U-20 Women's Team Thread.

[Flex]

TTFA announces De Four as Women’s U-20 and U-17 head coach.
TTFA Media.

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association wishes to announce the hiring of Stephan De Four as head coach of the National Women’s Under 20 and Under 17 teams ahead of upcoming CONCACAF championships.

De Four assumes duties that will see him overseeing the programme for a period which runs through to the respective U-20 and U-17 Women’s World Cups.

In an immediate response, De Four who is of Trinidad and Tobago heritage, told TTFA Media,”I am very honored and humbled to serve my country in this capacity. My initial plan is to select a high level competent Technical staff with the same dedication and vision as I have. I am in process of holding a screening of players for both groups early next month.

I am elated to return to my home land and make a difference as it relates to Women’s Football in Trinidad and Tobago.”

De Four is a previous T&T Women’s Under 17 Women’s Head Coach and U-20 Women’s Assistant Coach.  He was also the assistant coach to the Women’s U-15 team that participated at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. De Four was previous the technical director of the Haitian Football Association Women’s Programme where he served as head coach of the senior women and youth teams.

[elan]

From no coach to yes a coach just as the rumors said. Ah yes....

[asylumseeker]

From no coach to yes a coach just as the rumors said. Ah yes....

Ent.

[elan]

From no coach to yes a coach just as the rumors said. Ah yes....

Ent.

They can't help tripping over themselves. Stay quiet and don't address the rumors until you are ready to make an announcement. Or, address the rumors while making the announcement earlier than you wanted.

There's so much distrust towards the FA and yet they keep shooting themselves in the foot. Seems there's no leadership.

[Flex]

U-20 Women draw Cayman Islands, Haiti, Panama.
TTFA Media.

The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football this week announced that the Dominican Republic will host the 2020 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship. The final two stages of the competition (group stage and knockout round) will take place between February 15 – March 1, 2020.

Trinidad and Tobago will face Panama, Cayman Islands and Haiti in their opening group. The T&T U-20 Men also drew Haiti and Panama in its qualifying group.

“We are very excited to host the final rounds of the 2020 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship in the Dominican Republic for the first time. This will be the 10th edition of this competition and it always provides a great platform for the best young players in our region. It will also be a significant part of our efforts to celebrate and further enhance women’s football in 2020, with 1,400 women and girls playing elite Concacaf football across the year.” said Concacaf General Secretary Philippe Moggio.

“It is an honor for the Dominican Republic to have been selected as the host for the 2020 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship. There is a growing passion for football in our country and we hope to have an amazing event for the best young female players in our region.” said the President of the FEDOFUTBOL Normalization Committee Manuel Luna.

The Estadio Felix Sanchez and Estadio Panamericano, in Santo Domingo and San Cristobal, respectively, will both host group stage, round of 16 and quarterfinal matches. The decisive semifinals, third place match and final will all be played at the Felix Sanchez stadium.

The Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship kicked off with an initial group stage round between 10 nations. The participating teams were divided into two groups of five teams. After round robin play, Guyana, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Grenada qualified for the knockout stage. The first round of the competition took place in Saint Kitts and Nevis and Guyana, between July 13-21, 2019.

The second round of the competition will also be played in a group format, between the top ranked 16 teams according to the Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Ranking as of August 2018. The 16 participating teams were divided in four groups of four teams and will play as follows (listed in the order drawn):

Group C: United States, Honduras, Dominican Republic and Cuba
Group D: Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico
Group E: Canada, Jamaica, Guatemala and El Salvador
Group F: Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Panama and Cayman Islands

After round-robin play, the top three teams in each of the groups will advance to the knockout stage, joining the four round one top finishers. The third and final round will begin with the round of 16. The eight Round of 16 match pairing are as follows:

Match #25: 1C vs Saint Lucia
Match #26: 1E vs Guyana
Match #27: 2C vs 3E
Match #28: 2E vs 3C
Match #29: 1D vs Grenada
Match #30: 1F vs Saint Kitts and Nevis
Match #31: 2D vs 3F
Match #32: 2F vs 3D

All knockout round matches (round of 16, quarterfinal, semifinal and final) will be played in a single match elimination format, with the finalist and the third-place match winner qualifying to the FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup 2020.

In the previous edition of the Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship, played in Trinidad and Tobago in 2018, Mexico won its first championship at this level, with a 4-2 win in penalties over the United States in the final.

The 2020 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship will be part of what is set to be a year of Women’s Football at Concacaf.  In total, more than 1,400 girls and women from the entire region will have access to top level football tournaments, including the Women’s Olympic Qualifiers, Girls’ Under-15 Championship and Women’s Under-17 Championship.

Notes

Dates: February 15 – March 1, 2020

Venues: Estadio Felix Sanchez, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and Estadio Panamericano, San Cristobal, Dominican Republic.

Participating Countries (listed in alphabetical order): Canada, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and the United States.

