T&T’s success at the Lucayan Cup Challenge in Bahamas last weekend is being viewed as a major stepping stone for this country’s national beach football team as they look ahead to qualification for the 2017 FIFA Beach Football World Cup.
The national team was invited by hosts Bahamas to compete against giants Mexico and the hosts as they prepare for the staging of the World Cup in 2017. And T&T did not disappoint, shocking the Mexicans 5-4 in their opening game on Saturday before defeating Bahamas 5-3 the following day to capture the title.
T&T head coach Benny Astorga attributed his team’s showing to commitment and long hours on the sand.
“This was a major accomplishment for the guys. Our first World Cup qualifying game a few years ago was against Mexico and we lost and to now come and defeat them shows that there has been progress over the past two to three years. It’s a good feeling for us,” Astorga said.
The T&T team included players such as Club Sando’s Kevon Woodley, David McDougall, Zane Coker and Chad Apoo which made it a formidable side for the match ups.
“We have players with a lot of experience having been to two Concacaf Finals and the interest is growing. Hopefully we can stay together and continue with the kind of preparations that will help us to keep on improving as we head into the qualifiers,” Astorga said.