U-20 Women's Team Thread.

[Flex]

Under 20 Women stay focused ahead of CONCACAF Championship.
TTFA Media.

This country’s National Under 20 Women footballers will be kept active over the holiday period as they intensify their preparations for the 2018 CONCACAF Under 20 Women’s Championship at the Home of Football, Ato Boldon Stadium from January 18th to 28th.

Under the guidance of head coach Jamaal Shabazz, a squad of 28 players have been in a residential training camp for the past two weeks . Seven of those players are overseas-based with three more overseas-based players to join by early January. The Senior Women’s Team are also in training as they gear up for the Caribbean leg of Senior Women’s World Cup qualification next year.

“This is by no means a holiday period for the senior and under 20 women’s team. It’s an opportunity for us to get all our players together, the foreign and local based and get some quality training time. The under 20s are in camp and the seniors are at it five days a week,” Shabazz told TTFA Media on Tuesday.

“The U-20s have been very competitive with each other, fighting for a spot on the team and the intensity is there. Through the use of the GPS heart rate monitors which we have been able to get burrowed from the Senior Men’s team, we have been able to monitor the quality and intensive of their work and the rest and recovery periods. It is a joy right now working with them and we are singing that we wish it can go on forever. Now the training has a lot more meaning and purpose,” Shabazz said.

The Under 20 camp will break on Saturday and resume training on December 27th. On Saturday the Under 20s will get another test from the Senior Women’s team at the Larry Gomes Stadium from 3:30pm.

“On Saturday we will play a stronger senior women’s team inclusive of some of their players that have returned from College in the US and we (Under 20s) will also be strengthened by the presence of our foreign-based players,” Shabazz said. “That game will close the camp that was started on December 16th and will be a good indication to show us how their fitness level and tactical awareness has improved and how they move in cohesion as a team.”

The former Senior Men’s Team assistant coach added: “We are grateful for the support and resources being afforded to us by the Association (TTFA) as every effort is being made to have the team prepared as best as possible. And the commitment and desire being shown by the players is also commendable at this time. They are all very eager to put in the hard work and then go on to produce the goods on the field of play

Canada, one of T&T’s opponents in Group A, also completed a training camp which ran from December 10th-17th in Burnaby. T&T’s other opponents, Costa Rica, will meantime face Jamaica in two friendlies on January 3rd and 5th in Costa Rica.

The United States, which is in Group B alongside Mexico, Jamaica and Nicaragua, held a four team friendly tournament earlier this month, losing to Brazil, 2-0 in the tournament finale, which saw them finish in third place behind England and Brazil. England defeated Finland in the other game 6-0 to win the title with seven points. Brazil finished with 6 points and the U.S. with four points and Finland (0 points).

T&T will face Haiti at 6:30pm on January 18th in the opening day double header at the Ato Boldon Stadium. Costa Rica clashes with Canada in the opening match from 4pm at the Home of Football.

The 2018 CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship will be the 9th edition of the CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship, the biennial international youth football championship organised by CONCACAF for the women’s under-20 national teams of the North, Central American and Caribbean region. The tournament will be hosted by Trinidad and Tobago and take place between 18–28 January 2018, as announced by CONCACAF on 31 October 2017.[1] A total of eight teams will play in the tournament.

The top three teams of the tournament will qualify for the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in France as the CONCACAF representatives.

The following is the list of players currently in camp for the T&T U-20 Women’s Team.

• MALAIKA DEDIER GK
• KLIL KESHWAR GK
• ABISHAI GUY DEF
• BRITTNEY WILLIAMS DEF
• CHELCY RALPH MF
• CRYSTAL MOLINEAUX MF
• JAASIEL FORDE MF
• KEDIE JOHNSON MF
• LAURELLE THEODORE ST
• NATISHA JOHN DF
• RANAE WARD MID
• SHENIEKA PAUL MF
• DENNECIA PRINCE ST
• MOENESA MEJIAS DF
• NATHIFA HACKSHAW DF
• BREANNA GEORGE MF
• RAYNICIA CHARLES DF
• KAYDEEN JACK MF
• AALIYAH PRINCE ST
• TIANNA DANIEL DF
• KELSEY HENRY MF
• ALEXIS FORTUNE MF
• ASHA JAMES MF/ST
• RAENAH CAMPBELL MF
• LAUREN DUFFY MF
• SYDNEY BOISSELLE MF
• MEGAN RAMPERSAD MF
• ALEXIS KIRTON DF
• AMAYA ELLIS DF (Will join 27-Dec)
• SHADI CECILY STOUTE DF (Will join 27 Dec)

Under 20 Women compete for Final Team selection

[Tallman]

Shabazz wishes for gift of friendlies
T&T Newsday

It has been a struggle for the Trinidad and Tobago women’s Under-20 football team to get quality international warm-up matches ahead of the CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championships, which will take place at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva from January 18-28.

But coach Jamaal Shabazz is remaining optimistic that his team will benefit from top-level opposition before the start of the eight-team tournament. The Championships also serves as a qualifier for three teams for the 2018 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in France.

This month, the TT Under-20 team played two matches against the national women’s team (losing 2-0 on both occasions) as well as one against a Northern Football Association (NFA) Under-15 boys team, which also resulted in a 2-0 defeat.

Shabazz said yesterday, “Right now the TTFA (TT Football Association) is talking to people. We’re still hopeful.”

Also yesterday, TTFA president David John-Williams, in a brief interview, said, “We’re working on a lot of stuff but I can’t say anything (more as yet).”

TT have been placed with Haiti, Costa Rica and Canada in Group A, while Group B will feature the United States, Nicaragua, Mexico and Jamaica.

“Right now we’re looking at any national team active in Central America or South America,” Shabazz said. “It’s a little difficult to put together.”

However, the ex-TT and Guyana men’s coach pointed out that, if those plans do not materialise, “We’ll play the senior women’s team twice again.”

Shabazz admitted that, with the exception of Haiti and Jamaica, “The other Caribbean teams (are) not really up to the level right now, and they’re inactive too. The only active Central American teams are Nicaragua and Costa Rica but in Nicaragua it’s an artificial ground. It’s no use going there to play on an artificial surface and coming back home to play on a grass field.”

Shabazz noted that it is also a struggle, from an economic standpoint, to arrange matches. He said, however, he will welcome playing an international friendly anywhere in the world.

“If we get a chance to play on the moon, we will play. The ideal would be to get somebody to come play here but it’s very difficult,” he said. “In women’s football, friendly matches are a luxury.”

Shabazz added, “The budget in the Associations are very tight. Often times, even in the days of plenty with (ex-TTFF Special Advisor) Jack Warner, we would have had to prioritise.

All the Associations in the region are faced with tight economic situation.

The veteran coach said neither he nor his team is moping as they are focused on preparing as best they could for the Championships.

“As much as we would like, the opportunities would not be there for a lot of friendly matches. But we’re not going to make it a problem. Currently the (TTFA) technical director Anton Corneal, myself and the staff have come up with this idea to make the senior team very competitive.

So far we’ve played them twice and we’ve not been able to get past them, so that in itself shows that their level is competitive.”

[Flex]

Ward eyes success in national colours.
T&T Newsday Reports.

As the national Under-20 women’s team prepares for the CONCACAF Women’s Championship next month, Newsday profiles some of the players who will be representing this country. We chat with former SKHY FC star player Ranae Ward in this interview.

Bishop Anstey midfielder Ranae Ward has had a brilliant end to 2017 with victory in the National Intercol final earlier this month. After success with her school, Ward is eyeing more titles but this time in national colours.

Ward is part of the Jamaal Shabazz-coached team currently training for the 2018 CONCACAF Under-20 Championships that will be staged at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, from January 18-28.

Eight teams — T&T, United States, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Jamaica and Haiti – will be vying for three spots at the 2018 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup, which will take place in France from August 5-24.

Ward, an 18-year-old central midfielder, was a member of the Bishop Anstey High School team that captured the 2017 Coca-Cola National Girls Intercol title with a convincing 6-0 thrashing of Pleasantville Secondary in the final on December 4, at the Ato Boldon Stadium. Ward was the star of the final, netting a hat-trick as Bishop Anstey dominated their rivals in every facet.

Ward described that moment as her most memorable experience in football.

However, she is setting her sights on furthering her career in football.

Asked about her immediate ambitions, Ward said, “Going to college (abroad) to play, but my ultimate goal is to play professionally.”

The Trincity resident revealed how she fell in love with the sport and began taking it seriously. “My parents (Joanne and Ralph) are heavily involved in the SKHY (Skeene Hyacenth) Football Club, so it’s natural that I went and play for them.” Apart from football, Ward has competed in taekwondo but has now put her focus strictly on football for T&T, her school and club St Ann’s Rangers.

She lists FC Barcelona as her favourite team while current Barcelona and Spanish midfielder Andres Iniesta and United States’ Tobin Heath are the players she adores the most.

With regards to her free time, Ward noted, “I like to make videos.”

Describing herself as a free-spirited person, Ward made it clear, “I’m not as mean as I look.”

But she will need to possess a mean streak if she is to help guide the T&T team towards a spot in next year’s World Cup.

[Flex]

Shabazz sees big opportunity for T&T at U-20 Concacaf championship.
TTFA Media.

The 2018 CONCACAF Under 20 Women championship could be the kick that local football needs to change its fortunes in regional competition in terms of hosting rights and success on the field of play.

This was the view expressed by T&T Women’s head coach Jamaal Shabazz as he wrapped up the 2017 calendar year for the Women’s programme which has been extremely hectic with programmes for the Under 17s, Under 20s and the Senior Women.

The Under 20s will break camp this weekend before resuming early in 2018 for the CONCACAF championship which will be staged at the Ato Boldon Stadium Home of Football from January 18-28.

According to Shabazz, T&T has a fantastic opportunity to prove its worth as hosting nation for Concacaf premier events.

“Trinidad and Tobago under the last FIFA and Concacaf from Mr Warner days, have always hosted big events but after that period, our country was literally in the dog house but now we have seen a renaissance where we have grown in confidence again and the authorities in Concacaf have given us that opportunity to host this tournament,” Shabazz told TTFA Media.

“This a big tournament as it qualifies three teams for the Women’s Under World Cup and it is a golden opportunity for the public of Trinidad and Tobago to come out and support women’s football and women’s athletes generally. If we produce the crowds and have a passionate presence by the people and a participating one, I think this will be good in terms of us hosting future tournaments,” he continued.

“Of course we know that the TTFA is well on the way to establishing a home at the Ato Boldon Stadium with a hotel and facilities so we could again become a hub in the Caribbean for hosting tournaments and this one is a good litmus test to see how well we do, not just as a team but as a public because it’s not a team that qualifies for a World Cup, it’s a country and in that country the fans, the business community, the parents, the association, everybody must play their part.

