Under-20s open against Guyana

TRINIDAD and Tobago Under-20 football coach Anton Corneal has finalised a 20-man squad to take part in the upcoming Caribbean Zone qualifying tournament which will be played here from August 4 to 8. Corneal along with assistant coach Brian Williams have been preparing a local team for the past four months for the Group “A” play-offs. Each group winner will advance to a home and away two-match second round series in September from which each winner of the two ties will advance to the CONCACAF Finals in January. The 2005 World Youth Championship will be held in the Netherlands. TT’s first match is against Guyana on August 4 and will play Grenada and Barbados in the same week at the Marvin Lee Stadium in Macoya.

Corneal said that players from throughout TT were scouted and he feels the best were selected to represent the country, barring the fact that four promising players have been forced to miss out due to injury. They include defender Jamal Warner (groin strain), Kezi Lara (groin strain), Marcelle Francois (instep) and Kempes Villafann (groin strain) “This being our third camp, we are hoping to have everything in place for the competition,” Corneal said on Thursday. He credited the scouting system put in place by technical director Lincoln Phillips. “The system put in place by Lincoln was a great help to us because we were able to have a wider look at the talent in the country and the national Under-20 league was also valuable because it allowed us to have more players at our disposal,” Corneal said.

He said two players campaigning in the United States are also in the team while at least four have come out of Tobago including former Under-17 player Makan Hislop, who is the nephew of goalkeeper Shaka Hislop. Canadian-based defender Kirk Hearn is also in the squad as well as Kevin Crooks out of Young Harris College. “It took us a while to break it down to the final team because at first we had a squad of 37 players and only seven players from that group are in the final team which gives you an idea as to how many players were looked at. Most of our players are just under the age limit and this is a plus to us because it means we have a group of mature guys who are really just turning into young adults,” Corneal added.

TT Under 20 squad:
Thorne Holder (CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh); Colin Belgrave (Vibe CT 105 W Connection); Karlon Murray (CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh); Makan Hislop (University of South Carolina); Joel James (Defence Force);  Keegan Mills (Tobago United); Ancil Farrier (South West Drillers); Radanjah Abu Bakr (Queen’s Royal College); Cleavon George (Defence Force); Devon Maxwell (North East Stars); Bryan Cumerbatch (Queen’s Park); Keavon Neaves (St  Anthony’s College); Tarrel Elwin (Jabloteh); Gabriel Lashley (Tobago United); Keon Daniel (St Clair Coaching School); Christopher Sam (San Juan Jabloteh); Kevin Crooks (Young Harris College);
Abiola Sandy (St Anthony’s College); Kirk Hearn (Canada based); and Shane Calderon
First Round Fixtures
Group “A” in Trinidad and Tobago
August 4: Barbados vs Grenada; Trinidad /Tobago vs Guyana (6 pm and 8 pm)
August 6: Guyana vs Barbados; Grenada vs Trinidad/Tobago (6 pm and 8 pm)
August 8: Guyana vs Grenada; Trinidad/Tobago vs Barbados (4 pm and 6 pm)