T&T U-17s to face US in two warm ups

T&T’s national Under-17 team will face the United States U-17 team in two-warm up matches in Bradenton, Florida later this month as both countries continue their preparations for the Concacaf Under-17 round of qualifiers, for the Fifa U-17 World Cup.

The matches will be played on March 24 and 27 at the IMG Academies in Bradenton. T&T’s trip is being made possible through support from the Ministry of Sports. The T&T U-17 team has been in training at the Ato Boldon Stadium training pitch in Couva. They open the Concacaf final round against Canada on April 6 before taking on Costa Rica two days later. The top two teams from the group will advance to the quarterfinals.

Coach Shawn Cooper welcomed the opportunity to play the US later this month. “It’s definitely two games that have come at a great time for us because we are in the process of completing our program and I think these two games fit in perfectly ahead of our opening qualifier against Canada,” Cooper said on Thursday.

“Preparations are going quite well and we are about to embark on a journey which is a chance of a lifetime in trying to qualify for a World Cup. The boys have been working very hard and trying to ensure they are ready. I think we should learn a few things well in these two games against the US.”

Looking ahead to the Canada opener, Cooper said he feels a bit more ready this time than in 2011 when T&T suffered a 2-0 loss to Canada.