T&T midfielder Kevin Molino says he's under no pressure wearing the number 10 shirt and playing the role that Russell Latapy perfected during his international career for this country.
The 24-year-old Orlando City standout has scored eight goals in 26 matches for T&T, four of those goals coming in the recent Caribbean Cup semi-finals.
When quizzed about the comparison with Latapy, Molino said he looked up the "Little Magician".
"He's definitely an inspiration to me as a player. I came into the national senior team under him and I've followed his style of play. I don't think it's time to compare me with him but I feel good about being able to wear the number 10 shirt and perform for my country," Molino said.
"Every player wants to be outstanding and to score goals. I'm happy I was able to contribute to the team in this round but the bigger focus is the Finals next month and the Gold Cup next year. I think the team is showing good signs and we're trying to get it right for the World Cup qualifiers."
Molino was named the USL "Most Valuable Player" and took the highest goalscorer award. He won similar accolades for Orlando City last season. He will now look ahead to playing for the club in the upcoming MLS season alongside Brazilian Kaka.
Scotland getsUEFA 'B' licence
Former T&T striker Jason Scotland now holds a UEFA "B" coaching licence after completing the course earlier this month.
The 35-year-old Scotland is still playing with Hamilton Academical in Scotland, has vast experience, being a member of the T&T World Cup squad in 2006 and playing in the English Premiership with Wigan Athletic.
He also had spells at He has also had spells with St Johnstone, Dundee United, Swansea City, Barnsley, Ipswich Town and Defence Force in Trinidad.
"I'm delighted to have completed the course and preparing myself for the next chapter of my career in the game.
"At the moment I'm still playing and enjoying the game but this is a good achievement and I'm quite pleased about it. It allows me to maybe stay involved in the game and follow on in the footsteps of other past players like Dennis Lawrence and others," Scotland said.
Bateau comfortablein Belgium
T&T defender Sheldon Bateau is enjoying every bit of his time with KV Mechelen in the Belgium Premier Division.
The former national Under-20 captain was among the list of overseas-based players who appeared for T&T in the just concluded Caribbean Cup Finals. He performed creditably in defence for Stephen Hart's team, appearing in the three matches at the Ato Boldon Stadium,
"I felt good about my performances and the performance of the entire team during this tournament. It showed that something good is happening and we need to continue building on this," Bateau said.
"At the moment I'm enjoying my career in Belgium. The club KV Mechelen is doing well and I'm happy to be a part of them. I've scored two goals this season and generally I'm very comfortable and enjoying my role over there."
Bateau said he would welcome the addition of more T&T players to Belgium following reports that U-20 players Levi Garcia and others were set to join the League there.
"I'd encourage the players to come over. I saw them at the airport heading over there when I arrived and I hope they can settle in well and continue to develop their game over there. It's a good place to come over to as a young player."
Waldrum: I didn't mean to embarrass anyone
National women's head coach Randy Waldrum has told the US Guardian newspaper that he didn't mean to embarrass this country when he rushed to twitter to beg for assistance for the national team in Dallas last week.
Waldrum admitted that he panicked but later understood that the team would be taken care of following further input by the Sportt Company, Petrotrin and the TTFA.
"It caused such an uproar, the federation got embarrassed by it, the government got embarrassed by it," he said. "That wasn't my intention, to tweet it out and embarrass people and make them look bad. The fact is there was no money and I had just a couple of hours to figure out how I was going to get them fed.
"The response was overwhelming however in hindsight, the language used to appeal for assistance could have been better and was not meant to cause any embarrassment to the TTFA nor the T&T public at large. If it did by any chance, I apologize in advance for any embarrassment caused."
He further told US Press that he was pleased with the response coming from Trinidad.
"I am appreciative of the federation and the government for funding it. The bottom line is, the fact is, they left the country with nothing and by the time everything has arrived, we're leaving for Kansas City," said Waldrum.
Cato pleased withT&T appearances
United States-based professional Cordell Cato intends to keep his place in the national senior team after appearing in the Caribbean Cup semi-finals stage last week.
Cato got his first start for T&T in the 2-0 win over St Lucia and the 22-year-old relishes the opportunity given to him by Stephen Hart as he appeared in all three matches.
"It's definitely a good feeling. The role I play outside is to create chances and to take chances myself and I feel comfortable playing there right now an the coach has confidence in me and I have confidence myself," Cato said.
"I have been working hard in America and the chance came here for me and I'm going to continue giving it my best."
T&T head coach Stephen Hart said he was still feeling out the player but expects him to continue developing.
"We're still feeling out each other and he's getting a better understanding of his role for the national team. He's done well so far," Hart said.
Fellow teammate Lester Peltier has also played his part in T&T's success, creating opportunities for his teammates, including Kevin Molino in his first half hat-trick against Dominican Republic. But Peltier has scoring on his mind.
"Of course I want to score as much as I can for my country and club also. But you can see, I give a lot out there for my teammates. The important thing is that we can get chances and the team benefits at all times," said Peltier, who appeared in an Europa League encounter against Napoli for Slovan Bratislava before joining the national team last week.
Shaun Fuentes is the director of communications for the TTFA. shaunfuentes@yahoo.com