“Our country has gone away from the collective action for some time now. Our people have become very individual and very prone to their own survival and we are saying what better way is there of bringing the people together than coming to support this Concacaf tournament in January,” Shabazz said.

T&T faces Haiti on January 18th but will face expected tougher opponents in Canada and Costa Rica in the remaining Group A matches. For Shabazz, it is important that neither of these teams are able to enjoy a walk in the park at the home of football.

“Traditionally, in women’s football people always give the three points to USA, Canada and Mexico and now Costs Rica. Now we are saying that with our preparations, these teams have got to work for their points. Of course we would like to have friendly internationals outside of the senior team but the the funding is not there for us and we are preparing with limited resources, with a big heart and where we lack with resources we want to make up with effort and attitude. For these teams that will come here, we want them to work for their points because by God, by Allah, we are also going to work for our points,” Shabazz stated.

[Flex]

Goalie Keshwar hopes for World Cup wish to come true.
TTFA Media.

National Under 20 Goalkeeper Klil Keshwar, like each of her National Under 20 teammates, all in their late teens have typical Christmas wishes. Some have their eyes on precious items, some will expect lovely surprises and some if not all are hopeful of world peace and more love. But there is one wish that they all have in common. It’s in hope of a reward that they will all be able to celebrate following the Christmas festivities – qualification for the 2019 FIFA Under 20 Women’s World Cup in France.

T&T have found themselves in an ideal situation, playing at home from January 18th-28th at the Ato Boldon Stadium at the TTFA Home of Football, a right given to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association by Concacaf. The competition will be stiff nonetheless with traditional powerhouses United States and Canada pressing for a qualifying spot while the likes of Mexico and Costa Rica are expected to be tough opponents.

T&T have never qualified for an Under 20 World Cup or any Women’s World Cup but participated at the 2010 Finals as hosts. So for Keshwar and company, this is a perfect opportunity to write history. T&T head coach Jamaal Shabazz has a squad of 28 players in a residential training camp as he fine tunes the preparations for what is expected to be an exciting and extremely competitive tourney.

“My role is important for any game as it depends on a goal to win the game and also to prevent goals from being scored. So if I can keep a clean sheet then it means we have a greater chance of winning the match. I have a very key part to play in the team’s attempt for success,”  Keshwar said about her responsibilities in the team.

“I’m very excited for the tournament in January. Just being around teammates and supporters who want the best for us and being able to train and compete and push ourselves to the limit over this period which is also a very significant time of the year… this makes everything even more special.”

Keshwar was keen to point out what she sees as the team’s biggest asset.
 
“What stands out most in the squad is the love along with the fact that we can learn more about each other and basically we are a family of sisters. There are great jokes and fun times but most of all the hard work that we are able to put in as a team and the love we have as teammates are the biggest parts for me. This is helping us to become better individuals in so many ways,” added the former T&T Under 15 and Under 17 custodian.

“The preparation has been very intense and we have to come out with our best foot forward because we are seeing that the other countries are going all out. And this encourages us because we know that we have to be at our best in order to compete and realise that dream of qualifying for a Women’s World Cup.”

The Bishop Anstey  player, who stands at 6’1 said that T&T Senior Women’s team goalkeeper Kimika Forbes is a source of inspiration for her.   

“She definitely is a great source of inspiration for me. She is the best goalkeeper in the country right now and I am aiming to be able to surpass her one day. And to be able to be involved in training sessions with her makes me feel special because I look up to her and I have the chance to train with her and become a better goalkeeper,” Keshwar said.

T&T faces Haiti in the second game of a double header on the opening day of competition on January 18th at the Ato Boldon Stadium. The other competing teams in the competition are Jamaica, Costa Rica, Canada, United States, Nicaragua and Mexico. Three countries will qualify for the 2018 U-20 Women’s World Cup in France.

[Flex]

John the ‘joker in the pack’
T&T Newsday Reports.

Trinidad and Tobago Under-20 women football team central defender Natisha John may well be the “joker in the pack”, as she admits her passion for making jokes, especially among her team-mates.

“When it comes to making jokes, I’m the one (to do) that,” said the 17-year-old John.

A resident of Kelly Village in Caroni, the former Providence Girls student is preparing to start a medical laboratory technician course in COSTAATT.

She is also preparing to guide TT towards qualification for the 2018 FIFA Women’s Under-20 World Cup in France.

From January 18-28, TT will be hosting the CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championships, with eight teams vying for three spots in France.

Looking back at her introduction to the game, John said, “I started off at the age of eight, in primary school (St David’s RC), in zonal football.”

She currently plays her club football with Trincity Nationals, and is also eager to take up the game professionally. But John acknowledged, “(in the) next couple years (when) I finish some of my semesters.”

A fan of FC Barcelona, John names Argentina and Barcelona captain and star striker Lionel Messi, and Brazilian legend Marta, as her favourite players.

She has been representing T&T for a few years, with one moment standing out most for her. “Winning the CFU (Caribbean Football Union tournament in 2013) in Haiti.”

Football has been one of her sporting passions, as she admitted, “I was a long distance (runner).”

Describing herself as outgoing and approachable, John is a fan of communication, especially with her friends. “I like to talk on the phone,” which according to her, is how she spends most of her spare time.

[Flex]

Ward says T&T’s timing top form for Concacaf Championship.
TTFA Media.

Trinidad and Tobago Women’s under 20 midfielder Renae Ward and her teammates are being pushed to exceed beyond their usual limits as the CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship opener with Haiti approaches at the Ato Boldon Stadium on Thursday January 18th.

Ward has described the current training camp under head coach Jamaal Shabazz as intense but designed in a way to ensure the players do not burn out but are instead ready to peak at the right time with three matches against Canada, Costa Rica and Haiti on the schedule.

“Right now the team is in camp and we are training really hard every day. Everyone is trying to improve individually and as a team and the competition is very stiff to get a place on the final team,” Ward told TTFA Media as the team continued with its training sessions at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on Wednesday.

A few overseas-based players have been drafted into the training squad by Shabazz and Ward spoke about the impact their inclusion has had on the overall preparations.

“The foreign players bring competition to the squad because they are here to take our spot. We have to improve and automatically have to play better,” added Ward who guided Bishop Anstey Port of Spain to the 2017 Girls Intercol title, earning “MVP” honours for her efforts.

T&T’s U2-s defeated Jamaica in two warm-up matches in Couva in November T&T’s other Group A opponent Costa Rica, was scheduled to face Jamaica in a friendly at home on Wednesday evening. T&T’s U-20s also had two friendlies against the national senior women’s team which Ward said has helped the team figure out some of its shortcomings.

“The games against Jamaica gave us a benchmark of where we are and where we need to improve. And then in the games against our national senior team, their players were a lot faster than us so it gave us a really good test at that stage of the preparations,” Ward said.

The Trincity Nationals player spoke about the way on which Shabazz has handled the team, adding that getting the team chemistry right is what she and her teammates have been working on.

“Getting the team chemistry right is what we are working on. I think once we get that then we will be a very good team and a difficult one to beat.

“Coach Shabazz is such a good coach. He pushes us to our limits and is really getting us to a point where we can be ready for the competition. The sessions are short and intense but well planned also.

“I am very proud to represent my country in this tournament. It is an indescribable feeling. Playing in this tournament and qualifying for a World Cup will give me a lot of exposure but also help our upcoming national teams because if we can qualify then it will give them the confidence that they can also go onto qualify for future World Cups,” Ward said.

Shabazz is expected to announce his final squad for the tournament next week. T&T takes on Haiti at 7:30pm on Thursday January 18th with fellow Group A opponents Costa Rica and Canada meeting from 5pm at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva.

[Flex]

Fortune relishing chance to face Canada at U-20 Championship.
TTFA Media.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Under 20 Women’s team continues its build up to the CONCACAF Under 20 Women’s championship with double sessions at the Hasely Crawford Stadium over the next couple days with head coach Jamaal Shabazz expected to announce the final squad to contest the qualifiers on Monday.

T&T will face off with Haiti from 7:30pm on Thursday January 18th at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, a match which will precede the opening clash between Canada and Costa Rica from 5pm.

One of the players in Shabazz’s squad is Canadian-born Alexis Fortune who has played for T&T since the Under 15 programme, being part of the Rajesh Latchoo coached-team that finished third in the CONCACAF U-15 Championship in 2014.

Fortune is relishing the chance to come up against Canada in Group A action on January 20th.

“I am really excited to play against Canada. I do not really know much about the other teams. I haven’t really heard anything about the Canada team but just working with this group alone I know that we have a lot of potential to do great things and I am really excited to see what will happen,” Fortune told TTFA Media prior to a session at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

Fortune who is a graduate of Berkshire School in Sheffield, is grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Trinidad and Tobago’s Women programme.

“I am originally from Toronto and I started playing soccer since I was four and eventually I found success with it and it’s brought me here today. It means a lot to me to be able to play for Trinidad and Tobago especially in this Concacaf championship.

“I’m proving myself not only to my family but also to Canada because the system is so difficult there and I feel that more people should have the opportunity there and having this opportunity has given me the chance to prove myself to Canada and their programme and showing them my ability and my talent,” Fortune said,

She intends to stay with the T&T programme with an obvious sight on playing for the Senior Women’s Team.

“This will be my fourth competition with Trinidad and Tobago, I have been playing since the U-15s. I have played against some of the top teams in the world and I know what it takes to win,” said Fortune whose father is Trinidad and Tobago-born.

Commenting on the current squad, Fortune said, “I will describe this group as very lively. I love the team and I have played with a lot of them since I was younger. I think that we have a lot of talent in the team and hopefully that will help us pull through and show in the tournament and help us to do great things.”

Costa Rica meantime, T&T’s third match opponents on January 22nd , defeated Jamaica’s U-20s 1-0 on Wednesday in the first of two friendlies in San Jose. Group B in the upcoming competition comprises Jamaica, United States, Mexico and Nicaragua.

Jamaica, Mexico and the United States are the only teams to earn places in every CONCACAF Under-20 Women’s Championship.

