T&T's Under-20 footballers worked out at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella yesterday for a second time this week, in preparation for the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers in the USA in two weeks time.
The first session was on Wednesday morning, and the young players are to go through another training session today at the same venue from 9:30 am, under the watchful eyes of national coach Russell Latapy.
The team is expected to leave on Sunday. Team manager Alexandria Procupe said. But after receiving visas for most of the players and staff, she is still attempting to gain interviews for Club Sando's Jabarry Francis, Shiva Boys Hindu College's Matthew Beal and St Anthony's College's midfielder Highley Beckles.
Both Beal and Francis are two late additions to the team, hence the last-ditch efforts to seek visas for them, while Beckles was among the squad considered earlier in the campaign but was cut late by Latapy. Procupe said because an application was submitted earlier for Highley, she has been forced to continue her efforts to secure a visa for him.
Procupe who was expected to submit the final list of 20 players to the Concacaf on Wednesday night, said if the visas are not secured in time for Sunday, the players will either make the trip at a later date or in a worst-case scenario, be replaced.
The team includes Portugal-based Che Benny, defender Luke Singh who now represents Toronto FC in the Canadian top-flight competition, striker Isaiah Lee who recently started school at Rochester College in the United States, midfielder John Paul Rochford, who left local shores last night for trial in the US, and 2017 Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) stand-out Judah Garcia, who is on trials in Argentina.
Procupe said they are all to join the T&T team in the USA, ahead of the tournament, where TT will contest Group 'A' of the qualifiers, that includes St Vincent and the Grenadines, Puerto Rico, Suriname, US Virgin Islands and defending champions USA.
Procupe told Guardian Media Sports that although the team did not receive proper preparation, she is confident her lads will have a good chance of advancing. "The mood in the camp is very upbeat. I think we have a great bunch of talented players, who, had been prepared better, would have really had a good chance."
The players are scheduled to do their medicals on Saturday. They will open their campaign against St Vincent and the Grenadines on November 1 and will play their last match November 9 against the USVI.
Only the top team will progress from the group.
TEAM
Denzil Smith, Jabari Brice, Che Benny, Judah Garcia, Kishon Hackshaw, Justin Homer, Jerrin Jackie, Derron John, Shaqkeem Joseph, Isaiah Lee, Mikel Mieres, Nickel Orr, Jaydon Prowell, Mark Ramdeen, Matthew Beal, John-Paul Rochford, Luke Singh, Kerdell Sween, Jabarry Francis, Ethan Bonaparte.