Women Warriors coach frustrated by team preparations for Mexico match

Trinidad and Tobago women’s football team coach Richard Hood says the team’s preparations have left him “frustrated” in the lead-up to their critical Concacaf women’s Gold Cup qualifier versus Mexico at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo next Tuesday.

TT, who have one point from their three League A group matches, face an uphill task in their bid to topple group leaders Mexico (six points) and potentially move on to the next round. TT currently sit at the foot of the three-team group, with Puerto Rico (four points) occupying the second spot. The top team in each of the three League A groups will qualify for the group stage of the February-March 2024 Concacaf women’s Gold Cup tournament – the first-ever staging of the competition.

The three runners-up in the League A groups will play the three winners of the respective League B groups for a spot in the Gold Cup group stage. With Mexico playing Puerto Rico in their penultimate group match on Friday, Hood is banking on a result that will be favourable for his team.

“The talk in the camp has been for us to go out and be positive and play and try to get the result we want. Whether we qualify or not, everything is dependent on what Mexico do against Puerto Rico,” Hood told TT Football Association (TTFA) media.

“If Mexico beat Puerto Rico badly by about six or seven goals then we are in with a shot – if we manage to defeat Mexico. If that does not happen, we want to finish the tournament positively and we want to go out and give a good performance and demonstrate the improvements we have within the programme at the moment.”

On Monday, Hood released a 29-member provisional squad, which includes at least four schoolgirls. Hood said his full complement of players is now on home soil, but he said preparations could have been much better.

“I have to say I have been a bit frustrated with the preparations so far. We have had a number of absentees over the last couple of weeks.

“There have been a lot of different issues like work-related and personal stuff. It has just been frustrating for me because I have not been able to do the work I would have liked to do.”

In their previous group meeting against Mexico in Pachuca on September 26, TT were thumped 6-0 by a relentless Mexican team that scored all six goals in the first half as the visitors toiled at the high-altitude arena.

Hood said his team has made strides since their Pachuca exercise, and he wants it to be reflected when they play the group leaders.

“We want to see where we are today, as opposed to where we were when the campaign started. We expect to see a lot of improvements in performances in terms of organisation.

“I think this has been the idea to get the women’s programme back to where it was before and perhaps take it even further.

“It is important we give a good performance so it can resonate throughout the country and throughout the world.”