Here’s a look at each of the participating sides:

NORTH AMERICA (3)

CANADA

Previous Appearances: 6 (2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015)
Record: 24W 1D 5L 84GF 16GA
Rank: 2/16
Best Finish: Champion-2 (2004, 2008)

MEXICO

Previous Appearances: 8 (2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015)
Record: 22W 4D 12L 111GF 50GA
Rank: 3/16
Best Finish: Runner-Up-2 (2010, 2014)

USA

Previous Appearances: 8 (2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015)
Record: 34W 2D 2L 195GF 14GA
Rank: 1/16
Best Finish: Champion-5 (2006, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015)

CENTRAL AMERICA (2)

COSTA RICA

Previous Appearances: 5 (2002, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2014)
Record: 12W 3D 8L 58GF 54GF
Rank: 4/16
Best Finish: Third Place-3 (2004, 2010, 2014)

NICARAGUA

Previous Appearances: 1 (2008)
Record: 0W 0D 3L 2GF 11GA
Rank: 12/16
Best Finish: Group Stage-1 (2008)

CARIBBEAN (3)

HAITI

Previous Appearances: 3 (2002, 2012, 2015)
Record: 2W 1D 6L 5GF 38GA
Rank: 10/16
Best Finish: Group Stage-3 (2002, 2012, 2015)

JAMAICA

Previous Appearances: 8 (2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015)
Record: 4W 6D 16L 38GF 61GA
Rank: 6/16
Best Finish: Fourth Place-1 (2006)

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO (Host)

Previous Appearances: 7 (2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2015)
Record: 7W 1D 15L 32GF 75GA
Rank: 5/16
Best Finish: Fourth Place-1 (2014)

[Flex]

Ellis motivated to lead T&T to qualifying spot for U-20 Women’s World Cup.
TTFA Media.

Trinidad and Tobago’s US-based defender Amaya Ellis is motivated more than ever before to have her best showing for this country at the upcoming CONCACAF Under 20 Women’s Championship which takes place at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva January 18-28.

Ellis, currently enrolled at the University of Illinois is in camp with the T&T squad that is gearing towards their opening game against Haiti on January 18th, has been playing for T&T since the Under 15 level and has also played for the past Under 17 Women’s Team which captured the Caribbean title in Haiti in 2013. She is a former player at Under 17 level with German club FFC Frankfurt’s women’s team

“Getting the opportunity to represent Trinidad and Tobago at U20 level is beyond words,” Ellis told TTFA Media on Thursday.

“I’ve represented Trinidad from U-15 to now and I love seeing the girls who have stuck by with me throughout this time and it is just really exciting to see where we can go.”

Ellis believes strong work ethic and belief will be a key factor for the Jamaal Shabazz-coached team.

“I think the key for us is knowing that we are the underdogs in this tournament and that gives us a sense of hunger that other teams don’t have. I think a lot of teams underestimate us and that gives us a chance to fight back and prove that hey,  we have the same opportunity that all these countries have. Having a high work ethic and the right attitude will help us come out with some wins and progress in the competition,” Ellis said.

“I see myself definitely as a leader on this team. This is my last Concacaf tournament with the Under 20s so I definitely want to make an impression and a difference not just with this team but also for the generations coming up. I play centre-back on this team so it is really important that I communicate with them in the best way possible in these matches coming up,” she added.

There will be eight competing nations in this tournament vying for three qualifying spots at the 2018 FIFA Under 20 Women’s World Cup. Ellis recognises football and sport as an enabler for women empowerment.

“Women empowerment is very important to me. I think it is important to show young girls that if you want to do sport or if you want to be on the same television as men then you can if you want. I take pride in whenever I put on a jersey to go outside or to play. I just want to show girls all over the world that you can be equal to men, so being able to compete and represent the country on the international stage is very important to me,” Ellis said.

Among her impressive list of football honours are:

U-17 Bundesliga Champions—South Region 2014-15, 1. FFC Frankfurt;

Concacaf U20 Women’s Championship participant —2015, Honduras;

T&T National Women’s U 20 Team 2015 (4 caps);

T&T Women’s Youth Player of the Year—2014;

T&T National Girls’ U-15 Team 2014 (6 caps);

Awarded “Player of the Match” Honors Concacaf U15 Championships T&T vs Honduras (10/8/14);

Concacaf U15 Girls’ Championship Best XI Team Selection—2014;

Concacaf U15 Girls’ Championship Third Place (3rd) Finisher 2014;

T&T National Women’s U-17 Team 2013 (10 caps);

Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Women’s U17 Champions 2013—Haiti;

Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Women’s U-17 Best XI Team Selection—2013;

Concacaf U-17 Women’s Championship participant—2013;

Region 4 US Olympic Development Program (ODP) Region Team—2012;

Illinois ODP State Team—2010, 2011, 2012


CONCACAF Under 20 Women's Championship

Come see the best in regional Under 20 Women's Football as eight of CONCACAF's best nations compete for three spots at the 2018 FIFA Under 20 Women's World Cup. All Matches take place at the Home of Football, Ato Boldon Stadium from January 18-28. Tickets for Group Phase matches cost $40 (anywhere) Stay tuned to this event page for more information.

[Flex]

Arima’s Henry presses for selection ahead of U-20 Championship.
TTFA Media.

Arima-Born sixteen-year old Kelsey Henry is one of the youngest players on the current National Under 20 Women’s team roster. And already she has the experience of being based in the United States having been enrolled at Western Texas College after graduating from St Joseph’s Convent and St Augustine Secondary. She hopes to make the best of everything the game has taught her so far as she attempts to help this country secure its first ever qualification for the FIFA Under 20 Women’s World Cup.

Henry plays attacking midfield and is pressing for a spot in the final selection which head coach Jamaal Shabazz will announce this coming week as T&T prepares for its opening match of the CONCACAF Under 20 Women Championship against Haiti on January 18th at 7:30pm at the Ato Boldon Stadium, the Home of Football.

“I feel honoured to be a part of this team and it’s a great experience. Personally I just want to qualify for the World Cup and do my best in this tournament for my team. I’m just trying to work as hard as possible in every session and help the team in any way that I can as well as keeping a positive mindset throughout,” Henry told TTFA Media on Thursday.

Henry is pursuing a major in Biology, pre-med as she hopes to become a doctor with her sights also on staying active in the game either as a player or a team doctor.

“I got a football scholarship to go and study so I’ve been making the best of the opportunities
I started playing football at age 8 since the first day my dad asked me on a Saturday if I wanted to go play football and that’s what I was doing during my days growing up in Waterloo before we moved to Arima.

“It’s been tough being a footballer so far because I have no life really outside of football because I dedicate a lot of my time to it but I am enjoying every moment of it and I wouldn’t trade it for anything, And my mom is my everything and she has been there with me throughout. Everything I do is for her,” she said.

Reflecting on the preparations that the T&T team is undergoing, Henry said it’s been tough but enjoyable.

“The double sessions are hard because I am tired some days. I came from school in the US last month and I got to spend like two days with my family before I had to come into the training camp. So it’s hard being away from home but I know my family supports me so it’s fun being part of this.
I also missed home a lot in my first year in College in the US but it’s been a great experience and now being part of the National team is something I would not exchange for anything else right now,” Henry said.

T&T faces Haiti, Canada and Costa Rica inside a week from January 18th, hoping to secure one of three available spots from CONCACAF for the 2018 FIFA Under 20 Women’s World Cup in France.

“I have faith in this team and I believe we can do it. It’s going to be tough but I believe we have what it takes to get through the group stage and go onto qualify for the World Cup in France,” Henry concluded.

[Flex]

Additional Technical Support for U-20 Women in preparation for Concacaf qualifiers.
TTFA Media.

The National Under 20 Women’s team is getting additional support from members of the Trinidad and Tobago Senior Men’s team technical staff as they get ready for the upcoming CONCACAF Under 20 Women’s Championship which kicks off on January 18th with a double header at the Ato Boldon Stadium from 5pm.

Men’s Senior Team trainer Saran Joseph and physic Dave Isaac have been drafted in to the Under 20 sessions as head coach Jamaal Shabazz attempts to get his players in the best possible shape for the eight-nation competition which will see the best in regional women’s youth football assembling at the TTFA Home of Football until January 28th. Joseph, already trained to operate the GPS/Heart Rate Monitor system used by the Men’s Senior Team, is overseeing similar operations with the U-20s along with managing their strength and conditioning training . The other members of the current Under 20 staff include Marlon Charles (Assistant Coach), Desiree Sarjeant (Assistant Coach),Glennon Foncette (Goalkeeper Coach), Steve Frederick (Equipment manager), Shakira Thompson (media liaison) and Ricarda Nelson (team manager).

Shabazz has continued to explore all options available with an aim to having the team prepared in the best possible way and TTFA technical director Anton Corneal has also been offering his expertise having also previously worked with the Under 20 Women’s Team when it narrowly missed out on qualification for the Women’s Under 20 World Cup in 2014 by way of a defeat to Costa Rica in the third place playoff.

Player Dennecia Prince, who hails from Point Fortin, said she is particularly excited about the upcoming tournament because of the opportunity to play in front of home support.

“So far the preparations are good and every one has to work hard to gain their picks. I have been in the national team since I was 12 years old at the Under 15 level. I am very excited to be part of the team for the tournament especially because we are at home and I am looking forward to see all my family members and friends come out and support me and the team,” Prince told TTFA Media.

Football has been her main sport since the age of 7.

“I’ve been playing since I was seven. I grew up around boys and I didn’t like football at the start until one of my friends came and asked me to go to training and he continued to beg me until I gave in and I haven’t looked back since,” Prince said. “So for me, this tournament is a chance to really demonstrate how much the game means to me and I want to put on a good show for everyone. Hopefully we can get the support and the results that we need to qualify.”

Prince’s teammate Malaika Dedier, one of the goalkeepers contesting for the number one pick, grew up playing the game with her father and brother as well as friends from church.

“My family in general got me involved in football. On a Sunday afternoon my father and brother would take me to play with my church friends and then I started to take it more seriously when I went into Form One at Bishop’s Anstey,” Dedier said.

“I am very intrigued about this opportunity and our first game on the 18th against Haiti. The team is ready and we are just coming together more and build the team chemistry. We have to stick with each other even when we are making mistakes and continue to encourage each other. I think we will get the support with all the marketing being done and then the talks among family members. We are aiming to work really hard together and come out with the results we need to advance to the World Cup,” Dedier added.

Tickets will be available at a date and venue to be announced next week. Tickets for All Group Stage matches will cost $40 for both covered and uncovered sections at the Ato Boldon Stadium.

[Flex]

TD Corneal says T&T will need to be strong throughout Concacaf qualifiers.
TTFA Media.

Technical Director of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association Anton Corneal believes that this country’s Under 20 Women’s team stands a a fair chance of advancing from Group A and into the semi-finals of the upcoming CONCACAF Under 20 Women’s Championship.

