Coach: U-23s lacked fitness

NATIONAL under-23 football coach Stuart Charles-Fevrier expressed satisfaction with the performance of the team at the recent CONCACAF Olympic Final Round qualifiers. But he said there are rooms for improvement collectively and individually. The national U-23 lads playing in Group A of the series, managed only one victory, 2-1 over the Jamaica young Reggae Boyz  last week.  They  were beaten  3-1 by hosts Mexico and took a 4-0 trouncing by Costa Rica. “I was pleased with their effort and they gave off their best,” said Charles-Fevrier on Wednesday. But Charles-Fevrier who was relieved of his duties as national senior team coach a month ago, revealed that the players need to improve on their fitness and tactical awareness.

“Considering our lack of preparation (the team only spent a three-day camp prior to their departure on January 30) I didn’t think we did that badly but, as a coach, I was disappointed that we didn’t qualify for the Athens Olympics in August.” He acknowledged that, after consulting with various coaches in Mexico, the preparation of the other teams were far superior to the TT lads. Giving a game-by-game analysis of the Olympic qualifiers Charles-Fevrier stated, “the first game (against Mexico on February 2) was a very tough one for the players. It was the first time they were playing at a high altitude (5,520 feet above sea level) and some of the players dropped because of chest pains and difficulty in breathing.” The St Lucian-born coach noted the lack of any meaningful rest and recuperation period between the Mexico game and the Costa Rica outing on February 4 hurt the team’s chances.