Competition Schedule

Saturday, February 15, 2020
01: United States vs Cuba
02: Honduras vs Dominican Republic
03: Jamaica vs Guatemala
04: Canada vs El Salvador

Sunday, February 16, 2020
05: Mexico vs Puerto Rico
06: Costa Rica vs Nicaragua
07: Trinidad & Tobago vs Panama
08: Haiti vs Cayman Islands

Monday, February 17, 2020
09: Dominican Republic vs United States
10: Cuba vs Honduras
11: El Salvador vs Jamaica
12: Guatemala vs Canada

Tuesday, February 18, 2020
13: Puerto Rico vs Costa Rica
14: Nicaragua vs Mexico
15: Cayman Islands vs Trinidad & Tobago
16: Panama vs Haiti

Wednesday, February 19, 2020
17: Dominican Republic vs Cuba
18: United States vs Honduras
19: Guatemala vs El Salvador
20: Canada vs Jamaica

Thursday, February 20, 2020
21: Nicaragua vs Puerto Rico
22: Mexico vs Costa Rica
23: Panama vs Cayman Islands
24: Haiti vs Trinidad & Tobago

Saturday, February 22, 2020 – Round of 16
25: 1C vs Saint Lucia
26: 1E vs Guyana
27: 2C vs 3E
28: 2E vs 3C

Sunday, February 23, 2020 – Round of 16
1D vs Grenada
1F vs Saint Kitts and Nevis
2D vs 3F
2F vs 3D

Tuesday, February 25, 2020 – Quarterfinals
33: W25 vs W28
34: W26 vs W27
35: W29 vs W32
36: W30 vs W31

Thursday, February 27, 2020 – Semifinals
37: W33 vs W34
38: W35 vs W36

Sunday, March 1, 2020 – 3rd Place Match and Final
39: L37 vs L38
40: W37 vs W38

[Bianconeri]

Do we have a team in training?

Who's the staff? is it also De Four and the rest of the senior women's team coaches from the last qualifying tournament?
if so, who are they?

[Tallman]

WATCH: Trinidad and Tobago's Women U-20 and U-17 Head Coach Richard Hood Addressed the media today ahead of upcoming CONCACAF qualifiers.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/5en9JAirtJI" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/5en9JAirtJI</a>

[Flex]

Hood predicts tough Concacaf road awaits T&T
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).

New Na­tion­al Un­der-17 and 20 Women's foot­ball coach Richard Hood is al­ready pre­dict­ing dif­fi­cult roads ahead for his teams, es­pe­cial­ly his U-20 play­ers who will have to tan­gle with the gi­ants of the CON­CA­CAF re­gion USA, Mex­i­co and Cana­da, as well as emerg­ing pow­er­house Haiti for one of just two spots from the North, Cen­tral Amer­i­can and the Caribbean Foot­ball Fed­er­a­tions tour­na­ment next month.

Hood in his first of­fi­cial meet­ing with the me­dia on Fri­day at the Ato Boldon Sta­di­um in Bal­main, Cou­va re­vealed that both Pana­ma and Cos­ta Ri­ca have been award­ed the right to host the fi­nal round of the CON­CA­CAF World Cup qual­i­fiers, which means on­ly two teams will progress from next month's tour­na­ment in San­to Domin­go, Domin­go Re­pub­lic.

The So­ca Princess­es have been drawn in a group with Pana­ma, Haiti and the Cay­man Is­lands, need­ing to be among the top three teams, since Pana­ma will earn au­to­mat­ic ad­vance­ment be­cause of be­ing the host of the fi­nal round.

Hood said he is an­tic­i­pat­ing that his girls will come out of the group phase, but they will have to see what they can do in the knock-out stage.

How­ev­er, Hood who was part of the Women's pro­gramme back in 2010, has re­ceived some much-need­ed help from the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion, which has agreed to send the U-20 team on a camp ahead of the tour­na­ment in San­to Domin­go it­self from Feb­ru­ary 11, where the team will play three match­es against the Do­mini­can Re­pub­lic U-20 team, a club team, and an­oth­er against a boys team, Hood said.

The So­ca Princess­es will then go in­to ac­tion on Feb­ru­ary 23 against the Pana­ma­ni­ans.

A month lat­er, the U-17s will spring in­to ac­tion in their qual­i­fiers in March at a date and venue to be de­ter­mined.



Coach Richard Hood, right, talks to players during the TTFA Girls Under-17 Screening session at St Mary’s College, Grounds, St Clair in December. Team manager Maylee-Attin Johnson is at left.

[Flex]

Hood unearthing talents for U-20 Concacaf Championships.
By Jonathan Ramnanansingh (Newsday).

T&T’s squad for next month’s Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championships (February 15 – March 1) in Dominican Republic will mainly comprise of a new batch of foreign-based players and a handful of local talents, who have been training alongside national coach Richard Hood, over the past couple weeks.

At Hood’s first interaction with the media in his capacity, at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, on Friday, he said the TT Football Association (TTFA) has been working with him to host several screening sessions, in an attempt to unearth new national team prospects. While these sessions have aided the seeding process, Hood believes there is still a lot of work to do if T&T is to make any impression at the Championships.