T&T faces Haiti from 7:30pm on January 18th at the Ato Boldon Stadium in the second game of a double header which sees fellow Group A contenders Canada and Costa Rica clashing from 5pm as the battle for three qualifying spots for the 2018 FIFA Under 20 Women’s World Cup commences at the TTFA Home of Football.

Corneal is optimistic about T&T’s chances saying that the Jamaal Shabazz-coached outfit will have to take each game on its own merit.

“I think playing at home is going to serve us well. It’s a big plus to have the fans as our twelfth man for a tournament of this nature,” Corneal told TTFA Media. “History has shown that this helps and for us as well, we have demonstrated a good appetite and ability in these tournaments, case in point the 2014 qualification which we narrowly missed out in the third place playoff. I think this time if we can play to our potential then we could have the edge with home advantage,” Corneal added.

Assessing the Group, Corneal says that Canada, though being the seeded team and favourites, can be broken down on the day.

“The group itself is a good one. Haiti has had very good development and have made steady progress with a lot of emphasis also on their women’s programme which has maybe taken them ahead of the other Caribbean nations. They have a  facility which sees the girls live and go to school as well as train on a daily basis over an extended period, years as a matter of fact. So they will come here to prove they are no push overs. Costa Rica on the other hand is a game which can go either way once we play to our potential,” Corneal said.

“It is unrealistic to say that we do not have a good chance and matter of fact, we do have a good chance to qualify for the World Cup. Our girls will have to approach this tournament in a way where every minute of every game is important to them. We need to play right through to the whistle especially against teams like Costa Rica and Haiti because of how they play. We have to let them know that we are at home and put the pressure on them constantly to let them be fully aware that they are playing outside of their country and that we do not intend to let up at any point in the match,” Corneal added.

With regards to facing Canada, he mentioned, “Canada is the seeded team in the tournament and they have a very good women’s programme and rich history in women’s football. But they can tend to fluctuate some times and we will have to try to capitalize on that.

Touching on T&T’s readiness, he continued, “We have done a lot of preparation both in screening and actual training sessions. While we may not have played a lot of international matches, this may be a blessing in disguise as we got to play our senior women’s team in a couple of very good matches. We got to play against for players who were better physically and faster as well as more experienced. They were able to stretch our under 20 players a bit more in both games.

“For us, it is not farfetched by any means in terms of us qualifying out of the group and then securing on the spots available for the World Cup once we are into the semi-final stage. But we have to be able to play hard throughout and keep believing especially knowing that nothing will be handed to us in this tournament,” Corneal stated.

Tickets for the Group Phase double headers are priced at $40 for both covered and uncovered sections. The other competing teams in Group B include United States, Jamaica, Mexico and Nicaragua. Action in that group gets going on January 19th.

Video - Goalkeeper Dedier intrigued by CONCACAF Qualifying Experience

[Flex]

US-based forward says T&T will be fit and ready to face Group A opponents.
TTFA Media.

United States-based forward Raenah Campbell believes that the current Trinidad and Tobago will have fitness on their side going into the upcoming CONCACAF Under 20 Women’s championship from January 18th at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva.

Campbell who has represented T&T in past CONCACAF Under 15, U-17 and U-20 tournaments, is hard at the work with the squad as they prepare to face Haiti from 7:30pm in their opening Group A encounter on Thursday January 18th.

“We have definitely gotten fitter since the start of the preparations. Shape-wise, we have figured out how to move positionally and we are more functional as a team which is really good for us,” Campbell told TTFA Media before a training session at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on Tuesday.

The former Skaneateles High School graduate added “I think we have everything all the other countries do and we need to believe in ourselves that we can match these so called bigger teams who normally win and that we have the capabilities and train just as hard as them.

“The key factor would be us keeping our positioning. We are just as fit as the other teams but belief will be the majority of it. We need to believes that we can play through the ninety minutes and also through extra time and come out on top because we want to get to the World Cup,” she added.

Campbell said that the players are working well towards achieving their goal under head coach Jamaal Shabazz.

“Now we are more comfortable with the coach so if there is any confusion as to what we need to do we’ll go to him to find out how to fix something or he wants it so we know exactly what he wants because we are all working towards a common goal” Campbell said.

Shabazz will announce his final squad at a press conference on Thursday which means that places are still up for grabs.

“I think it’s still a good atmosphere even though we are competing with everybody (for team spots),” Campbell said. “A lot of the girls came up with me over the years so I know them very well and it’s very cool building relationships and making it a closer bond. We’ve just been bonding more in camp.”

Looking ahead to facing Haiti, Campbell, who has played against that country in previous qualifiers, noted that they will try to outmuscle T&T. “They are very aggressive and they fight. And we will need to be physical and be smart in terms of how we play around them because we have technical skill and our fitness to back us up.”

Campbell also attended the International School of Port of Spain as well as played for Syracuse Development Academy, which is a member of the US Youth Soccer’s National League. At Skaneateles High, Campbell recorded 24 goals and four assists in 19 games before being named the school’s “Player of the Year” in 2016.

Now at Drexel University, Campbell is counting down to the day to possible glory for T&T.

“It’s a huge honour to play for my country and to try to get to a World Cup because that’s the highest level of football you can get to and I feel like for my whole life that’s what I’ve been working towards,” she said.

Tickets for the Group phase matches of the Under 20 Championship are priced at $40 for both covered and uncovered section. T&T’s Group A also comprises of Costa Rica and Canada which will meet from 5pm on January 18th in Couva. Group B comprises United States, Mexico, Nicaragua and Jamaica. The right nations are competing for three qualifying spots for the 2018 FIFA Under 20 Women’s World Cup in France.

[Flex]

US names final roster to travel to T&T.
TTFA Media.

Meantime, United States which will contest Group B, announced their final squad on Wednesday to travel to T&T next week. he roster is made up of 16 collegiate players and four youth club players, all of whom play for U.S. Soccer Girls’ Development Academy teams.

“This was not an easy process,” Klimkova said. “To look over the entire year, then boil it down to the 30 players in the New Year’s camp and then pick the final roster was difficult, and that’s a credit to the players. The most recent camp was so competitive. The players left everything on the field and they were really battling for roster spots.”

US head coach Jitka Klimkova named three players who were not a part of the roster for the 2017 Nike Women’s International Friendlies last month: defenders Tierna Davidson and Kiara Pickett of Stanford and forward Ashley Sanchez of UCLA. At the time of the Friendlies, the trio was coming off of playing in the NCAA College Cup Final. Thirteen players on the roster have previous CONCACAF World Cup qualifying experience and 11 have played for the USA in a FIFA Women’s World Cup at the youth level.

The 2018 CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship features eight nations divided into two groups of four teams. The top two finishers in each group will qualify for the semifinals, with the winners of those games along with the winner of the third-place match earning berths to the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in France.

All 16 matches of the tournament will take place across eight matchdays at Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, Trinidad. The United States will open the tournament on January 19 against Nicaragua, face Jamaica on January 21 and finish group play against Mexico on January 23.

Players from 10 colleges are represented on the US roster, including three players each from NCAA Champion Stanford and NCAA runner-up UCLA. Three players come from the University of Virginia and two from USC.

Klimkova also chose four alternates to travel with the team to Trinidad & Tobago for training purposes, but the quartet will depart before the tournament, barring any injuries. Those alternates are goalkeeper Brooke Heinsohn (Duke), defender Samantha Hiatt (Stanford), midfielder Olivia Athens (UCLA) and forward Jordan Brewster (Internationals SC).

T&T’s final squad for the tournament will be announced on Thursday at a press conference at its head offices.

US Roster

GOALKEEPERS (2):

Laurel Ivory (Virginia; Surfside, Fla.; 5/0), Amanda McGlynn (Virginia Tech; Jacksonville, Fla.; 2/0)

DEFENDERS (7):

Tierna Davidson (Stanford; Menlo Park, Calif.; 6/0), Naomi Girma (California Thorns FC; 6/0; San Jose, Calif.), Tara McKeown (USC; Mission Viejo, Calif.; 11/0), Zoe Morse (Virginia; East Lansing, Mich.; 9/0), Kiara Pickett (Stanford; Santa Barbara, Calif.; 2/0), Isabel Rodriguez (Ohio State; Canton, Mich.; 8/0), Karina Rodriguez (UCLA; Torrance, Calif.; 3/0)

MIDFIELDERS (5):

Samantha Coffey (Boston College; Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.; 7/1), Savannah DeMelo (USC; Bellflower, Calif.; 23/4), Jaelin Howell (Real Colorado; Windsor, Colo.; 12/0), Brianna Pinto (NTH Tophat; Durham, N.C.; 9/0), Viviana Villacorta (UCLA; Lawndale, Calif.; 10/1)

FORWARDS (6):

Abigail Kim (California; Vashon, Wash.; 11/3), Civana Kuhlmann (Stanford; Littleton, Colo.; 12/8), Ashley Sanchez (UCLA; Monrovia, Calif.; 20/6), Sophia Smith (Real Colorado; Windsor, Colo.; 11/8), Taryn Torres (Virginia; Frisco, Texas; 3/1), Kelsey Turnbow (Santa Clara; Scottsdale, Ariz.; 8/2)

[Bianconeri]

So ALL the games for both group are gonna be played on the same pitch..........

Sounds brilliant!

[Flex]

Shabazz names Women’s U-20 squad for upcoming qualifiers.
TTFA Media.

The 22-member Squad selected by head coach Jamaal Shabazz for the 2018 CONCACAF Under 20 Women’s Championship is listed below.

T&T takes on Haiti in its opening match of the CONCACAF Under 20 Women’s Championship on Thursday from 6:30pm. Canada clashes with Canada from 4pm at the Ato Boldon Stadium, the TTFA Home of Football.

All Group phase games kick off at 4pm and 6:30pm. Tickets are on sale at all NLCB Lotto outlets from this Monday and cost $40 for covered and uncovered section.

T&T Squad

Goalkeepers:

Klil Keshwar, Malaika Dedier.

Defenders:

Natisha John, Alexis Kirton, Amaya Ellis, Jaasiel Forde, Brittney Williams, Nathifa Hackshaw, Crystal Molineaux, Shadi Cecily Stoute, Shauna Lee Govia.

Midfielders:

Ranae Ward, Alexis Fortune, Kedie Johnson, Chelcy Ralph, Shenieka Paul, Kelsey Henry, Asha James, Megan Rampersad.

Forwards: Laurelle Theodore, Dennecia Prince, Aaliyah Prince.

Video - Press Briefing - T&T Under 20 Final Squad announced.

CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship
[All matches are carded for the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva]

(Thursday 18 January)

Costa Rica v Canada, Group A, 4pm;

Trinidad and Tobago v Haiti, Group A, 6.30pm;

(Friday 19 January)

Mexico v Jamaica, Group B, 4pm;

United States v Nicaragua, Group B, 6.30pm;

(Saturday 20 January)

Haiti v Costa Rica, Group A, 4pm;

Trinidad and Tobago v Canada, Group A, 6.30pm;

(Sunday 21 January)

Nicaragua v Mexico, Group B, 4pm;

United States v Jamaica, Group B, 6.30pm;

(Tuesday 22 January)

Haiti v Canada, Group A, 4pm;

Trinidad and Tobago v Costa Rica, Group A, 6.30pm;

(Tuesday 23 January)

United States v Mexico, Group B, 4pm;

Jamaica v Nicaragua, Group B, 6.30pm;

(Friday 26 January)

Group B winner v Group A runner-up, Semifinals, 4pm;

Group A winner v Group B runner-up, Semifinals, 7pm;

(Sunday 28 January)

Third Place Play Off, 2pm;

Under-20 Finals, 5pm.

RELATED NEWS

Under-20 girls to unite broken T&T.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).

A 22-woman team that will represent the country at next week’s CONCACAF U-20 W0men’s Championship was released to the media yesterday at a launch at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Balmain, Couva.

And its members are expected to take the field with the burden of uniting a nation that has been broken in pieces by crime. Coach Jamaal Shabazz said Allah has given his girls an opportunity to bring the nation together again, saying through football they can bring the warring fractions in the depressed areas in T&T at peace.

The entire squad of girls has been together for approximately two weeks, as some players arrived a live-in camp soon after Christmas Day, but Shabazz said the girls worked tremendously hard and were supported by national Men’s coach Dennis Lawrence who provided them with his team’s GPS monitoring system, used to track the fitness level.

Shabazz who took over the helm from Italian Carolina Morace is calling on the whole of T&T to come out and support the girls in their attempt to qualify for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in France later this year, saying it is not him or the TT Football Association but the nation will be at the tournament, and called for a rally of everyone behind the team. “If you cannot make it to the game, then send your children” Shabazz said.

He dismissed concerns the team has been inadequately prepared due to the failure to get the international friendly matches he had been hoping for.

The ex-Morvant Caledonia United coach said he will not harp on things he has no control over.

He made it clear however his girls will approach the tournament with courage and confidence.

The team opens its campaign against Haiti on January 18 in the feature match of a double header at the Ato Boldon Stadium from 7.30 pm.

The game will follow the tournament’s first match between Canada and Costa Rica at 5pm. The Soca Princesses need only to finish among the top three in the tournament to be assured of a place in the team.

He believes his team has been strengthened by the fact that most of his players have had experience of competing at a CONCACAF tournament before.

[Flex]

USA and Haiti arrives in Trinidad for CONCACAF U-20 Championship.
TTFA Media.

The United States National Under 20 Women’s Team was the second nation to arrive in this country for the upcoming CONCACAF Under 20 Women’s Championship which kicks off with a double header featuring the hosts at the Ato Boldon Stadium on Thursday from 4pm

The US team arrived in Port of Spain on Friday evening and will be based at the Hilton Trinidad alongside fellow Group B teams Mexico, Nicaragua and Jamaica. The Canada, Jamaica and Mexican teams are scheduled to arrive on Monday. Haiti was the first team to arrive, coming in on Thursday before their opening clash with Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday at 6:30pm.

Us head coach Jitka Klimkova selected Sixteen collegians and four youth club players — defender Naomi Girma (California Thorns FC), midfielder Jaelin Howell (Real Colorado), midfielder Brianna Pinto (NTH Tophat) and forward Sophia Smith (Real Colorado), all high school seniors — made the final cut. The 17-year-old Smith, recently named 2017 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year, is the youngest player on the squad. Smith, Pinto and Grima were born in 2000, making them eligible for the 2020 U-20 World Cup as well.

“We’re always talking about finding the correct balance between development and winning,” said Klimkova. “Of course, we always want to win, but we also want to create an environment for the players so that they can develop to their maximum potential. Continued development also means winning, especially when we get to the World Cup qualifying tournament.”

The US are the 2015 Concacaf Under 20 Women’s champions and their current side includes defenders Tierna Davidson and Kiara Pickett, midfielder Savannah DeMelo and forward Ashley Sanchez who were part of the USA’s 2015 winning team. Midfielder Savannah DeMelo DeMelo and UCL forward Sanchez played in the 2016 World Cup in Papua New Guinea.

Meantime, Costa Rica, T&T’s second match opponents on January 20th, completed two wins against Jamaica in San Jose last week, winning 1-0 and 5-1.

“The victory is very important,” midfielder Mariela Campos said after the second match. “The goals give us a lot confidence and etc… I think that it is very important, but, more than the victory, which was obviously something very important, we know that we have to try various lineups and see how we are getting our rhythm, so that was important.” And defender Maria Paula Coto Coto realizes that the Ticas’ road to a third-ever U-20 Women’s World Cup appearance will not be a simple one and that even more effort is required.

“We go into [the tournament] motivated and obviously knowing that we have to work a lot because it’s a different level there,” she finished. “We are going to continue preparing ourselves for what is coming up.”

T&T head coach Jamaal Shabazz named a 22-player squad on Thursday to contest the upcoming championship. The T&T team continued its preparations with a session at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on Friday and will also train at the Ato Boldon Stadium on Saturday. They move into camp at the Radisson Hotel on Tuesday.

Team member Natisha John, speaking on Thursday, said she was quietly confident that the T&T team could complete a triumphant run in the upcoming competition.

“I am privileged and ecstatic to be a part of this team and representing Trinidad and Tobago. We are going to make this a milestone in Trinidad and Tobago’s history because personally over the years I have played for the National youth teams and I believe that this group of players has the most potential to make a statement in this competition,” John said.

We want the people of this country to appreciate our hard work and dedication and to please come out and support us starting from January 18th in making this an unforgettable event. Thank You to all the coaches and staff who have helped us during this journey and we are know we are going to do our very best to come out victorious,” added the Trinity Nationals player who hails from Kelly Village.

[Soccer 19]

Please ensure the crowds come out. Even if it means allowing the high schools ( especially) girls to support. The senior women must be mandated to go and support ( professionally dressed) as well. The 12th woman on the pitch will inspire our ladies. Nothing like watching a football match that is completely full. It would be nice to see everyone in our National team colours as well. Need to show Concacaf and the world how much our Women are supported. We are talking the talk however time to walk the walk.

Cheers 19

[Flex]

Under 20 Women stay focused ahead of Concacaf opener with Haiti.
TTFA Media.

This country’s Under 20 Women’s team will continue their preparations for the upcoming Concacaf Under 20 Women’s championship with a training session at the Ato Boldon Stadium on Monday evening as they gear towards Thursday’s opening encounter with Haiti at 6:30pm in Couva.

Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz continues to pay close attention to his troops in what is a crucial period before the opening battle. The team took part in a scrimmage encounter on Saturday against a select-combined team at the Ato Boldon with the likes of Tasha St Louis, Janelle Francois and former men;s team players Stern John, Dennis Lawrence, Clayton Ince, Cornell Glen and Densill Theobald among others also lacing up to give the Under 20 Women a decent work out on the evening.

“It’s a critical period for us with the opening game in less than a week,” Shabazz told TTFA Media. “The players are in good spirits and also very focused going into the opening match. What is important is that we keep them mentally ready and also ensure that their bodies are in the right condition after what has been a lengthy training period in which they have given their all,” Shabazz added.

Haiti meantime, have been here since Wednesday and have had sessions at the Hasely Crawford Stadium training pitch and St Anthony’s College ground. Prior to arriving in Port of Spain, their team was engaged in a live-in training camp at the their FIFA Goal Centre in Haiti. They arrived here with seventeen players and are expected to be joined by France-based trio Nérilia Mondesir, Sherly Jeudy and Danielle Dani Étienne.’

In the previous Caribbean phase, Haiti lost to Jamaica 1-0 but defeated St Kitts/Nevis 12-0 with Mondesir scoring six goals,  and Dominican Republic 4-1 to finish second in the group behind the Jamaicans who are in Group B of the Concacaf championship.

T&T’s head coach Shabazz is insisting to his players that the opening game is critical and that Haiti cannot be underestimated. T&T forward Dennecia Prince is also banking on the hosts to come good on Thursday.

“I am confident because we have worked extremely hard in the preparations. We did not have a lot of international match practice but we made up for it with the way in which we went about the training and we have a strong desire to excel in this competition,” Prince told TTFA Media.

“The main thing for us is believing and not giving up at any point even if we are down. If we are behind we know that we have to level the score and keep fighting until the teams come off the field. This is a great opportunity for us as female players and if we can do well and qualify it will continue to improve the state of women’s football in my country,” Prince added.

Tickets for the Group phase matches cost $40 and will be available at all NLCB Lotto Locations starting on Monday. Group A matches begin at 4pm on Thursday with Canada facing Costa Rica followed by the T&T versus Haiti clash at 6:30pm. Group B action kicks off on Friday with Mexico meeting Jamaica from 4pm and United States facing Nicaragua from 6:30pm. The top two teams from each group advances to the semi-finals and the two finalists plus the winner of the third place playoff will qualify for the 2018 FIFA Under 20 Women’s World Cup.

RELATED NEWS

Canada comes with teenage star for Concacaf U-20 qualifiers.
TTFA Media.

Fans will be in for a football feast from Thursday January 18th with the best that Concacaf has to offer in Women’s youth football on show at the Ato Boldon Stadium as the confederation’s top eight nations compete for three spots at the 2018 FIFA Under 20 Women’s World Cup in France.

With the United States set on defending its 2015 title, Canada will be entering the competition with their hopes resting on pacey forward Jordyn Huitema.She was included in their final 20-player roster announced on Friday.

“Our main objective will be to qualify for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup to ensure this group will again experience major tournaments, but we have also set some goals in terms of how we want to play and how we want to represent Canada as a team,” said Bev Priestman, Canada Soccer Women’s U-20 Head Coach and Women’s National EXCEL Director U15-U23.

“Some of these players have had the opportunity to play with Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team so they’ve experienced the unique culture that has been created within the Women’s National Team. Our hope is they will bring some of that experience back to this group, not only on the field tactically but also off it.”

Canada’s roster includes seven players who have made Canada Soccer Women’s National Team appearances

Huitema broke into Canada’s senior women’s side during the last calendar year, making seven appearances at the international level..The teenage striker then opened her senior international scoring account with a brace in a 6-0 friendly win over Costa Rica on June 11th.

