THE TRINIDAD and Tobago Women Soca Warriors will be meeting Ecuador on December 2, from 6 pm, for a spot in the 2015 FIFA World Cup in Canada.
Here is a look at Maylee Attin-Johnson, captain of the Trinidad and Tobago women football team....
A LEADER must make sacrifices for the greater good, motivate one’s followers not only by words but by action. No-one epitomises those qualities more than national women’s football captain Maylee Attin-Johnson.
The 28-year-old former Diego Martin Secondary student has been entrusted with leading the Women Soca Warriors into battle on December 2 against Ecuador in what is expected to be a fiery cauldron at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo with a spot in the 2015 FIFA World Cup Finals in Canada up for grabs.
Maylee and the rest of the national team hold the hope of a nation on their shoulders with excitement and interest in women’s football at an all-time high in this country.
After agonisingly missing out on one of the three automatic qualifying places for the Canada World Cup by finishing fourth at the CONCACAF Women’s Championships in the United States, it is the last chance for TT and Maylee is ready to fight for a ticket to football’s grand showpiece.
“It will be the biggest game of our lives. At this moment we are putting everything preparation wise and we are very excited. We have a little bit of butterflies but once you touch off that ball is goal. We’re gonna play with a lot of intensity, a lot of energy and come out with a victory,” she said.
The skipper is relishing the opportunity to create history for her country and dominate the midfield against their South American opponents despite actually playing out of her natural position.
“I am an out and out striker but, due to the team needing a defensive midfielder who the coach trusts to be protective of the ball, I had to play in that position. But I’m a footballer not just a striker or a winger. I’m a footballer so I understand each position on the field and I just go out there and they feed off my energy. I’m very creative as well and play the game as it comes to me,” she added.
The assertive footballer spoke passionately about what it means to wear the captain’s armband for her country and unify a large group of females for one common goal.
“It’s a fantastic feeling. Not everybody can say they’ve captained a hopefully World Cup senior team. It’s a great feeling knowing that you have a group of girls who believe in your leadership and believe in what you stand for. They believe everytime we go on the field that I’m gonna give the team 110 percent and lead them to the best of my ability. It’s a humbling feeling and an honour and privilege. We have our own personalities and egos but the thing that kept us together was that one dream we all have,” she said.
Recollecting the team’s campaign at the CONCACAF tournament, Maylee said she still has nightmares about their heartbreaking 4-2 extra time loss to Mexico in the semi-finals. TT looked on course for a spot in the title match and more importantly an automatic place in the World Cup when Mariah Shade bundled the ball across the line to give the “Warriors” a shock 2-1 lead in the 78th minute. But TT were perhaps still in celebration mode when the game was restarted and saw their advantage disappear instantaneously when the Central Americans equalised just one minute later.
“We lost that focus and concentration for that one second and that was difficult to swallow. I think I should have done a better job calming down the girls and refocussing them to the task at hand, knowing that there were 12 minutes left. I still have nightmares about that but hopefully we can turn that nightmare into dreams,” she declared.
The “Warriors” captain lamented the lack of aid financially that the team receives and is adamant that they can develop into a regional powerhouse if corporate TT believes in them, citing their narrow 1-0 loss against World champions USA.
“They are the number one team in the world in FIFA rank. Going up against a powerhouse who play 8-10 games before a CONCACAF tournament compared to us who played nothing is hard. There is no true investment or finances put into women’s football (but) we were able to stand tall to them.
“We came out with a 1-0 loss but we know every time we step out into the field we could compete with the best of them. Once we get the proper funding and resources to compete at that level on a consistent basis we would be able to do that,” she stated confidently.
Maylee thanked her family and all others who made an input in helping her pursue her dreams and providing that backbone for her to be successful.
“Without a doubt they (family) are my main supporters. With them it’s like life in London, when I come from training I don’t need to do anything. They put everything in place and they are fantastic with that.
“I would say from primary school (I began to play). Mr Baptiste and Mr Thomases, one was a teacher and he was also a coach and there was also a PE teacher and they discovered I was good at playing ball.
“There was also a guy named Mr Hope, he took me on Sundays with the national Under-19 team when they were scouting for players. So that’s how I got involved. I started at a late age,” she concluded.