The national coach will host another training segment with all local-based T&T hopefuls over this weekend and will place great emphasis on Tobagonian players. While TTFA has already sourced ten foreign-based athletes, Hood will not have the opportunity to meet this bunch beforehand on home soil.

These North American-based players will arrive in Santo Domingo approximately 12 days prior to the competition’s start, where they will link up with the team coach and his domestic selection for a detailed training camp. This, according to him, will in fact, pose a competitive and preparatory challenge. However, he remains optimistic, although there have some reluctance from past players to rejoin the team.

“We are trying to get some of these players (past) back into the pool to ensure that we have the best possible players going forward,” he said. “We anticipate the majority of the final selection would actually come from North America. It will be difficult. It’s good though that we’re having a ten-day camp leading into the tournament. We have ten days to work with them and get the entire team organised. That augurs well for us.”

This tourney also serves as the final regional qualifier for this year’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup which will be held in Panama and Costa Rica in August. However, only two Concacaf teams will secure World Cup qualification coming out of the Championships, since the both hosts have automatically qualified.

Of the four contesting groups, T&T (Group F) will vie for a spot in the knockout round against the likes of Panama, Cayman Islands and Haiti. The top three teams from each group advance. Defending champions Mexico, USA, Costa Rica, Cuba and Jamaica are all potential opponents if T&T progresses to the next stage; a big ask for the still-under-construction unit. The national squad begins its campaign against Panama on February 16.

“Panama and Haiti are both emerging forces,” Hood added. “I would suggest that Cayman Islands would be the weakest team in the group so we simply have to beat them. But the goal is to win every game, that’s the mindset we’re going in with. We are working hard and going out to do the best that we can. We know that the other nations are ahead of us. But we also know that we have the talent and the ability to get the girls to where we want them to be.”

Since screenings began in December, the national U-17 and U-20 coach has highlighted fitness as his players’ biggest concern. Hood is banking on the remaining days prior to the team’s departure and the training camp in Santo Domingo to formulate the strongest possible squad for a highly competitive tournament.

While he was still grateful that the Women’s League Football has helped some of the locally-based players get some time in on the field, Hood admitted this was not enough. Moving forward, the coach insists training programmes, fitness and improving our level of play and competitiveness are integral to rebuilding the “Women Warriors”.

He concluded, “The WoLF League does not prepare women to play internationally. It’s our, the TTFA’s, responsibility to develop our young girls. They don’t play enough football. That’s a big problem with the women’s programme. We have to set up our programme going forward where we are training continuously and every cycle, produce quality teams.”

Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship Groups

Group C: United States, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Cuba

Group D: Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico

Group E: Canada, Jamaica, Guatemala, El Salvador

Group F: Haiti, Panama, Cayman Islands, T&T

[maxg]

Is there a list of all selects ?

[frico]

I just have to look at that picture and know those girls won't beat anybody,they look too "girly",can't we find some butch looking females,lesbians and those kinds,the teams that do well are usually packed with them,good examples are England and the USA,and looking at some other countries you don't need anyone to tell you.Serious business...

[elan]

I just have to look at that picture and know those girls won't beat anybody,they look too "girly",can't we find some butch looking females,lesbians and those kinds,the teams that do well are usually packed with them,good examples are England and the USA,and looking at some other countries you don't need anyone to tell you.Serious business...

Dude haven't you seen Karchaoui, Cascarino twins, Diani, Press, Morgan, they all girly and yet top players.  I get what you're saying though.

[Deeks]

You want players like Michelle Lee ?

[asylumseeker]

[Deeks]

I am all for players of all persuasions, as long as we get good results.

[soccerman]

I just have to look at that picture and know those girls won't beat anybody,they look too "girly",can't we find some butch looking females,lesbians and those kinds,the teams that do well are usually packed with them,good examples are England and the USA,and looking at some other countries you don't need anyone to tell you.Serious business...

We can give you the recruiting job for that. Take a look at Spain's U20 women's team that placed 2nd in the women's U20 WC in 2018. That picture was taken before the quaterfinal match against Nigeria.

[maxg]

Is there a list of all selects ?

Hood unearthing talents for U-20 Concacaf Championships.
By Jonathan Ramnanansingh (Newsday).

T&T’s squad for next month’s Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championships (February 15 – March 1) in Dominican Republic will mainly comprise of a new batch of foreign-based players and a handful of local talents, who have been training alongside national coach Richard Hood, over the past couple weeks.

At Hood’s first interaction with the media in his capacity, at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, on Friday, he said the TT Football Association (TTFA) has been working with him to host several screening sessions, in an attempt to unearth new national team prospects. While these sessions have aided the seeding process, Hood believes there is still a lot of work to do if T&T is to make any impression at the Championships.

The national coach will host another training segment with all local-based T&T hopefuls over this weekend and will place great emphasis on Tobagonian players. While TTFA has already sourced ten foreign-based athletes, Hood will not have the opportunity to meet this bunch beforehand on home soil.[/u]

These North American-based players will arrive in Santo Domingo approximately 12 days prior to the competition’s start, where they will link up with the team coach and his domestic selection for a detailed training camp. This, according to him, will in fact, pose a competitive and preparatory challenge. However, he remains optimistic, although there have some reluctance from past players to rejoin the team.

