Unbeaten TT U-20s brace for US test

TRINIDAD AND Tobago Under-20 men football team will face arguably their toughest assignment of the group stage in the CONCACAF Under 20 Men’s Championship when they face defending champions United States in a Group A clash at the IMG Academy in Bradenton from 7.45 pm today.

Both teams are undefeated with maximum six points from their two matches so far. On Saturday, TT came away 5-1 winners over Puerto Rico while the US thumped US Virgin Islands 13-0. Only the top team from the six-team group will advance to the next phase and this game could have a huge significance on the outcome of the group.

“We knew from the time the fixtures came out that was going to be one of the most difficult games. They are the defending champions, they are a powerhouse in the region and they are the favourites in this game. We have nothing to lose,” Latapy noted.

“Trust me, we are going to go out there and make a game of it. I have already spoken to some of the players about what our expectations are and what our tactics would be, and I can tell you we are going to do our best to go out there and make it a game and look for three points,” Latapy added.

The former national men’s team captain and coach spoke about the changes made to his line up for the 5-1 win over Puerto Rico, explaining, “In this format of tournaments when you have five games in 10 days it’s always difficult. It’s young men and I know they are fit but I’m just trying to change things up and keep it fresh as much as I can.”

Toronto FC’s Luke Singh enjoyed a solid performance at the back for TT and he is also anticipating a keenly contested outing with the US.

“It’s been good for us to come out with two wins from two games so far,” said Singh. “It’s just been about us developing that chemistry in training and bringing it to the games. We’ve been taking the instructions on board from coach Latapy and trying to put it into action in the matches.”

US coach Tab Ramos made nine changes to his starting line up from the earlier 7-1 win over Puerto Rico for Saturday’s win over US Virgin Islands and the Americans are unbeaten in their last seven CONCACAF U-20 qualifying matches dating back to the previous campaign.