TT U-20s begin qualifiers vs Bermuda

This was determined at the Draw for the Final Round that took place at the National Stadium in San Jose on Tuesday night.

TT were drawn in Group C alongside the hosts Costa Rica, El Salvador and Bermuda.

The Brian Williams- coached team will face “Los Ticos” on February 22 and El Salvador on February 25.

In an immediate reaction to TT ’s draw, head coach Williams said he was fairly satisfied with the way TT ’s scheduled was drawn up.

“I must say I am pretty satisfied with the way the draw went, “ Williams told TT FA Media on Tuesday night. “At the end of the day, I always maintain that we have to be concerned about our team and our approach towards our opponents. Costa Rica as the host nation and with their quality of play, will always be a difficult opponent but with no disrespect to the other two teams, Bermuda and El Salvador, I think this is a group we can advance out of,” he added.

“I think we have a fairly good idea of how all the teams in CONCACAF play at this time. The most important thing will be for us to get our preparations right and now that we know what our schedule is, we can adapt to suit in terms of how we prepare as a team for the competition.

“Myself and the manager will get familiar with some of the rules and guidelines at the workshop tomorrow and then it will be back to our preparations with the team. My focus will be on gameplay and physical readiness because we know that this tournament will be the final hurdle for us in terms of qualification for an Under 20 World Cup and the squad is highly motivated to give it our best. We are aware that all the teams in this competition will be coming with everything they have to offer because of what is at stake,” Williams said.

TT have previously qualified for two FIFA Under 20 Word Cups.

Their first appearance was in 1991 at the FIFA Under 20 World Cup in Portugal followed by a second appearance in 2009 at the Finals in Egypt.

In Group A, defending CONCACAF Under-20 champions Mexico were joined by Antigua and Barbuda, Honduras and Canada, while the United States, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Haiti make up Group B.