“We are trying to get some of these players (past) back into the pool to ensure that we have the best possible players going forward,” he said. “We anticipate the majority of the final selection would actually come from North America. It will be difficult. It’s good though that we’re having a ten-day camp leading into the tournament. We have ten days to work with them and get the entire team organised. That augurs well for us.”

...............

[Flex]

Hood selects Final U-20 Women’s Squad for Concacaf qualifiers.
TTFA Media.

Head Coach Richard Hood announced his final Trinidad and Tobago Women’s Under 20 squad that will contest the CONCACAF U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers in Dominican Republic later this month

The tournament will be held in the Dominican Republic between 22 February and 8 March 2020
The final tournament is expanded from eight to 20 teams, using the same format as the 2019 CONCACAF U-17 Championship. The top two teams of the tournament will qualify for the 2020 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica and Panama as the CONCACAF representatives, besides Costa Rica and Panama who automatically qualified as co-hosts.

T&T are in Group F with Haiti, St Kitt’s Nevis, Cayman Islands. They face St Kitts/Nevis in their opening match on February 22nd Estadio Panamericano, San Cristóbal. The top three teams from the group will advance to the knockout stage. T&T plays Cayman Islands on February 25th and Haiti on February 27th.

The team is scheduled to depart for Santo Domingo on Tuesday for a pre-tournament training camp where several of the North American based players will join the rest of the contingent.

Head Coach Hood said he was optimistic of the team’s chances of advancing into the knockout phase.

“The girls have been working hard and the program has been intensive. We had an opportunity to assess them and what they are capable of. I think we have a nice bunch of players when you add the foreign-based players to the group,” Hood told TTFA Media on Friday.

“We have what I believe would be a very exciting offensive team. Defensively we would have some work to do because we have four defensive players here and another four added to the group so it’s about finding the right combinations as we get out there going into the tournament. That would be my big concern going forward,” he added.

The T&T head coach stressed on the importance of the training camp away from home soil before the tournament.

“The training camp is critical. This is the first time we have been afforded this kind of camp before a tournament since I have been involved in women’s football on the international stage. It gives us an opportunity to really prepare well, assess where we are physically, tactically and technically. We have three games before the tournament as well so it’s beautiful and an ideal situation for us,” he said.

Looking back at the preparations which commenced in December, he added, “It was difficult from the point of view where we met a bunch where the physical levels were really low. We had to take our time as well because we had concerns about injury and some players were lacking from a technical standpoint as well. But I am seeing a lot of improvement physically and technically and I think the players are having a better understanding of how we want to play and the style of play we want to implement.We are working on this on a daily basis.

T&T U-20 Final Squad

Goalkeepers

K’lil Keshwar/St Francis College
Chelsea Ramnauth/ Fyzabad Secondary

Defenders

Shalisha King/Alcorn State
Tsai-Anne Fernandez/ Pleasantville Secondary.
Arnelle Douglas/Brock University
Sydney Boisselle/York University
Lathifa Pascall/Pleasantville Secondary
Nathifa Hackshaw/Rangers FC
Roshun Williams/Waterloo Inst.

Midfielders

Sarah De Gannes/Internazionale
Megan Rampersad/Wellington Wave
Aaliyah Pascall/Pleasantville Secondary
Chrissy Mitchell/Mayaro Secondary
Maria Frances-Serrant/Diego Martin Central
Sydni Greaves/Cedar Stars Monmouth Longwood Uni.

Forwards

Cayla McFarlane/Polytechnic School
Tori Paul/Charlotte Independence
Aaliyah Prince/North Texas Community College
Afiyah Cornwall/Waterloo Inst.
Alexia Ali/Pleasantville Secondary

Head Coach Hood talks about Final U-20 Women's Squad for Concacaf qualifiers

[Tallman]

Brock University Women’s Soccer player, Arnelle Douglas, to lace up for Trinidad and Tobago U-20 squad
By Stephen Leithwood (brocku.ca)

There will be a Brock Badger on the field when 20 international soccer teams clash at the 2020 CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship in the Dominican Republic from Feb. 22 to March 8.

Brock midfielder Arnelle Douglas, a second-year Humanities student from Bowmanville, was recently named to the Trinidad & Tobago U20 squad that will compete for a chance to qualify for the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in August.

“I am extremely proud and very honoured to be able to represent my other country and my heritage,” said Douglas. “It is not just the country I am representing, but I’m representing my family, our values and all of their hard work.”

After one of Brock’s matches earlier this season, Douglas was approached by a scout suggesting she connect with Trinidad & Tobago’s national program.

Within a few weeks she was on a plane heading to Trinidad for trial sessions. She returned home and after landing in Toronto, received news that she’ll be representing the dual-island Caribbean nation.

Douglas is no stranger to the international stage as she’s represented Canada in Sweden and Denmark at the Gothia Cup in the past, however she’s elated to represent the other side of her culture.