Those goals in Toronto not only made Huitema the second youngest goalscorer in Canadian women’s team history, she then became the first Canadian international – male or female – to score for her country’s U-17, U-20, and senior national sides in a calendar year. For her efforts, Huitema was recently named Canada’s U-17 Women’s Player of the Year for 2017.

It is an impressive set of milestones for a player that is still finding her feet at the top level.

“I think that’s partially because of the environment I have been put in,” the 16-year-old said in a recent interview with FIFA.com.

Though she has had a taste of the senior international game, Huitema is ready to play her part in helping the Canadians qualify for both Uruguay and France in 2018, having made her FIFA tournament debut as a 15-year-old at last year’s U-17 Women’s World Cup in Jordan.

“Who wouldn’t want to play in a World Cup? It’s a great honour to do that,” the forward said of next year’s tournaments.

“Any opportunity that I can get to play for the national team [programme], I would love to do that. Looking ahead with those teams, it’s about bringing the experience that I have gained over the past few months with the senior team and the it back to the youth teams.”

T&T will come up against Huitema and Canada on January 20th from 6:30pm at the Ato Boldon Stadium.

T&T head coach Jamaal Shabazz is aware of Canada’s strengths but will focus on that hurdle at the right time,

“We are aware that every team in this competition has strong qualities but we also have our strengths which we will aim to maximise and make the best use of from match to match. Our first hurdle is Haiti,” Shabazz told TTFA Media.

“It is important for us to get a decent start against them and set the pace for the rest of the competition,” he added.

And while the Concacaf championship takes centre stage at the Home of Football next week, South American action will also get going with Ecuador i set to host the eighth edition of the South American U-20 Women’s Championship, where ten nations will be competing for two berths at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup France 2018, starting today (Saturday) until January 31st. Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru (Group A); Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Venezuela (Group B).

Venezuela has been reported as a strong candidate and they will go into the event with the nucleus of the squad that finished fourth at the 2016 Under 17 Women’s World Cup in Jordan. Of the 22 players Venezuela have taken t to Ecuador, 15 have already played in an U-17 or U-20 World Cup.


The Haiti team before the start of a training session on the weekend in Port of Spain. Photo at top shows the T&T team in training at the Hasely Crawford Stadium last week.

[soccerman]

It would've been interesting if Haiti and USA were in the game group, would've been one to watch for sure.

[Flex]

Final Rosters Announced for Concacaf U-20 Women.
TTFA Media.

 The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) made public today the official rosters for the eight Member Associations that will participate in the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship.

The Women’s Under-20 Championship, which will kick off on, January 18th, will qualify three teams directly to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup France 2018.

The Ato Boldon Stadium, in Couva, Trinidad, will host all sixteen matches, to be played across eight match days in January. Click here to see the full match schedule.

2018 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship Trinidad & Tobago Final 20 Player Rosters
*Names/clubs listed as submitted by the participating member associations and in alphabetical order

CANADA

GK: Rylee Foster (West Virginia University/USA); Lysianne Proulx (Syracuse University/USA)

DF: Maya Antoine (Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite BC Soccer REX/CAN); Ashley Cathro (Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite BC Soccer REX/CAN); Malikae Dayes (University of Maryland /USA); Nadege L’Esperance (University of Louisville/USA); Emma Regan (Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite BC Soccer REX/CAN); Caitlin Shaw (Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite BC Soccer REX/CAN); Hannah Taylor (University of Oregon /USA); Ariel Young (Ottawa South United SC/CAN)

MF: Julia Grosso (Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite BC Soccer REX/CAN); Sarah Stratigakis (University of Michigan /USA)

FW: Teni Akindoju (Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite BC Soccer REX/CAN); Tanya Boychuk (Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite BC Soccer REX/CAN); Gabby Carle (Florida State University/USA); Jessica De Filippo (Quebec REX/CAN); Shana Flynn (Unionville-Milliken Soccer Club/CAN); Jordyn Huitema (Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite BC Soccer REX/CAN); Jessica Lisi (University of Memphis/USA); Jayde Riviere (Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite BC Soccer REX/CAN);'

COSTA RICA

GK: Nicoles Genis (Dimas/CRC); Fabiana Solano (AD Desampa 2000/CRC)

DF: Stephannie Blanco (ADFFC/CRC); Maria Paula Coto (A.D. Moravia /CRC); Maria Paula Elizondo (Deportivo Saprissa /CRC); Cristel Sandi (Dimas/CRC); Jeimy Umaña (ADFFC /CRC); Kenlly Villalobos (Deportivo Saprissa /CRC)

MF: Yaniela Arias (Dimas/CRC); Mariela Campos (A.D. Moravia /CRC); Priscilla Chinchilla (Arenal/CRC); Hilllary Corrales (Dimas/CRC); Daniela Coto (A.D. Moravia/CRC); Juliet Navarro (Codea/CRC); Gloriana Villalobos (Florida State University/USA)

FW: Catalina Estrada (San Carlos Femenino/CRC); Maria Paula Salas (Deportivo Saprissa/CRC); Fernanda Sanabria (A.D. Moravia/CRC); Sofia Varela (Dimas/CRC); Fabiola Villalobos (Deportivo Saprissa/CRC)

HAITI

GK: Naphtaline Clemeus (Tigresse/HAI); Kenlly Villalobos (Aigle Brillant/HAI)

DF: Emeline Charles (Aigle Brillant/HAI); Taina Gervais (Tigresse/HAI); Rosiannae Jean (Tigresse/HAI); Dougenie Joseph (ASF Croix des B/HAI); Rutnhy Mathurin (ASF Croix des B/HAI); Naphtaline Clemeus (Aigle Brillant/HAI); Betina Petit Frere (ASF Croix des B/HAI); Flero Dina (ASF Croix des B/HAI)

MF: Rachelle Caremus (ASF Croix des B/HAI); Melissa Shelsie (Tigresse/HAI); Roseline Eloissaint (Tigresse/HAI);
Danielle Etienne (Bethesda FC/USA); Dolores Jean Thomas (Tigresse/HAI); Sherly Jeudy (Anacaona Leogane/HAI);
Magdala Macean (Anacaona/HAI); Nelourde Nicolas (Anacaona Leogane/HAI)

FW: Melchie Dumonay (ASF Croix des B/HAI); Nerilia Mondesir (Montpellier/FRA)

JAMAICA

GK: Yazmeen Jamieson (Ontario University/CAN); Sydney Schneider (Match Fit Academy/USA)

DF: Nevillegail Able (Waterhouse FC/JAM); Emily Caza (Seton Hall University/USA); Chyanne Dennis (University of South Florida/USA); Madiya Harriot (Vanderbilt University/USA); Jadyn Matthews (Orlando City Soccer Club/USA); Erin Mikalsen (East Carolina University/USA); Jayda Pelaia-Hylton (East Carolina University/USA)

MF: Ebony Clarke (Richmond Girls Soccer/CAN); Gabrielle Gayle (Unattached); Alyssa Julien (Eastern Kentucky University/USA); Giselle Washington (Concorde Fire/USA)

FW: Olufolasade Adamolekun (United Soccer Alliance/USA); Jody Brown (St. Ann Women’s FC/JAM); Marlee Fray (Sunrise Soccer Club/USA); Jazmin Grant (University of Houston/USA); Mireya Grey (University of Washington/USA); Kevena Reid (GC Foster College/JAM); Shayla Smart (Montverde Academy/USA)

MEXICO

GK: Miriam Aguirre (Club Pachuca/MEX); Emily Alvarado (Texas Christian University/USA)

DF: Samara Alcala(Club Atlas/MEX); Miriam Garcia (Club Guadalajara/MEX); Jimena Lopez (Texas A&M University/USA); Kim Rodriguez (Oklahoma State University/USA); Ashley Soto (SoCal Blues/USA); Mia Villegas (Davis Legacy/USA)

MF: Dayana Cazares (Club America/MEX); Belen Cruz (Club Tigres/MEX); Alexia Delgado (Club America/MEX); Andrea Hernandez (Club Toluca/MEX); Montserrat Hernandez (Club America/MEX); Jacqueline Ovalle (Club Tigres/MEX); Maricarmen Reyes (West Coast FC/USA); Natalia Villarreal (Club Tigres/MEX)

FW: Norma Duarte (Club Guadalajara/MEX); Daniela Espinosa (Club America/MEX); Gabriela Juarez (Slammers FC/USA); Katty Martinez (Club Tigres/MEX)

NICARAGUA

GK: Beykel Mendez (Unattached); Alicia Norori (Leyendas Futbol Club /NCA); Yahara Salmeron (Diriangen FC/NCA)

DF: Gloria Bermudez (Leyendas Futbol Club /NCA); Sheyla Flores (Aguilas de Leon /NCA); Diana Ortega (Diriangen FC/NCA);
Kesly Pérez (Leyendas Futbol Club/NCA)

MF: Alis Cruz (UNAN Managua /NCA); Jaclyn Gilday Baquero (Unattached); Ariadna Meza (Aguilas de Leon /NCA);
Natalie Orellana (Unattached); Katherine Pereira (Leyendas Futbol Club/NCA); Edy Pérez (Leyendas Futbol Club /NCA)

FW: Yessenia Flores (Diriangen FC/NCA); Alma Gutierrez (Real Esteli/NCA); Yorcelly Humphreys (Leyendas Futbol Club /NCA); Lisbeth Moreno (Somotillo F.C/NCA); Hormyne Paiz (UNAN Managua/NCA); Shanelly Treminio (Real Esteli/NCA); Elizabeth Vega (Unattached)

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

GK: Malaika Dedier (St Augustine FC/TRI); klil Keshwar (Trincity Nationals/TRI)

DF: Amaya Ellis (De Anza Force 98G Blue ECNL/USA); Jaasiel Forde (Trincity Nationals/TRI); Shaunalee Govia (St Ann’s Rangers/TRI);
Natisha John (Trincity Nationals/TRI); Alexis Kirton (GS United/CAN); Shadi Cecily Stoute (NASA Tophat/USA);
Brittney Williams (St Ann’s Rangers/TRI)

MF: Alexis Fortune (Brams UTD/CAN); Kelsey Henry (St Augustine FC/TRI); Asha James (Jewels FC/TRI); Kedie Johnson (St Augustine FC/TRI); Shenieka Paul (FC Petrotrin/TRI); Chelcy Ralph (Club Sando/TRI); Megan Rampersad (Wellington Wave/USA); Ranae Ward (St Ann’s Rangers/TRI)

FW: Dennecia Prince (Trincity Nationals/TRI); Aaliyah Prince (Step By Step/TRI); Lauren Theodore (St Augustine FC/TRI)

UNITED STATES

GK: Laurel Ivory (University of Virginia/USA); Amanda McGlynn (Virginia Tech/USA)

DF: Tierna Davidson (Stanford University/USA); Naomi Girma (California Thorns Academy/USA); Tara McKeown (University of Southern California/USA); Zoe Morse (University of Virginia/USA); Kiara Pickett (Stanford University/USA); Isabel Rodriguez (Ohio State University/USA); Karina Rodriguez (University of California Los Angeles/USA)

MF: Samantha Coffey (Boston College/USA); Savannah DeMelo (University of Southern California/USA); Jaelin Howell (Real Colorado/USA); Brianna Pinto (NTH Tophat/USA); Viviana Villacorta (University of California Los Angeles/USA)

FW: Abigail Kim (University of California Berkeley/USA); Civana Kuhlmann (Stanford University/USA); Ashley Sanchez (University of California Los Angeles/USA); Sophia Smith (Real Colorado/USA); Taryn Torres (University of Virginia/USA); Kelsey Turnbow (Santa Clara University/USA)

RELATED NEWS

Costa Rica, Nicaragua arrive on Tuesday for Concacaf Women Qualifiers.
TTFA Media.

