TT to face St Vincent in U-20 opener

TT Under-20 men’s football team will open their campaign in the CONCACAF Men’s Under-20 Championship, and World Cup qualifiers, against St Vincent/Grenadines at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, United States at 12.45 pm today.

The team, under coach Russell Latapy, had a training session at the match venue yesterday.

Latapy said he was looking for a positive start.

“Obviously, in this type of environment there can only be one thing on our minds which is to go into the tournament looking for the best possible start,” said the ex-TT midfield ace, captain and coach. “Traditionally, we have been able to compete in these competitions and while this year the tournament is being played in this format for the first time with all the countries coming together, we can say that we are among the teams that have gotten to the final phase on a number of occasions including the previous campaign.

“But in saying that, there is no pressure on us because we came here without the level of preparation we would have wanted and now it’s down to how well we can be mentally ready as well as physically to go in there and try to get results,” Latapy added.

“We had our final session before the game missing three players who arrive (late yesterday) but generally the groups of boys will be looking to go out there, enjoy their football and compete as best as possible on the day.”

There should be no shortage of drama when CONCACAF Under-20 Championship Group E action kicks off today.

The 2018 edition of the Men’s Under-20 World Cup qualifying tournament will be disputed between a record number of 34 teams. Unlike the previous format, which included regional qualifiers in the Caribbean and Central America and one final championship, this year’s redesigned competition ensures that all the participating teams have access to play more top-level football matches.

After an initial group phase, the six group winners will advance to the Qualification Stage, where they will be divided into two groups of three teams. The two group winners plus the second-place finishers of the Qualification Stage will qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland 2019. Additionally, the two group winners will advance to the tournament’s final to determine the regional champions.