“My heritage means the world to me,” said Arnelle. “I know how hard it was for my parents to immigrate here and leave behind their lives just to give my brother and I a better shot at life. I love Canada, but Trinidad has a special place in my heart as that is where all my family is: cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles you name it all.”

Growing up in Bowmanville, Douglas is the first Canadian born in her family.

Douglas recalled always been drawn to the beautiful game even as a child. She said her first impression of the game came when her older brother, Tavon, played with the Pickering Soccer Club.

“I was his biggest fan always cheering him on,” said Douglas. “I would even wear his big jerseys and socks, and somehow get myself intermixed with his teammates during their halftime snacks. I was not even old enough for grade school, yet I wanted to be into soccer just like him.”

Before Douglas attended Brock University and laced up for the Badgers, she came up through the Darlington Soccer Club system and competed in League1 Ontario with Darby FC.

The club’s technical director, Stuart Robertson, wasn’t surprised to learn of Douglas being named to the Trinidad & Tobago U21 squad.

“We are very proud of Arnelle and she has worked very hard to achieve her goal of representing Trinidad &Tobago,” said Robertson. “Arnelle carries herself well, is well spoken and is very athletic, but most of all is one of the most coachable players I have ever been around.”

Some of Douglas’ best attributes on the field is her tendency to get forward and start the counter attack with her pace and vision, according to Robertson.

“Arnelle is a good teammate who helps everyone better themselves whether that’s on the pitch or in the classroom,” said Robertson. “She’s always smiling and enjoys being part of the team. Her positivity is contagious and she is a joy to be around.”

Douglas’ vision and speed allowed the Badgers to switch her between defence and the midfield this season. She’s helped the Brock women’s soccer team make the OUA playoffs for two consecutive seasons since she joined the program in 2018.

She’s also part of a defence corps tasked with protecting all-star goalkeeper Marilena Spagnolo. The Badgers allowed only seven goals against in 16 matches last season, which rates as third in the OUA.

Douglas said the game of soccer has only added to her quality of life. It’s provided opportunities to travel and meet new friends, and to see the world with a different perspective.

“To me, soccer is a gateway to healthy living, yes physically, but more so mentally. Life itself is not always easy,” said Douglas. “For example, I am a 20-year-old female student still learning how to handle changes and the not so happy times, but having a healthy gateway that soccer has given me is something only a few get to experience. Finding something you love and holding it close to you as you grow and learn allows for comfort, growth and inspiration. Soccer to me is not just a sport, but it is what I call home.”

[Tallman]

Klil Keshwar selected to represent Trinidad and Tobago at CONCACAF U-20 World Cup Championships
sfcathletics.com

St. Francis College Brooklyn women's soccer goalkeeper Klil Keshwar has been selected to represent her native Trinidad and Tobago in the upcoming CONCACAF U20 World Cup Championships, which will kick-off on Saturday, February 22, and conclude on Sunday, March 8.
 
"I am grateful for this opportunity to represent my country and look forward to what this competition brings," commented Keshwar following the selection.
 
The goalkeeper was first invited to training camp with Trinidad and Tobago's senior women's team in 2016 as the team prepared for the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Championship. She was the starting keeper for Trinidad and Tobago's U17 women's team that captured third-place in the Caribbean Football Union Women's U17 CONCACAF Qualifiers in Puerto Rico. Keshwar was also the starting keeper for Trinidad and Tobago's U15 Girls' team that earned third-place at the U15 CONCACAF Championships in 2014 on the Cayman Islands.

"We are incredibly proud to have Klil representing the school and the program in the CONCACAF U20 World Cup and wish Trinidad and Tobago the best of luck. We will be cheering them on from Brooklyn," said women's soccer Head Coach Justine Lombardi.
 
Keshwar was the starting goalkeeper for Trinidad and Tobago's U20 women's team that competed in the U20 women's CONCACAF and World Cup Qualifiers in 2018 as well. During the same year, Keshwar was invited to training camp with Trinidad and Tobago's senior women's football team for the Caribbean Football Union World Cup Qualifiers for CONCACAF '18. Additionally, she was invited to camp with the national senior women's squad for the Central American and Caribbean Games.
 
Trinidad and Tobago will play its first match of the respective tournament on Sunday, February 23, when it takes on Saint Kitts and Nevis inside Estadio Panamericano in San Cristobal at 12 p.m. EST.

[Bianconeri]

Klil Keshwar selected to represent Trinidad and Tobago at CONCACAF U-20 World Cup Championships
sfcathletics.com

St. Francis College Brooklyn women's soccer goalkeeper Klil Keshwar has been selected to represent her native Trinidad and Tobago in the upcoming CONCACAF U20 World Cup Championships, which will kick-off on Saturday, February 22, and conclude on Sunday, March 8.
 
"I am grateful for this opportunity to represent my country and look forward to what this competition brings," commented Keshwar following the selection.
 
The goalkeeper was first invited to training camp with Trinidad and Tobago's senior women's team in 2016 as the team prepared for the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Championship. She was the starting keeper for Trinidad and Tobago's U17 women's team that captured third-place in the Caribbean Football Union Women's U17 CONCACAF Qualifiers in Puerto Rico. Keshwar was also the starting keeper for Trinidad and Tobago's U15 Girls' team that earned third-place at the U15 CONCACAF Championships in 2014 on the Cayman Islands.

