Under-17s focus on scoring goals

THE FOCUS of the Trinidad and Tobago Under-17 football team is goalscoring, as they prepare for tomorrow’s CONCACAF Under-17 Caribbean Zone Second Round second leg qualifier against Cuba at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella. Cuba prevailed 3-1 in the first leg at Havana on November 26, leaving TT with the task of winning tomorrow’s match by three clear goals to advance to the final round. And according to team coach Nigel Grovesnor, “we’re doing a lot of work.” “We have to score three goals (so) we’re doing a lot of aggression in attack, even though we still have to be careful of them scoring. So we’re trying to do a lot of pressuring and hustling and a lot of goalscoring,” he continued. “So that’s what we’re concentrating mostly on, that togetherness, that want and that will because all that are main ingredients in scoring goals come Friday.”

The Under-17 lads were humbled 5-0 in a practice match against W Connection Under-20 outfit at the Marabella venue on Monday. Grovesnor was frank in the reason for his team’s poor showing on the day. “(I) don’t want to make excuses but they reached on time (for the game). So the mental preparation just wasn’t there,” he confessed. “I’m not down on them for it, they were down because we let some (easy) goals score.” He is also working on lifting the team’s energy and morale ahead of tomorrow’s crucial encounter. “Once we’re attacking and letting (easy) goals score, the morale will go down. So I have to block off that,” he stressed. “It’s just positive things now, everybody have to be positive right now.”

Also preparing for a World Championship qualifier is the national Under-20 outfit, who hold a 3-2 edge entering their Second Round second leg clash against the Cubans from 7 pm tomorrow at the Marabella venue. Team coach Anton Corneal revealed on Tuesday evening that “we may not have Makan Hislop for this match.” “He’s unable to come because of exams,” Corneal added about the University of South Carolina defender. “We’re hoping (striker) Kevin Crooks can come (from Young Harris College in the United States).” Corneal continued, “We’ve got good replacements, guys who are able to play the match at the highest level.” He described the player turnout at the practice sessions as “very good.”

“The team has boiled down to about 24 players,” said Corneal at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Arima. “We have to let these guys see the bigger picture. Friday night is a big hurdle that we need to cross and it will open the doors for a lot of things in the future.” As far as the team’s tactics are concerned, the former Strike Squad midfielder stated: “(the Cubans) play similar to Central American and South American teams. We have to stop them from playing in midfield. Cuba is a very good team and we can’t allow them to get into a rhythm of play. “So we have to stop that rhythm from early and force them into the defensive,” he ended.