Senior

This country’s senior women’s footballers will have the backing of over 22,500 spectators at a sold-out Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port-of-Spain from 6 pm this evening when they meet Ecuador, as both teams attempt to qualify for next year’s Fifa Women’s World Cup.

Vanessa Arauz is a petite 25-year old, who could easily be one of the 11 players who will be taking the field against Maylee Attin-Johnson and the Trinidad and Tobago women’s football team in tomorrow’s second leg World Cup qualifier at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

After the biggest FIFA Women’s World Cup™ qualifying campaign in history - 129 nations playing over 400 qualifiers - there are just 90 minutes remaining until the final composition of the 24-nation field for Canada 2015 is known. Trinidad & Tobago host Ecuador in an intercontinental play-off with both nations seeking maiden qualification to the global stage. The tie sits on a knife-edge after the pair played out a tense scoreless draw in Quito in early November. For the players, at stake is not only qualification to Canada 2015, but the chance to write their names in the nation’s football history, and perhaps even help kick-start women’s football in their respective homelands.

THE TRINIDAD and Tobago Women Soca Warriors will be meeting Ecuador tomorrow, from 6 pm, for a spot in the 2015 FIFA World Cup in Canada.

Regrettably, the historic significance of tomorrow’s women’s football match between Trinidad and Tobago and Ecuador may slip by many Trinbagonians unnoticed.

The FIFA World Cup is considered the crown of all sporting accolades. Trinidad and Tobago women Soca Warriors will be one step closer to that prestigious award if they are victorious in their game against Ecuador in the second-leg World Cup playoff at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, on December 2.

This is it, ladies.

After two near-misses, there’s no second, third or fourth chance after tomorrow evening’s showdown with Ecuador. It’s goalless from the first leg in Quito three weeks ago, so there’s everything to play for, not just for Trinidad and Tobago, but also for the Ecuadorians.

Ecuador may have somewhat of an advantage playing away from home on Tuesday, when the South American nation battles host T&T in the decider for Concacaf/Comnebol’s final representative at the 2015 Fifa Women’s World Cup in Canada.