"We are incredibly proud to have Klil representing the school and the program in the CONCACAF U20 World Cup and wish Trinidad and Tobago the best of luck. We will be cheering them on from Brooklyn," said women's soccer Head Coach Justine Lombardi.
 
Keshwar was the starting goalkeeper for Trinidad and Tobago's U20 women's team that competed in the U20 women's CONCACAF and World Cup Qualifiers in 2018 as well. During the same year, Keshwar was invited to training camp with Trinidad and Tobago's senior women's football team for the Caribbean Football Union World Cup Qualifiers for CONCACAF '18. Additionally, she was invited to camp with the national senior women's squad for the Central American and Caribbean Games.
 
Trinidad and Tobago will play its first match of the respective tournament on Sunday, February 23, when it takes on Saint Kitts and Nevis inside Estadio Panamericano in San Cristobal at 12 p.m. EST.

Hope her potential is realised and nurtured

[Bianconeri]

Any way we can get to see these games coming up??

[maxg]

Klil Keshwar selected to represent Trinidad and Tobago at CONCACAF U-20 World Cup Championships
sfcathletics.com

St. Francis College Brooklyn women's soccer goalkeeper Klil Keshwar has been selected to represent her native Trinidad and Tobago in the upcoming CONCACAF U20 World Cup Championships, which will kick-off on Saturday, February 22, and conclude on Sunday, March 8.
 
"I am grateful for this opportunity to represent my country and look forward to what this competition brings," commented Keshwar following the selection.
 
The goalkeeper was first invited to training camp with Trinidad and Tobago's senior women's team in 2016 as the team prepared for the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Championship. She was the starting keeper for Trinidad and Tobago's U17 women's team that captured third-place in the Caribbean Football Union Women's U17 CONCACAF Qualifiers in Puerto Rico. Keshwar was also the starting keeper for Trinidad and Tobago's U15 Girls' team that earned third-place at the U15 CONCACAF Championships in 2014 on the Cayman Islands.

"We are incredibly proud to have Klil representing the school and the program in the CONCACAF U20 World Cup and wish Trinidad and Tobago the best of luck. We will be cheering them on from Brooklyn," said women's soccer Head Coach Justine Lombardi.
 
Keshwar was the starting goalkeeper for Trinidad and Tobago's U20 women's team that competed in the U20 women's CONCACAF and World Cup Qualifiers in 2018 as well. During the same year, Keshwar was invited to training camp with Trinidad and Tobago's senior women's football team for the Caribbean Football Union World Cup Qualifiers for CONCACAF '18. Additionally, she was invited to camp with the national senior women's squad for the Central American and Caribbean Games.
 
Trinidad and Tobago will play its first match of the respective tournament on Sunday, February 23, when it takes on Saint Kitts and Nevis inside Estadio Panamericano in San Cristobal at 12 p.m. EST.

Hope her potential is realised and nurtured

Coming from the school's 0-17 record, She probably has no fear of things getting worse. I hope. 

I won't comment on other selects, will try to stay positive.

[Flex]

U-20 Women commence training camp in Santo Domingo.
TTFA Media.

Trinidad and Tobago Women’s Under 20 Team have undergone three training sessions in San Domingo since commencing their training camp at the Dominican Fiesta Hotel and CAR San Cristobal on Wednesday ahead of the CONCACAF Under 20 Women’s Championship later this month.

Head Coach Richard Hood conducted a double session on Thursday with sixteen players as six of his North American-based players joined the ten players that departed Pierce on Tuesday. The six overseas-based players currently on site are Sydni Greaves, Sydney Boiselle,Tori Paul, Sarah De Gannes, Shalisha King and Megan Rampersad. Arnelle Douglas and Klil Keshwar will arrive on Sunday.

Head Coach Richard Hood said he has been impressed with the look of the six players so far along with the rest of the squad. T&T faces a local Semi-professional Women’s team in their first scrimmage on Friday afternoon.

“We had our first session yesterday afternoon where we had an opportunity to see six of the foreign-based players for the first time. We got a favourable impression of them for the most part. We introduce them to some of our tactical plans and there were very receptive,” Hood told TTFA Media.

“This morning we had a physical session and we returned to the pitch in the afternoon where we prepare for our first scrimmage on Friday against a senior women’s semi-professional team.

“The facilities are fine.. nice hotel, quality meals and great service. The training pitches at the CAR facility are also adequate and we are very satisfied with what the administration has provided for us. The players and staff are in good spirits and we look forward to the challenges ahead,” Hood continued.

The tournament will be held in the Dominican Republic between 22 February and 8 March 2020. T&T are in Group F with Haiti, St Kitts Nevis, Cayman Islands. They face St Kitts/Nevis in their opening match on February 22nd Estadio Panamericano, San Cristóbal. The top three teams from the group will advance to the knockout stage. T&T plays Cayman Islands on February 25th and Haiti on February 27th.

