National Under 20 midfielder Isaiah Hudson's goal in the final Group 2 match against St Lucia on Sunday pushed this country through to the final round of the Caribbean Football Union Under 20 Qualifying phase for the 2017 FIFA Under 20 World Cup.
The strike, a well executed and composed finish on a sweetly delivered cross by Jarred Dass, had all the making of a winning goal, in this case, it helped T&T to win the Group on goal difference over the St Lucians with the match finishing 1-1, both teams on seven points and T&T on a superior goal difference.
Hudson, of DirecTV W Connection and Naparima College, scored three goals over the three matches and though head coach Brian Williams later said he felt the player needed to show up more when the going got tougher during the games, there was a lot for the player to feel good about.
"I am happy with the fact that I got the goal that sent us through to the next round. It was an important goal and one which I will remember for a long time," Hudson said.
"The experience of playing my first international under 20 tournament in front of the my home crowd was a learning but enjoyable one. We showed that we are capable of playing entertaining football and that we have potential to go onto better things.
"We still have a lot of work to do to get to a level that will be needed to compete with the best teams in Concacaf but I think once we stay focused and we do the right things, then we should be looking ahead to more positive things from the team," Hudson said. The midfielder is also eligible to play for the T&T Under 17s which enters the final round of Caribbean qualifiers in T&T in September.
Ricarda: Compensation workshop positive step
Ricarda Nelson, one of the participants representing Morvant Caledonia United at the recent Fifa Solidarity Contribution and Training Compensation Workshop hosted by the T&TFA, has said that she came out of the forum much wiser on the benefits of developing players and exporting them to foreign teams.
Nelson, a former national women's team player and current National Under 15 Women's Team manager, was among a host of attendees at the workshop which was conducted by Germans Jan Schweele and Georg Froese. Their presentation was aimed at educating local club members on what benefits can be derived from developing young players and selling them to bigger clubs on the international market.
"This was a very valuable exercise for us. There was a lot of new information on matters we did not know about previously. For instance, we always wondered what benefits a club like W Connection would get from a transfer deal of a player like Kenwyne Jones," Nelson said. All clubs aim to become better and a lot of effort goes into preparation and developing players. And we have had instances where players go out but not much comes back to the club and now we know the formalities that can help us attain what is owed to clubs. I think this was a great initiative that will put the clubs in a better position in the future," Nelson added.
Local clubs will have the opportunity to undergo a Club Licensing workshop in the not too distant future which is also aimed at raising the level oflocal clubs.
Molino's Orlandooust George'sArmada from US Cup
Kevin Molino was on the bench, Kaka was missing through injury and Orlando City was missing several regular starters but still it could not help Kevan George's Jacksonville Armada from losing 1-0 in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup last Wednesday.
George, a midfielder with the T&T Senior team, played the match and is back into a regular game playing routine which is good news for T&T head coach Stephen Hart. George was not called for the previous set of qualifying matches against St Vincent/ Grenadines due to inactiveness. He will be looking to stake a claim for selection for the September qualifiers with Guatemala and United States.
Molino meantime, took part in a minute's silence with his teammates and the fans in honour of the 49 persons who were killed in the Orlando mass shooting.
"It is still a great shock to all of us in Orlando. We feel it for the friends and families of those who were killed or injured. Some of them would have been fans of our team and we are extremely sorry about this unfortunate and tragic event that took place in our home city," Molino said.
Winchester over the moon on new Mexico move
National team forward Shahdon Winchester is simply enjoying life as a professional footballer these days as he makes the transition to playing in the Mexican Professional League after joining Murcielagos FC for a new chapter in his career.
The ex-DirecTV W Connection forward teamed up with fellow countrymen Yohance Marshall and Jomal Williams at this club this week to begin his recently signed contract with the club.
"I'm very overwhelmed about my move as well as I'm enthusiastic for the opportunity & experience," Winchester said.
"My ambitions is to meet my personal goals that I set for myself as well as add something to my new team. My feelings about playing in Mexico is actually a joy because I look at it as I'm getting paid to do something I love which is not really a normal thing where jobs are concern so if it was on the moon I would have been playing I would have the same feelings," Winchester added.
Shaun Fuentes–Director of Communications
Trinidad and Tobago Football Association
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