Today's match against Peru is a journey for the greenhorns of national footballers who have been brought to interact with the seasoned professionals in an effort to produce a quality of play which will take our national team toward an improved state.
Some may claim that the memory of mediocrity among the recent group that wore the national colours has not yet been erased and replaced by substantial chemistry and fluidity which could be identified as great steps forward.
Some may believe that their initial opponent, Peru, may be somewhat superior to the team that will take the field at the Ato Boldon Stadium, if only because the Latins are amidst some outstanding competitors in their quest to reach the Brazil World Cup Finals.
A quick review of their results over the past two years implies that they are not a long way from teams like Paraguay, Bolivia, Venezuela, Tunisia, and Mexico, all of whom they have matched strides, defeating some along the way, and earning a draw against Argentina last September.
We all know the reasons why there were insufficient training sessions which would have brought some cohesion among the selected players.
Carlos Edwards and Kenwyne Jones are plying their trade in England while all of Kareem Hyland, Darryl Roberts, Sheldon Bateau are in different parts of Europe, while Carlyle Mitchell is making his livelihood in Vancouver, Canada.
The rest of the squad are attached to the local professional league, where the consistency of high quality can be considered in a different light from the others.
Nevertheless, much of these players have been products out of the past seven years of developmental activity, when they won their way into two World Cup Youth tournament finals in South Korea (2007) and Egypt (2009).
They also moved into the Concacaf qualifying round of the London Olympics, facing up to Mexico, the eventual Gold medallist, and Honduras, a final-four achiever.
With four days of training before the game, it is na�ve to assume that they will overshadow their more illustrious opponents.
In situations like these, it would be wise of Hutson Charles to target specific responsibilities which will allow his team to have a fair share.
Whether it be ball possession, counter-attack, ball winning methods, or an attempt at fast finishing against the opposing defence, any proposed task in this game should be practised within the eight sessions which will take place.
Surely, the individual ability of certain players can be used to stun the opposition, if only because they are unaware of the guile of Darryl Roberts, the speed of Devon Gorsling or the aerial play of Kenwyne Jones.
Some coaches tend to give preference primarily to attacking play, even in advance of a solid defensive formula, while other technocrats want to create fluidity through possession in midfield.
The Europeans love to produce a consolidated defense in order to ensure that they are not exposed to facing a deficit early in their matches.
Only a few national teams across the world have fulfilled competence in every aspect of the game.
This is why our supporters must take an objective view of our team, just so that we can see some level of organisation, regardless of which feature of the game is attempted.
Peru has the delicate touch in a short passing style, they play an open game and it will not be surprising to see them in attack with unusually large numbers.
They are by nature very short players and will certainly make their thrust by going around the flanked defenders with the use of ground passes to the byeline for penetration.
Eventually, the test will be an essential one for the technical staff and the players must use the experience as a learning tool for their upcoming series.
Let us hope that it's entertaining, constructive and competitive. Surely, the final result will be of importance, but the methodology utilised in the cohesive teamplay will send the type of message which observers will view as the vital step to further progress.