The final tournament is expanded from eight to 20 teams, using the same format as the 2019 CONCACAF U-17 Championship. The top two teams of the tournament will qualify for the 2020 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica and Panama as the CONCACAF representatives, besides Costa Rica and Panama who automatically qualified as co-hosts.

[Flex]

U-20 Women fall in training match.
T&T Guardian Reports.

T&T’s Un­der 20 Women’s Team went down 4-1 to Do­mini­can Re­pub­lic’s Women’s Un­der 20 team in a scrim­mage in San­to Domin­go on Fri­day.

The T&T Team, is cur­rent­ly en­gaged in a train­ing camp ahead of the up­com­ing CON­CA­CAF U-20 Women’s Cham­pi­onship. T&T’s lone goal came from Maria-Frances Ser­rant close to the half hour mark.

T&T will face Puer­to Ri­co’s U-20 Women in an­oth­er train­ing match on Mon­day and se­mi-pro­fes­sion­al women’s team Abril LDF on Feb­ru­ary 19th. T&T faces St Kitts/Nevis in its open­ing match of the cham­pi­onship on Feb­ru­ary 22nd.

“The game for us was a poor one as we strug­gled on both sides of the ball. The op­po­nent was phys­i­cal and well or­ga­nized and pressed us through­out.. Our play­ers for the most part could not han­dle the pres­sure. Afiyah Corn­wall stood out for us. A few play­ers were de­cent but there was lit­tle else to be pleased about,” head coach Richard Hood said.

Hood said, “I think it was an im­por­tant ex­er­cise for us as we found out a lot about the char­ac­ter of the play­ers as well as their tac­ti­cal knowl­edge. I be­lieve fit­ness re­mains an is­sue as well as ac­cli­ma­tiz­ing to the con­di­tions here is a fac­tor as well but that will come. We have the next two days to pre­pare for our next train­ing match and cor­rect these ar­eas. We need to fight much more and im­prove our mo­bil­i­ty and com­po­sure in pos­ses­sion.”

(Team x Dominican Republic)

Trinidad and Tobago U-20 (4-2-3-1): Chelsea Ramnauth (GK); Lathifa Pascall, Shalisha King, Tsian Fernandez, Nathifa Hackshaw; Sarah De Gannes, Megan Rampersad; Aaliyah Prince, Chrissy Mitchell, Maria Frances-Serrant; Afiyah Cornwall.

Substitutes: Sydney Boisselle, Roshun Williams, Aaliyah Pascall, Sydni Greaves, Tori Paul.

Unavailable: K’lil Keshwar (GK), Cayla McFarlane, Arnelle Douglas.

Injured: Alexcia Ali.

Coach: Richard Hood

[maxg]

oh oh
Dem had nuff practice lastyear
https://www.flashscore.com/team/dominican-republic/0xzHeZEB/

Meanwhile
https://www.flashscore.co.uk/team/trinidad-tobago/zmxFwVV6/

We building, sorry to say, but with a few girls who ride pine with their barely ranked school teams. Guess we have to start somewhere. I wonder if we could have save some funds and build first then enter tournaments.

[Bianconeri]

oh oh
Dem had nuff practice lastyear
https://www.flashscore.com/team/dominican-republic/0xzHeZEB/

Meanwhile
https://www.flashscore.co.uk/team/trinidad-tobago/zmxFwVV6/

We building, sorry to say, but with a few girls who ride pine with their barely ranked school teams. Guess we have to start somewhere. I wonder if we could have save some funds and build first then enter tournaments.

So many factors to work against but they still have to try to get positive results
Not being able to have a a 22 player squad to train with to work on diff. aspects while in Trinidad is a task
Probably why the u17 and u20 have to train together

I dont think we can decide to not participate, it could mean sanctions from FIFA or less grant $ given from FIFA for simply pulling out cause "we not ready"

[maxg]

Encouraging result .3-0 vs Puerto Rico U 20

[Flex]

Cornwall bags hattrick in 3-0 win over Puerto Rico.
TTFA Media

Trinidad and Tobago Under 20 Women rebounded from their opening training match loss to Dominican Republic to defeat Puerto Rico’s Under 20s 3-0 in Santo Domingo on Monday evening.

A hattrick from captain Afiyah Cornwall did the job for the T&T side which produced an improved showing as preparations continues ahead of its opening CONCACAF Under 20 Women’s championship match against St Kitts/Nevis on February 22nd.

Cornwall struck in the 18th, 19th and 36th minutes.

Though the game carried no worth in terms of points towards the championship, there was a fair amount of significance brought by the victory with this being the first by any national team against an international opponent under the current administration led by President William Wallace and will certainly serve as a moral booster heading into the opening match against the Kittitians.

“We had a much improved performance today scoring three goals in the first half and we actually should have scored a lot more,” Hood told TTFA Media after the match,

“Afiyah Cornwall was fantastic for the team scoring a hattrick and is leading the team by example. She is working extremely hard on both sides of the ball.