Costa Rica and Nicaragua will complete the list of arriving teams into Trinidad and Tobago for the upcoming CONCACAF Under 20 Women’s Championship which kicks off at the Ato Boldon Stadium with a double header involving the hosts on Thursday.

With the United States and Haiti already here since the weekend, three more teams arrived on Monday including Mexico, Canada and Jamaica.

Costa Rica will square off with Canada in the opening match of the competition at 4pm on Thursday and will meet Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday at 6:30pm .

After missing out on the CONCACAF Under-20 Women’s Championship two years ago, Costa Rica is eager to make up for lost time in the 2018 edition.

Head coach Amelia Valverde is ready to make that happen.

“Two years ago we didn’t even qualify for the [finals], while four years ago we qualified for the World Cup,” said the 30-year-old, who oversees the entire women’s program for the Federación Costarricense de Futbol. “The first thing was to retake that road to qualifying for the final phase. Now we are clear that we have come to compete and qualify for a youth women’s World Cup.

“We have to go compete with those powers. That’s why you work. We have a group with enough experience and we hope that things go well for us.”

The Ticas went a perfect 3-0-0 (18GF, 0GA) overall in Central America qualifying earlier this year, sealing progression with a 7-0 win over Honduras in a Classification Stage match.

“It is going to be a tough group,” Valverde remarked.

Valverde will have plenty of experienced talent from which to choose a roster. Ten players accounted for the team’s 18 qualifying goals, led by Saprissa forward Fabiola Villalobos (team-best six goals). Another competitor to watch is midfielder Gloriana Villalobos, who had one goal and two assists for Florida State University in the USA’s recently-completed NCAA season.

“[Costa Rica] is a national team that has been working for a long time,” finished Valverde. “We’ve had the girls in their clubs. Now it’s the final stage and it is going to be important for them to have enough time with us.”

This will be Costa Rica’s six appearance in the CONCACAF Under-20 Women’s Championship.

Ward : We are prepared

Trinidad and Tobago midfielder Ranae Ward believes the host nation will be ready to take on their Group A opponents by the time Thursday comes around. First up is Haiti, which on paper appears to be the weakest of the teams T&T will face with Canada and Costa Rica to follow on January 20th and 22nd

“We’ve done all our preparations with a strong belief that nothing is beyond us. It’s been a period which allowed us to come together more as a team and work on different things under our head coach Jamaal Shabazz that will hopefully allow us to bring our best game on game day for each of the three matches. We will be working continuously to keep improving and get it right for the tournament,” Ward said.

[Flex]

U-20 Women bid to brighten mood; Shabazz seeks positive performance in CONCACAF tourney.
By Amiel Mohammed (Wired868).

Jamaal Shabazz, head coach of the Trinidad and Tobago Women’s Under-20 team, is well aware that Trinidad and Tobago could use a positive boost in these tense and negative times. And he believes that his players have what it takes to give the embattled nation the inspiration it needs.

“It would be good to give the nation some upliftment in this very difficult period,” Shabazz told Wired868 as the Junior Women Soca Warriors are deep in their preparations for the CONCACAF Under-20 Women’s Championship, “not just in our sport but overall.

“We are living in a time of conflict and war on the streets and the girls could make a huge statement.”

All 16 matches in the tournament, to be staged from the 18-28 January, will be played at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva and the Junior Women, in Group A, will do battle with Costa Rica, Canada and Haiti. The defending champions USA, Mexico, Nicaragua and Jamaica make up Group B and the three teams that come out on top in the championship will qualify for the 2018 FIFA Women’s Under-20 World Cup in France.

Shabazz does not believe that the additional “social responsibility” on the shoulders of his team represents additional on-the-field stress for his charges; he is confident his charges are well placed to handle the pressure.

“They understand,” he assured Wired868. “They played at Under-15 and Under-17 level and they know what it is to play in a CONCACAF tournament. So understanding that USA, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Haiti, etc. that qualified will be forces is a plus.”

“But honestly, there can only be one ambition if you’re playing a CONCACAF tournament at home,” he continued, “in an Under-20 age group with a bunch of girls who are passionate and fearless. I think we want to give it our best shot because it’s a wonderful opportunity to qualify.”

Reminded that the National Women’s Under-17 team had failed to make it out of the group stage in the Caribbean leg of the CONCACAF qualifying series in October 2017 in Haiti, the experienced head coach immediately put the focus on a major difference—apart from the obvious one regarding playing at home.

“Because the Under-17s that went to the CFU finals in Haiti were not exposed to that level before, they didn’t understand what they were getting into. This group understands…”

That Under-17 team, which finished bottom of the group behind Jamaica and Bermuda, featured players like Moenesa Mejias, Nathifa Hackshaw, Aaliyah Prince and Tianna Daniel, all of whom have made the step up to the next age division. None of them, however, is among Shabazz’s list of go-to players, at least not yet, not in this tournament.

Shabazz revealed that he will be leaning heavily on his playmaker, Renae Ward, the elegant passer who recently led Bishop Anstey Port-of-Spain to the 2017 Girl’s National Intercol title. Ward’s team dismantled Pleasantville 6-0 on the back of her goal-scoring MVP performance.

According to Shabazz, defenders Natisha John and Shadi Cecily Stoute are also key players in his set-up but the composition of the final squad will be revealed at a media conference tomorrow. The decision about who will skipper the team is likely to be made public closer to the first game against Haiti on 18 January.

Having been involved in the national women’s game virtually from its infancy, Shabazz only took over the reins of the National Women’s football teams in July 2017, in the wake of the sudden departure of Italian Carolina Morace and her technical team. He noted that, generally speaking, today’s local players lack the technical ability of previous generations, a fact which has negatively impacted the country’s performance in recent tournaments.

“The players that we turning out are not as technically sound as the Maylee Attin-Johnson and the Kennya Cordner, etc.” Shabazz lamented. “Kennya, Attin-Johnson, Tasha St Louis, from 2000 to 2001 trained four days a week with no tournament in sight, on technical development. And look where they reached as players.”

He lauded the commitment of his staff—“Marlon Charles, Isla Browne, Kester Lendore, Jinelle James and company”—who used their own resources to scout and train players from the primary school level but expressed regret that that kind of thing “hasn’t been done since 2010.”

Appointed coach of Guyana’s National Senior Men’s team in 2011, Shabazz was involved exclusively in senior men’s football up until his July 2017 return to the Women’s game. But the reintegration into women’s football has not been without its challenges.

“It has been a more difficult a transition than I imagined,” he told Wired868. “The language I used in Guyana with a Senior Men’s National Team to get the best out of the player (was different and) the antics sometimes included physical force. But with Under-20 women and Under-17 women, it poses a different challenge.

“It has made me a more patient and understanding person.”

The Morvant Caledonia United owner cited as critical his understanding that women footballers may not be able to operate at the same speed and with the same intensity as their male counterparts. There is, therefore, a lingering lack of ease about his players’ ability to remain compact and maintain their intensity when covering the pressuring player.

A larger concern, however, was the recurrent issue of lack of funding. Were the money available, he would have liked, he said, “to get at least two more matches against high-level opposition, outside of the two (friendly) games against Jamaica.”

Praising the TTFA for its “tremendous effort,” he acknowledged that the money problem is not new but was particularly important because of the peculiar circumstances surrounding this team and this tournament.

“Funding has been a major issue and the Christmas period was always going to be difficult, which was the only time other than now that we would have gotten our full squad. Remember at least 40% of the team is living in North America so you have to prepare the team in two parts.”

But Shabazz gave the assurance that his team would not allow anything to stand in the way of its efforts at success in the tournament.

“All in all,” he ended, “what we lack in resources, we want to make up in attitude.”

[maxg]

“It would be good to give the nation some upliftment in this very difficult period,” Shabazz told Wired868 as the Junior Women Soca Warriors are deep in their preparations for the CONCACAF Under-20 Women’s Championship, “not just in our sport but overall.

“We are living in a time of conflict and war on the streets and the girls could make a huge statement.”

Beg to disagree. Again it only temporarily mask the issues. What bigger upliftment could we have had more than going (and performing creditably) to the World Cup in 2006. Where is our nation and football today. Deal with the problems, football success and celebration is not the answer. We absolutely need social services and related professionals. Instead of investing in these distractions, invest and educate in the social issues. I love football, and sports, but it's a distraction and entertainment, it is not a solution. Out of 500,000 young men and women in the country (~32%), how many can get a education or a job due to sports. How many in football. Let sport be about health first, not just about career. Building additional fields, and sporting centres, and solely investing in our elite athletes, won't fix our nation, IMO. Take a look at  Brazil issues, with both men and women great teams and many exported athletes across all sports. The work is in the trenches. The TTPS need more help and resources. Corruption has to be eradicated, top down. Our ppl need to get back to working hard and together and "make TT great again". We can't just hire/elect an individual and expect them alone to fix it, we all have to contribute. Football has it's role, managers and coaches(teachers) have a part to play, but it's requires a greater input of people. Again, just a personal opinion, I'm not an expert in social reform. Discussion and debate welcome.

From Wiki
Structure of the population (09.01.2011) (Census) :

Age Group   Male             Female   Total               %
10-14   44 953   43 010   87 963   6,62
15-19   49 709   48 670   98 378   7,41
20-24   57 407   56 833   114 240   8,60
25-29   62 268   61 250   123 517   9,30

[Flex]

Rampersad ready to play her part in T&T’s qualifying bid at U-20 Championship.
TTFA Media.

The competing nations in the CONCACAF Under 20 Women’s Championship are all on Trinidad and Tobago soil and will have their official first visits to the Ato Boldon Stadium on Wednesday prior to the opening day of matches in the tournament.

