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T&T to tackle Puerto Rico
Wednesday, January 16th 2008 |
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Trinidad and Tobago's national senior team will travel to Puerto Rico to meet that country's national team in a friendly international on January 26.
The game was confirmed this week by the T&TFF, and assistant national team coach Anton Corneal sees it as a good opportunity to see the soon to be selected quota of home-based players in action prior to the February 6 friendly international in Port of Spain against Guadeloupe.
None of the nine overseas pros called up to face Guadeloupe will be in the squad that travels to Puerto Rico on January 24. Corneal, who conducted a training session at the Ato Boldon Stadium yesterday, believes that the game is coming at a good time.
"This game comes as a good chance to see the players in action so early in the year. It means too that we can give some of the younger players a chance against a country that is working feverishly to lift its football. You would have noticed that with the recent showing of the Puerto Rico Islanders in the Caribbean Club Championship," Corneal told T&TFF Media Officer Shaun Fuentes. "They have a few players from that club on their national team.
"The timing of this game means that it also changes up the format of our training programme a bit because we now have to be more match specific in our preparations a bit earlier than originally planned. It's a good chance to see the current players before the Guadeloupe game because for that encounter we will be meshing the overseas with the locals for the first time in quite a while," Corneal added.
Training sessions continue tomorrow and Friday at the Ato Boldon Stadium and on Sunday at the Marvin Lee Stadium.
One player who will not be making the trip to Puerto Rico is Kansas Wizards striker Scott Sealy who is coming off a quad muscle injury. Sealy is hoping to be in the squad for the upcoming 2010 World Cup qualifiers which begin for T&T on June 14/15 against either Bermuda or the Cayman Islands.
"It's an exciting time for us because it's a World Cup year and I'm definitely looking forward to being part of the national team. It was disappointing not being able to be in training now because of the injury. It happened during the season but even though I was able to play with it, it popped up again recently. But all in all I'm looking forward to a productive 2008 and trying to press for a spot on the national team. I think we have the ingredients to do well again and perform well in the qualifiers and of course go on to qualify again."
The Puerto Ricans are preparing for their World Cup first round qualifier against Dominican Republic, in February. |
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Reference:
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_sports?id=161264473
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