“Our organisation was much better today, pressing of the football and defensive organisation was a lot better.Movement on the ball and off the ball was better but we still have some work to do. Fitness is still a concern but we are improving. We had a couple days with good work on both sides of the ball and we saw the benefits of that in today’s game.

The opponent was not quite as tough physically as Dominican Republic but they are a decent technical team. Our organisation today was the difference in our performance in the two games. It’s a work in progress and we continue to work towards improving going into the competition,” Hood added.

RELATED NEWS

Captain Cornwall pummels Puerto Rico; T&T U-20s win second friendly 3-0
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).

The Trinidad and Tobago Women’s National Under-20 Team rebounded from their opening tour loss against the Dominican Republic to whip Puerto Rico 3-0 today in their second pre-tournament friendly in Santo Domingo.

Once more, 18-year-old forward Afiyah Cornwall was the bright spark for the Women Soca Warriors as she notched a first half hattrick to sink the opposition.

“Cornwall is a monster for us right now,” said coach Richard Hood, who gave the former Carapichaima East Secondary student the captain’s armband for the first time before kick off. “She is just brilliant and the Puerto Rico defence could not deal with her. Even against the Dominican Republic’s defence, she was dribbling players in the twos and threes.

“She is very strong on the ball and is really showing that leadership we are looking for; and as a consequence she is [now] our captain.”

Cornwall was not the only player credited with a strong showing today in what Hood described as an improved team performance, after their 4-1 loss last Friday.

“I think we showed better energy levels as well as better offensive and defensive organisation and ball movement,” said Hood, who only got his full 20-member squad together on the weekend. “We did some good work on our structure on both sides of the ball and I think we have seen improvement all round; but the work continues.

“[…] The opposition was decent in terms of their technical ability, although they were not as aggressive as the Dominican Republic. I told my players that I did not blame them for that loss because we didn’t do enough together as a group yet. But I can see the benefit of a couple more days together.

“We will continue to improve on our organisation and our transition from defence to offence as we get closer to the tournament.”

Trinidad and Tobago kick off their Concacaf campaign on 22 February in Group F against St Kitts and Nevis. The Women Warriors are also paired with Haiti and the Cayman Islands. The top three nations will advance to the Round of 16.

Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) technical committee chairman Keith Look Loy has challenged all national coaches to consider the Concacaf quarterfinals as their minimum target. It would be a considerable achievement for Hood’s troops since, at Under-17 level under then coach Jamaal Shabazz, they failed to even get to the Caribbean final round.

Today, Hood made four changes to his starting team as he tries to get the right combinations. He did not see the nine North America-based members of his 20-member squad until they got to the Dominican Republic.

Intriguingly, Hood started with seven local-based players today. K’lil Keshwar, a St Francis College student in the United States, started ahead of Chelsea Ramnauth in goal while US-based forwards Cayla McFarlane and Tori Paul played as attacking midfielders. But Trinidad and Tobago used a totally home-based backline with Pleasantville Secondary midfielder Chrissy Mitchell being a surprise start at right back.

Mitchell was challenged to try a new role as Hood adjusted to the injury enforced absence of central defender Shalisha King but moving first choice right back Lathifa Pascall to a stopper position.

“Chrissy was a revelation [at right back],” said Hood. “She is a very good technical player but was struggling in midfield a bit. We are trying to get all our best technical and functional players on the field; we have to find a way to play to them.

“At right back, she brought a bit more composure in possession and added some good offensive play with her deliveries. She is a warrior but also has good technical qualities.”

Hood had wondered how best to integrate McFarlane into his squad and whether he would need to change from his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation to do so. However, he used the United States-born attacker as his offensive central midfielder against Puerto Rico and was pleased with her returns.

“When I spoke to [McFarlane], she said she can play as the ‘9’, ‘10’, ‘7’ or ‘11’,” said Hood. “We are looking at where we may need her the most. We tried her as the ‘10’ today and saw some decent combinations between her and Cornwall. We may try her on the wing too.

“We will definitely play her but it is just a matter of where we use her.”

Trinidad and Tobago play their final pre-tournament friendly on Wednesday against semi-professional women’s team, Abril LDF. Hood hinted that Pleasantville attacker Alexcia Ali, the 2019 Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) MVP, may start in the playmaker’s role against Abril, after she shook off an ankle injury to feature as a substitute today.

(Team against Puerto Rico)

Trinidad and Tobago U-20 (4-2-3-1): K’lil Keshwar (GK); Chrissy Mitchell, Lathifa Pascall, Tsian Fernandez, Nathifa Hackshaw; Sarah De Gannes, Aaliyah Pascall; Maria Frances-Serrant, Cayla McFarlane, Tori Paul; Afiyah Cornwall.

Substitutes: Chelsea Ramnauth (GK), Megan Rampersad, Aaliyah Prince, Sydney Boisselle, Roshun Williams, Sydni Greaves, Arnelle Douglas, Alexcia Ali.

Injured: Shalisha King.

Coach: Richard Hood

Friendly Result
(Monday 17 February)

Trinidad and Tobago 3 (Afiyah Cornwall), Puerto Rico 0.

[Flex]

Maylee Attin-Johnson is Women’s U-20 Team manager.