National Under-20 midfielder Levi Garcia has completed two months of intense preseason training with Dutch top flight club AZ Alkmaar.
Garcia, the outstanding midfielder from Shiva Boys College, who also played for Siparia Spurs, returned home on Monday and is expected to return to the club maybe a week before his 18th birthday on November 20. Only then can the player make his professional debut for the AZ first team for which he has signed a three-year-contract. Garcia has however already trained with the first team and played in preseason training matches.
The highlight however for the 17-year-old has been training under former Holland legend Marco Van Basten who had been the head coach for the club earlier this year before stepping away for health reasons. Van Basten returned to the set up recently and was significantly involved in sessions with Garcia. The former AC Milan star however left the club again after being hired as one of the assistant managers of the Dutch national team.
"One of the real highlights for me apart from all the activities of preseason was being able to work with Marco Van Basten. He paid a lot of attention to me during training. We spoke a lot. At every session he would come over and give me advice. He showed me a lot of things. That was special for me," Garcia said.
Van Basten was also quoted in the Dutch Press as describing Garcia an "exceptional 17-year-old talent with a lot of ability".
"The first few weeks was amazing. It was a bit tough at first because of the change in conditions and adapting to the speed of the game. But I settled in. I got a few goals in the practice games. They've welcomed me quite nicely at the club and I'm comfortable," Garcia said.
"I played all the first team practice games but then they had to go off to the Europa Cup so I stayed back and trained with the Reserves but then I was back with the first team again."
The player has put on a lot of muscle over the past couple months which he says was listed as a priority by the club.
"They were serious about physical development. I was in the gym before every training session on the field. And they were not very strict on diet but they made sure I was eating all the right things and following a programme," he said.
Garcia also spoke about Leo Beenhakker and following the Soca Warriors during the Gold Cup.
"One of the first things I wanted to do when I got there was to meet Leo Beenhakker. But because of the training schedule I wasn't able to. The club said they will definitely arrange for me to meet him when I return in November. And the national team for me was amazing at the Gold Cup. I was following the Gold Cup out there and the team did better than I expected. I was really excited. I really have my hopes on making the team at some point once I can settle in at the club and start playing in the League," Garcia said.
Latapy eyes manager role in Scotland
Russell Latapy has made his intentions clear. He would grab at the opportunity to be the first team manager of the club in the United Kingdom, preferably Scotland where he has now spent the past 18 years of his life.
Latapy left Inverness Thistle last month where he helped guide the club to the Scottish Cup as assistant manager (coach). Now while he is not counting out taking a job in CONCACAF or with another international national team, the former Porto man wouldn't mind leading a club in a League where he notices there aren't many black managers around.
"I have been here for a long time now, around 18 years all in. I know the Scottish game, the Scottish people. The reality is that if I want to make my mark as coach it will have to happen in Europe," he told the Daily Mail.
"I trust Scottish football to give me a fair chance at management. I believe eventually it will happen. One of the issues in the past was that a lot of the black players who played the game never took coaching badges," said Latapy, who now holds a UEFA Pro License coaching badge which is the top of the list.
"They just didn't believe they would get the opportunity. But there are a lot of black ex-players now as qualified as anyone else. I am one of them. It's only a matter of time before someone comes on the scene and makes a statement. Listen, I don't know if I think I'll be the first successful black manager in Scotland. I just think I want an opportunity to show what I can do. I think positive all the time. Why can't it be me? I think about the game. About what I can do.
"They have over 100 clubs down there. So that's approximately 150 managers across the UK. But you can count on the fingers of one hand how many of them are black on one hand."
But he believe that opportunities for black managers are improving.
"It's like everything else. Things change. I see a process of change now. Whatever race or nationality you are I don't believe jobs should be allocated based on the colour of your skin," he said
The topic of his night out with Dwight Yorke mere days before a Scottish Cup Finals in 2001 still comes up and Latapy said times have changed.
"Dwight and I prefer a glass of wine and a nice meal now and arrange a round of golf instead of hitting the town,' he claims. 'It's normal for us to be up at 7am for 18 holes.
"We don't find fun the way we used to these days. I've always enjoyed my life, I enjoyed a night out. I still do. But your wants and your needs change as you get a bit older. Dwight Yorke is still my friend but he's a bit older now as well," 'Latas' added.
Cyrus eager to join Chicago Fire
National senior defender Daneil Cyrus is awaiting a work permit before jetting off to join American MLS club Chicago Fire on loan.
The former Vietnam-based player is still at home after completing the move to Fire where he will team up with countryman Joevin Jones.
"I'm just waiting on the work permit and then I will be off to Chicago," Cyrus said.
"I think it's a great move for me especially right after the Gold Cup. I know I need to play playing regularly and keeping fit. I think the level of the MLS will be good for me. And there's nothing better at this time than linking up with my brother Joevin at the same club. I think this will help both of us for the period coming up with the national team."
Cyrus said he has gotten over the pain from the defeat to Panama at the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals.
"It's not something that will go away because the disappointment will be there once you think about it. But the pain is not there anymore. It was very hard at first especially after I missed my penalty. I think the main thing was that all of us as players developed a bond and we did well on the pitch. Now we have to focus on keeping that bond and getting even strong in terms of our performance for the World Cup qualifiers coming up," Cyrus said.
Shaun Fuentes is the director of communications for the TTFA � shaunfuentes@yahoo.com