A DAY after the climax of next year's Carnival celebrations, Trinidad and Tobago kick off the quest to reach the 2006 World Cup in Germany with a home game against the United States in the opening match of the CONCACAF final round qualifying campaign.
The draw for the Final Round took place at a ceremony at FIFA House in Zurich, Switzerland yesterday morning.
Eduardo Deluca, general secretary of CONMEBOL, oversaw the draw proceedings in the presence of FIFA general secretary Urs Linsi and his CONCACAF counterpart Chuck Blazer, who is also a member of the FIFA Executive Committee and the Organising Committee for the FIFA World Cup. The general secretaries of all six confederations also attended the draw ceremony.
T&T head coach Bertille St Clair felt the draw was a satisfactory one for his Soca Warriors, but will require strong endurance from the players over the eight months of football.
"I am satisfied with the results of the draw," St Clair told Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) media officer Shaun Fuentes, "but we have to prepare for any eventuality. Ten games over eight months is a long haul and we must have a fairly large and capable squad.
"Fitness is going to be very important and I have already indicated the need for an intense fitness programme which the players will begin. We must be prepared to play anywhere against any opposition. We have already looked at the US team and we have had technical reports on their performances, which means we are working firmly off the pitch as well. But the players know that they are the ones who will have to execute on the day," added St Clair.
The coach had no qualms about facing a long-time nemesis on the day after Carnival celebrations and said Carnival cannot and will not interfere with their preparations.
"We have a mission and nothing must distract us from completing it."
St Clair left for England yesterday for meetings with technical consultant Graham Taylor and some of T&T's overseas-based pros. He will also be present at training camps at Manchester United and Arsenal before returning home next week.
Before departing, he consulted his two assistant coaches, David Nakhid and Ron La Forest, who will be in charge of the national squad for the next week.
The home-based players go back into training from 9 a.m. today at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, where former national midfielder Nakhid will have his first session with the squad since being appointed last week.
And FIFA vice-president Jack Warner, who was in Thailand while the draw was being conducted, was optimistic, saying the Soca Warriors had once again come away with a workable draw.
"Once again it has been a very, very good draw for T&T and I intend to give the team every possibility to succeed, within the limits of my personal resources," Warner told Fuentes.
"We must now believe that qualifying is a possibility because the road to Germany has been made that bit clearer for us."
Several of the T&T players, particularly the overseas-based pros, were also in touch with the T&TFF from early yesterday, starting with Coventry City striker Stern John.
"It's been on our minds, so knowing now exactly what we have to face for the rest of the campaign makes it a bit more real. Facing the Americans at home is a tough hurdle, but once we are well prepared, and we can get the fans behind us, nothing is impossible at this stage," said John.
United States coach Bruce Arena also commented: "We are prepared for this draw. Since I've been manager, most of our games in the early going of qualifying rounds have been on the road, so we understand the process and the mentality. I was going to be indifferent to any scenario, because in the end everything is going to balance out. At the end of the day it's going to be extremely difficult, and the teams going to the World Cup will likely be decided on the final day."