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Thu, Mar

National Futsal Team begin training at International School
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A week since United States-based head coach Constantine Konstin officially took up duties, the Men’s National Futsal team received some good news as the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) has secured the indoor facility at the International School of Port-of-Spain (ISPS) for training sessions in the build-up to the CONCACAF Futsal Championship in Guatemala.

Previously the team had been utilising the outdoor court at the TTFA Home of Football but Konstin believes the access to the facility in Westmoorings will be a definite boost to the preparations. And there is a good reason for this.

“We will be playing at the Domo Polideportivo and Teodoro Palacios Flores Gymnasiums in Guatemala. The floors at those facilities are the same floor as the International School of Port-of-Spain, so this is huge to be able to train on the same surface that we will be playing on in Guatemala,” Konstin told TTFA Media on Monday.

“It will allow us some good practice time which means the boys will get some familiarity with the surface. It’s excellent to be able to have this court available to the National Men’s Futsal team.”

Konstin has been working closely with his staff at training since arriving from the US and is looking to push on with an intense regime over the coming weeks.

“The first week back from a 14-day quarantine for me has been awesome. The players have been giving their all. The pool of players is represented by clubs like La Horquetta Rangers, Defence Force, Police and others. Our wonderful and hardworking staff has already screened over 350 players including those in Tobago,” he continued.

“I am extremely honoured to be given this position by the TTFA to prepare the team for the qualifiers. We are going to give it our best and the preparations will continue over the coming weeks with everyone focused and pulling together for a common goal. For us to get to the World Cup in Lithuania we must prepare our team in the best possible way to qualify out of the tournament in Guatemala,” Konstin added.

The TTFA also wishes to express its gratitude to the International School of Port of Spain for its hospitality in providing access to the facility to the Men’s National Futsal Team.

The 16-team CONCACAF group stage will take place between May 3-5. After round-robin play, the first and second-place finishers in each group will advance to the quarterfinals.

The quarterfinal matches will be played on May 7, with the four winners qualifying for the semifinals of this competition and earning a spot in the FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021. The semifinals and final will take place on May 8 and 9, respectively.

The CONCACAF Futsal qualifiers were initially scheduled for May 2020, but due to the pandemic and the postponement of the FIFA Futsal World Cup, the tournament was rescheduled for 2021.

In February 2020, the participating teams were drawn into qualifying matchups and four groups of four teams. Following the rescheduling of the competition, the group stage T&T are in Group A alongside hosts Guatemala, Guadeloupe and Martinique.

The FIFA Futsal World Cup will be played from September 12 – October 6, 2021.

WATCH: Yohance Marshall trains with T&T Futsal Team