Trinidad and Tobago’s Under 21 footballer will begin their quest to put the country on another world stage in July as they go after a spot in the 2006 CAC Games in Colombia from Friday against Dominica.
T&T will take on the Dominicans from 4pm at the Larry Gomes Stadium in the first of the round-robin series from which the top nation on points will join four other Caribbean qualified teams at the CAC Games .
The local team, under coach Ron La Forest, has been in training for a lengthy period, having matches against Kansas City Wizards and Chicago Fire as well as local teams Joe Public, CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh and W Connection under their belts.
The team can boast of the presence of nippy midfielder Kevon Neaves who arrived from University of South Florida and is raring to go after making his T&T senior debut against Iceland last month.
“My aim really is to try and help this team get to the CAC Games, The experience with the senior team was a great one because I got to play the game at a much higher level and the pace of it was really something of a learning experience for me. I’m certain I can use this for the benefit of other teams like the Under 21s and I am really looking forward to the future,” Neaves told TTFF Media.
LA Forest says he expects the team to play a good, compact style of football, pointing out that that the squad was a well balanced one with quick players and players fitting well into position.
“The guys are a confident bunch bit obviously we know what work has to be done and we intend to take none of these teams lightly,” he said.
Some of the player expected to perform for T&T include US-based defender Makan Hislop and skilful midfielder Hayden Tinto while former Queen’s Royal College player Jason Devenish, now at University of South Florida, is keen to impress in national colours. Former Naparima College defender Ancil Farrier, another US-based player out of Southern Connecticut University is also in the mix with the experienced Carlon Murray of CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh, Kendall Jagdeosingh of Neal and Massy Caledonia AIA and striker Shane Calderon all in the squad.
Four teams from the Central American home-and-away series qualification, which also begins this month, will also progress to the CAC Games which takes place during July 16-29.
The Caribbean and Central American qualified teams will be joined by Mexico, Venezuela and the host, Colombia at the 2006 CAC Games.