reply #39 on: April 29, 2022, 05:17:43 AM »
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/DPe3kYN0uBo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/DPe3kYN0uBo</a>
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Offline Flex

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Re: 2022 Concacaf U-17 Women's Championship Thread
« Reply #40 on: April 30, 2022, 12:41:01 PM »
Coaches urge public: Be patient with junior athletes
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."

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Offline ABTrini

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Re: 2022 Concacaf U-17 Women's Championship Thread
« Reply #41 on: May 01, 2022, 10:21:43 AM »
Coaches urge public: Be patient with junior athletes
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."
It 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.

 

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