WALTER ALIBEY
T&T Soca Warriors will face the Colorado Rapids in two closed-door matches ahead of their crucial World Cup qualifying game against the United States on June 8 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
The squad which comprises mostly of players who were available to train, will leave for Denver Colorado in the United States this morning, some five days after official training began. National coach Dennis Lawrence told the media at a briefing yesterday at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Balmain Couva, that the idea behind the team’s early departure is to try and acclimatize as quickly as possible to the conditions they will have to play in.
He believes the games against the Rapids will suit them nicely as the Rapids will be at their home base and will deliver a competitive match. The 17-man squad is to be joined by a number of overseas based players such as Levi Garcia, Sheldon Bateau and Andre Boucaud among others, from as early as today, but he will have to wait until June 4 for his full contingent of players, by which time he will be able to select the team.
Lawrence said they will begin training immediately on touchdown in an attempt to be well prepared physically as everybody understands the history that it will not be a nice place to be collecting points, “But we need to go there with the belief that we can collect points. The idea is to go into the game and be positive, be brave and believe that we can take points away from the US. I am trying to emphasize to the boys that we will be leaving here and we will be starting with a point, so we don’t want to go and give away that point, but rather to add to the point we have already got,” Lawrence said.
The Soca Warriors are in need of a win with just three points from four matches in the hexagonal stage, losing to Costa Rica 2-0 and Honduras 3-1 last year, before rebounding to a confidence-boosting 1-0 triumph over Panama at the Hasely Crawford Stadium. That confidence however was later shattered in a heart-wrenching 1-0 defeat to Concacaf giants Mexico at home when they had an opening goal by Joevin Jones disallowed in a 1-0 defeat.
Lawrence believes the closed- door matches will help his troops acclimatize, admitting it will be one of their biggest challenges. “We are going to compete with them, we are going to go toe-to-toe, because I don’t think we are going to sit back and allow the USA to take full control of the game” Lawrence noted. Players who are not chosen on the team will return home by June 4.
SQUAD
Jan Michael Williams, Marvin Phillip, Adrian Foncette, Daneil Cyrus, Alvin Jones, Triston Hodge, Leston Paul, Nathan Lewis, Carlos Edwards, Hashim Arcia, Jamille Boatswain, Akeem Roach, Curtis Gonzales, Hughtun Hector, Willis Plaza, Jomai Williams, Shahdon Winchester.