T&T senior men’s footballers are gearing up for a hectic international schedule in the latter part of May, beginning with a clash with Peru, May 23 in Lima.
T&T will resume its World Cup qualifying bid against Guatemala on September 2nd at the Hasely Crawford Stadium where a point will secure its passage to the CONCACAF Final Round of qualifying. But there is a lengthy period leading up to that including a FIFA International break and the staging of the Copa America Centenario in June.
T&T’s 1-0 defeat to Haiti in January saw the “Soca Warriors” missing out on the opportunity to gather much needed international engagements against top quality opposition in the United States. But with the Copa doors closed, the T&T Football Association has secured three International Friendly encounters.
Apart from Peru the Stephen Hart-led Soca Warriors will face South American giants Uruguay in Montevideo on May 27th and later China on June 3rd in China. Hart is expected to announce his final squad for the matches in late May and his players are excited and looking forward to the games.
Among them Russian-based defender Sheldon Bateau who opened the scoring in the recent 6-0 victory over St Vincent and the Grenadines, saying he believes the matches will do his team a great deal of good.
“I think this is an excellent opportunity for us to see where we are at in terms of playing against good quality teams and not just regular teams but those that are normally seen as better than us.” Bateau explained.
He added: “These games would help us to keep that excellent run of form going into the two remaining qualifying games which are not going to be easy.
“But we have shown that we’re now a force to be reckoned with and now it is just for us to take it one game at a time and continue to grow and gain some more experience as a team and as individuals.”
“The games are all away and we know that once we get into the final round, these qualifying games on the road are going to be extremely difficult.
“Once you can take your mind off the conditions that go with the games then anything is possible and if we can steal points away from home.
“It will certainly boost our chances. So this is good preparation for us going into environments like Uruguay and Peru and even China where they are very passionate about the game,” added the former under 20 captain.
Costa Rican-based defender Aubrey David is experiencing the feel of playing in challenging conditions. He plays for Deportivo Saprissa, one of the country’s big clubs.
According to David: “These are very good games for us at this stage in the campaign. Our confidence is high at the moment but we know the job is far from over.
“We know Peru, Uruguay and China have quality players, some who are world class as well but I know our squad is very focused at the moment on the task at hand.”
Orlando City midfielder Kevin Molino is also knocking his boots in anticipation of the games.
“I think it’s a quality line up for the team. I know how disappointed everyone felt when we didn’t make it to the Copa America but now these games are similar and maybe just as good for us.
“Uruguay is one of the best teams in the world at the moment and as players you live for these kind of matches. The two other games will be good test for us as well.”