Sol Campbell was on the substitutes bench when T&T faced England at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. So he knows a bit about this country's football and that day was perhaps the first time he came within close range of Dennis Lawrence.
Almost 11 years later the two will be working together to try and take T&T to the 2018 World Cup Finals in Russia.
Campbell said this week that the strong passion for the game in T&T was a factor in his decision to accept the offer from Lawrence.
"Obviously I knew about T&T from the World Cup in 2006 when they faced England," Campbell said.
"The passion, eagerness and willingness to do the right things to win is what I feel when I think about Trinidad and Tobago. My family is from Jamaica so I know there is cricket there also. But to me to be a part of a country where football passion runs deep in the society, is something important.
"International football is a big, big challenge and I'm ready for that. As long as the players respond to Dennis and see that this is the way to go then we will definitely be going in the right direction. You need discipline, you need structure and you need a bit of flamboyance in the right areas and I believe Dennis will bring that," said Campbell whose first name is Sulzeer.
"Trinidad wasn't really on my mind. I wasn't thinking Caribbean but that sometimes happen when you're not thinking about it the opportunity comes knocking and I'm very happy to be able to take it up now. I really appreciate it and I love that," the ex-Arsenal player added.
He mentioned that former Arsenal team-mate Patrick Vieira was among the first to call and congratulate him on the new job with T&T. Vieira's wife is Trinidadian.
Campbell also holds a UEFA Pro License badge. The 42-year-old played for England from the Under 15 level straight through to the senior team, for which he made 73 appearances. He played 255 games for Tottenham Hotspur and 135 for Arsenal, also appearing for Portsmouth, Notts County before ending his club career at Newcastle United in 2011.
Orlando coach knew Molino was on way out
Orlando City head coach Jason Kreis has said that he knew Kevin Molino would not be with the club this season after the midfielder admitted to him last month that he wanted to make the switch to another club.
Molino, a few days later went onto sign for Minnesota United.
"At the end of last season, we didn't know that there was much negative about Kevin's future here," said Kreis.
"But then things went pretty sour pretty quickly. He wanted a much increased contract and we were unable and unwilling to do that. We want to be a club that expects our players to do well for more than one year.
"We tried to do what we could in offering a contract that we felt was competitive to what he was hoping for, but the player was still unhappy. For me, what's most important is whether a player wants to be in the team, and the last question I asked him was, 'Kevin, do you want to be here?' And he said, 'No I don't, coach. I'd like a change of scenery'.
Minnesota acquired Molino from Orlando City in a trade for $650,000 in allocation money which is among the higher prices ever paid between MLS teams.
Morace observing players in first week
It's clear that Carolina Morace mixes no matters when it comes to serious preparations of a team. Her demeanour and her history in the game spells a no-nonsense attitude and approach to it all.
But the Italian-born has emphasised that her first couple of weeks on the job with the T&T players will be short of intense as she tries to get a feel for the women's game locally along with members of her staff.
"The focus is the physical tests for the players. We looked at their explosive and elastic strength and the physical trainer has already said he is impressed with some of the players. It is more than technical and tactically at this early time," Morace said.
"To judge the player, the have to have a good condition or in others words be fit. There is no distinction between a basketball player or a football player. We want to understand more about the players now and it is a lot about the nutrition, diet and the way the players rest as well," she added.
EDITOR'S NOTE
Shaun Fuentes is the Dir. of Communications at the TTFA