Trinidad and Tobago play Costa Rica in Concacaf Beach Soccer opener

COACH of the TT men’s beach soccer team Ramiro Amarelle said his players are eager to represent their country with pride in the 2021 Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship which kicks off in Alajuela, Costa Rica, on Monday.

TT arrived in Costa Rica on Friday following a two-week camp in Paraguay.

TT will play their first match against Costa Rica in Group C on Monday from 6 pm. TT will tackle USA on Tuesday, before completing the group phase against Turks and Caicos Islands on Wednesday.

The top two finishers in each group will advance to the knockout phase along with the two best third-placed teams.

The winners and runners-up in the tournament will qualify for the 2021 Beach Soccer World Cup. The tournament will be held in Moscow, Russia in August.

Speaking to TT Football Association media, Amarelle said, “The whole team is already in Costa Rica. We really would have liked to come together (in Costa Rica) a few days earlier, but a situation changed our plans in the last few days. Here (in Costa Rica) we only have 48 hours until our debut. We still have two training sessions ahead to adjust…so we are very happy.”

Amarelle wants his squad to have a positive start against the hosts.

“We are ready to play, we want to represent our country with pride and we have to work very hard and we want to finally face the competition. Let’s go hard.”

TT played Paraguay in multiple friendly matches during the two-week camp in preparation for the championships.

Discussing the value of the camp while in Paraguay, Amarelle said, “This is a great opportunity for us to be in a camp situation in foreign territory before the competition. There are a lot of aspects of a training camp that are needed and it is good that we will get to experience the environment of a venue that hosted the 2019 World Cup. It’s a big opportunity for the players.”

On playing Paraguay leading up to the tournament, Amarelle said, “The games are also very important for us as it gives us a chance to measure ourselves against an international opponent and to play these games before the competition is absolutely necessary and will boost our preparations. To everyone who played a part in getting this training camp arranged, we say a huge thank you.”

The Concacaf tournament ends on May 23.

TT SQUAD: Jabari Gray (goalkeeper), Joash Baird (midfielder), Akinola Gregory (forward), Shallun Bobb (defender), Omri Baird (defender), Ryan Augustine (defender), Lemuel Lyons (pivot), Jesse Bailey (defender), Hakeem King (forward), David McDougall (forward), Kevon Woodley (pivot), Zane Coker (goalkeeper); Ramiro Amarelle (coach).