Trinidad and Tobago U-17s to play Jamaica in two friendlies

COACH Shawn Cooper's Trinidad and Tobago men's under-17 football team will travel to Jamaica from May 1-8, and will play two friendly matches against the young "Reggae Boyz" team, to go along with a friendly against an unspecified Jamaican club.

The TT Football Association (TTFA) confirmed the developments via a press release on April 29, with the under-17 squad set to face their Jamaican counterparts on May 3 and 5, before ending their trip with the third friendly encounter on May 7. Cooper has selected a 21-player squad which includes eight players from last year's Concacaf under-15 championship in the Dominican Republic. Five Naparima College players have been included in the squad, to go along with four players from Presentation College (San Fernando), inclusive of 2023 Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) National intercol winner Nikosi Foncette.

Cooper's charges are currently preparing the Concacaf under-17 championship, which will serve as qualifiers for the 2025 Fifa under-17 World Cup in Qatar. The Concacaf qualifiers were initially carded for August 2024, but the TTFA release said, on April 18, "Concacaf issued a circular advising" the tournament had been moved from 2024 to 2025.

The release said the change in schedule will provide additional preparation time for Cooper and his squad.

"The TTFA also felt it would be best to provide opportunities for the national team to face international opposition and further dates for camps and talent identification are continuing to be identified for the rest of 2024 ahead of the qualifiers in 2025," the release said.

"This initiative is in line with the TTFA's application to the Fifa Talent Development Scheme which aims to provide additional resources to member associations for the elite youth national teams."

Cooper said the ultimate goal is to widen his team's player pool ahead of the Concacaf qualifiers.

"Out of the eight players returning to the squad which represented Trinidad and Tobago in the under-15 Concacaf tournament last year, only three of them were starters," Cooper said.

"At the end of this tour to Jamaica at least 33 players would have gotten international experience of some sort which would put us in a better place in terms of selection of players and the boys continued development on and off the field."

TTFA president Kieron Edwards, who assumed office on April 13, said these friendly matches are aimed at strengthening TT's ties with their "CFU brothers" and will form the base for TT's 2025 under-17 World Cup push.

"Despite the challenges, the commitment to the continued development of our high-performance programme shines through," Edwards said. "This trip marks a pivotal step towards our under-17 team's quest to qualify for the Fifa under-17 World Cup in 2025. It's a testament to the dedication of all involved."

TT under-17 squad:

Kyron Baptiste, Nikosi Foncette, Jimally Renne, Josiah Simmons (Presentation College San Fernando), Jaydon Caprietta, Mikhail Clement, Jeremiah Daniel, Antonio Hills, Adasa Richardson (Naparima College), Jayden Christophe, Jasai Theophilus (QRC), Seth Hadeed, Antuan Louison, Jonathan Mason (Fatima College), Alejandro Harper, Eran Mc Leod (St Mary’s College), Dimitre Jones, Keston Richards (Arima North Secondary), Necose Moore (Chaguanas North Secondary), Riquelme Phillips (Speyside High School), Salim Soanes (St Benedict’s College).