There will be no practice sessions before T&T faces Haiti at 6:30pm and Canada clashes with Costa Rica from 4pm on Thursday. Instead all the teams will have a walk through of the playing field and will engage in official Pre-game Press Conferences at the Stadium on Wednesday.

The T&T team trained at the Hasely Crawford Stadium training pitch on Tuesday as head coach Jamaal Shabazz put his players through their paces as they gear up for Haiti.

Midfielder Megan Rampersad, a United States-born player with T&T parentage is among those who will be looking to guide the hosts into the semi-finals by securing one of the two spots in Group A. Once through, T&T will seek qualification by going all the way to the championship match on January 28th or at least secure the third place finish. She has also represented T&T in basketball and is now hoping to taste success at the international level with T&T football.

“It is a honour to be selected for the Trinidad and Tobago football team as it has been a dream of mine since I was a kid,” Rampersad told TTFA Media “I grew up in Miramar, Florida but my parents are from Trinidad and Tobago . I’ve been playing soccer since I was four and I’ve loved it ever since so again it’s such a huge honour to play for T&T. I also represented this country in basketball in 2016,” she added. “All my family members are from Trinidad and Tobago and I want to represent them well in this tournament and hopefully help the team go all the way.”

Regarding the team’s preparations, Rampersad noted that there’s been nonstop work on and off the training field by every member of the team.

“We have been preparing really hard and I feel at this point we are ready to face the competing teams later this week. I feel confident about our chances of qualifying for the World Cup. Our team is filled with talented players and we are playing well as a unit. I feel like we have what it takes to get through to the World Cup. Now we’ll have to prove that on the pitch,” Rampersad added.

Rampersad attends Grandview Prep in Boca Raton, Florida where she is currently a senior and has also committed to play basketball at Washington University in 2019.

Group A action commences on Thursday while Group B kicks off on Friday with United States meeting Nicaragua and Jamaica taking on Mexico.

Tickets for all Group phase matches cost $40 and are available at all NLCB Lotto Locations. Parking for patrons will be available at the nearby Cycling and Aquatic Velodrome at $20 per vehicle.

[Jumbie]

Good Luck Young Ladies. (f**k d terrorist)

[Tallman]

WATCH: Trinidad and Tobago U-20 Women’s Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz and captain Natisha John speak at the CONCACAF Pre-Match Press Conference

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/xtqvT15Q0Y4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/xtqvT15Q0Y4</a>

[Tallman]

WATCH: Trinidad and Tobago Women's National Under-20 Team coach Jamaal Shabazz and players Natisha John, Amaya Ellis, Ranae Ward, Asha James and Aaliyah Prince speak before the CONCACAF Championships in Couva, Trinidad and Tobago

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/4vn8bYQplKU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/4vn8bYQplKU</a>

[maxg]

Mz Prince attitude remind of Kennya Cordner skill..if she have 3/4 of dat determination, "dey ave ta come reaal good to stop -dat- #10"   
She have fire and it kinda cute. Hopefully another one for the future.

[Flex]

Go get them Soca Princesses.
By Colin Murray (Guardian).

Today is a big day for our Under-20 Women’s National football team as T&T begins its quest in the CONCACAF qualifying tournament for the Women’s World Cup Finals in France in August. A lot has already been written and said about the girls leading up to this qualification tournament. On the face of it this looks to be a very tough assignment with the likes of USA, Mexico, Canada, Haiti, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and our fierce Caribbean rivals Jamaica, all vying for three spots at the finals.

Thankfully, we do not have to face off against all the teams as we play Haiti today, Canada on Saturday and Costa Rica on Monday in the group stage, before the top two teams in each group advance to the semi-finals. It is going to be very demanding for all the teams as it is never easy to play three games in the space of five days.

We just have to look at the English Premier League over the festive season and hear the cries of seasoned managers like Jurgen Klopp who rotates his side with six and seven changes within the six-day span, when they have to play at least three games.

We have been told by officials that the team is well prepared and the girls are rearing to go to make the country proud. I have seen a few of the players in action and we have some technically gifted players.

Some of the players I have not seen but again, by all the reports I have read they all seem to be able to carry out the instructions of the technical staff. To me this is the most important area of the tournament, how good will our technical staff be to overcome the tactics of the opposition when things are not going well. What do they know about the opposition? Have they been able to see Haiti, Canada and Costa Rica in action? What do they know about any of the opposition players? Who are the playmakers in the opposing teams that we need to be concerned about? I have to take for granted that these are rhetorical questions as any good technical staff would have done all their homework on our opponents and their accompanying strengths and weaknesses.

I must say that it has been good PR on the part of the Football Association, whereby all the right things have been said about the players and the organisation of the tournament. All the games are to be played at the Ato Boldon Stadium, the newest home of football (I hope Ato understands that) and if, as some of my colleagues in the football fraternity informed me, a high ranking official openly said in a meeting that the reason we beat the United States in last year’s World Cup qualification game, is because they couldnt come to terms with the ground at the Ato Boldon Stadium, then I am certainly hoping the foreign competitors would encounter similar problems with the venue at this tournament and we should be able to waltz away with victory.

I sincerely encourage the fans to go out in their numbers and support the girls because at the end of the day, they are representing the red, white and black and we as a people tend to be laid back when it comes to supporting our sportsmen and women, until of course they are winning or if things get tight and we stand a chance of qualification, all of a sudden the stands get full and every Tom, Dick and Harry will want to get tickets and jump on the bandwagon.

Unfortunately, among all the good PR that has been bandied about, there is also a lot of dotish talk about the girls needing to win to lift the nation and we need victory and qualification from them as it will revive the spirit of Trinbagonians. Why oh why, would we want to put that kind of pressure on these young girls. Do we really think that by us winning the tournament or qualifying for France the country will suddenly return to the paradise we once were and all the negatives will disappear? Shouldn’t we leave that responsibility to the Government?

It is true there is nothing like sport that unites us, so let us just wish the girls all the very best and we ask that you play with determination, courage, fight, aggressiveness, heart and we as a nation will be proud of you and certainly would not ask for more. Good luck girls the country is behind you!

RELATED NEWS

Shabazz: They are ready.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).

Captain John wants to make everybody proud

The first step toward qualification to the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in France later this year, begins tonight with a tricky clash against Haiti at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, from 6:30pm. And with a nation’s burdens resting heavily on the shoulders of his girls, national coach Jamaal Shabazz gave some comforting words yesterday when he said, “They are ready.”

At a press conference at the Couva venue yesterday Shabazz, a veteran to CONCACAF football, described today’s game as the most important for his team, saying “It is important that we try to get our nose in front in our first game, to start on a good note and put ourselves in a good position.”

The Haitians are no strangers to the Soca Princesses, as both teams played in the same tournament two years ago and are considered to be on the same level technically and tactically. Still the hosts will have to keep a close eye out for the few skilful players within the Haitian ranks that could cause a difference this evening.

In spite of the talent that exists among the teams however, Shabazz is predicting a slug-out match, with both teams going after each other. ‘It will be savage.’

On the other hand the TT girls have been anxious to take the field and have had to receive calming words from their coach. Today they will be led by defender Natisha John, who told the media while they cannot predict the outcome of the match, her team is well prepared, confident and desirous of making everyone proud.

Shabazz too did not make a prediction but made it clear “What has been written for us will come to pass. What we have in our hands is the ability to work hard and get the result we desire, and give everything we can to bring about success for the team.”

The team comprises a multi-talented bunch, most of whom have gained the experience of participating at the CONCACAF level in the past. “They know what to expect, having played at that level before. They are not naive. They have played at under-15 and under -17 levels, and they understand that the margin for error is very slim, and the intensity of the game is very high” Shabazz said.

He added “That understanding alone is a strength, as it arms them with the readiness that they have to play from the first whistle.”

The T&T game will be preceded by another key clash between Canada and Costa Rica from 4pm at he same venue.

[Tallman]

Tobago’s Asha James elated at National U-20 selection
By Elizabeth Gonzales (T&T Newsday)

Asha James,18, of Canaan, Tobago, is the only Tobagonian selected to represent the country in the U20 National Women football team for the CONCACAF Women’s Championships, which kicks off at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva today. TT faces Haiti in its opening match at 6.30pm.

Speaking with Newsday Tobago on Monday, James said she felt elated when she received news,a week ago, that she had been selected.

She said her dream of becoming a national footballer started at the age of 11 when her passion and love for the sport began.

“I feel glad to be a part of a team to once again represent TT. I was a part of the Under 15 and Under 17 women’s football team. I really worked hard to accomplish this so, when I found out I was chosen I was surprised. During the try-outs, I put my best foot forward for the coaches to see what I was able to do.”

Currently attending Florida International University, the teen said she owns all her accomplishments in sport to God, adding that her spiritual life plays a significant role in her journey.

“At the beginning, it didn’t look like I would be successful enough to make the team. I went to God, I prayed and cried out because this is something I dedicated most of my time and effort towards. I’m thanking God it happened and now I have the opportunity to live a dream by representing my country in a sport I love.”

The striker said her future plan is to collaborate and grow with her team to qualify and capture the title in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in France.

“We are trying to get one of the three spots that would allow us to go to France and play in the World Cup in August this year.”

James believes her former colleague Abiela Adams, 16, of Mary’s Hill, who was an aspiring footballer but was found dead on February 11 last year, at Courland, Plymouth would have also made the national team.

“The potential she had, I know she would have also been on this team. It is sad to know that she was taken like that. It’s almost a year since she was murdered. But God knows best.” Adams and James were members of the Jewels football club in Tobago and also former students of Signal Hill Secondary.

James, who also participates in track and field and beach football, said, after her father died, her mother became her driving force, which allowed her to find strength when she considered giving up.

“There was a time my mother was telling me that I need to choose one sport, but my father told my mother to leave me to try all the different sports I was interested in; he would support me in all. From ever since, I played three different sports including long-distance running, track and field and football, all at the same time. Above all the sports I am involved in I, prefer football.

“Balancing academic and sportsman life had become easy and it is comes hand in hand for me after balancing it for so many years.”

But she said in November she became discouraged after gaining some weight.

“This kept me back, but even with the weight and even with the strong feeling of discouragement – thinking if I will make the team or if I will be good enough – I continued to push.”

Her advice to aspiring footballers is to trust God. “Mathew 6:13 says, ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all other things shall be added unto you.’ So I would encourage those with football as their passion to seek God first, since He knows all our desires. Once He gets our all, He will grant all our wishes. A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.”

She said she hopes to become a pastor or a sports official one day.