PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Trinidad and Tobago are eyeing a live-in camp in Venezuela as they beef up their preparations for the final round CONCACAF qualifiers for next year’s FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Mexico.
T&T are currently gearing up for their Group C battle against Jamaica and Guatemala in Jamaica starting next February and Anton Corneal, the youth development officer with the T&T Football Federation, said they were looking at next month as a good time for the camp.
“We are heading into the final six weeks of preparations which has just been finalized and we are also hoping to get in some matches in Venezuela in mid-January away from home,” Corneal said.
T&T open their campaign against the powerful Jamaicans at the Catherine Hall Stadium in Montego Bay on February 15 and play Guatemala two days later at the same venue.
Barbados are the other English-speaking side in the tournament, and are down to contest Group D with Honduras and Canada.
The two top teams from the four groups will advance to the quarter-finals.
Corneal, who oversaw T&T’s campaign at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in South Korea three years ago, said the side would be joined by a couple of North American-based players shortly including Isaiah Noreiga who is attached to the academy at MLS club Houston Dynamo.
“We have a couple players who we have to look at again by right now Isaiah is in Trinidad and he has trained with the team and looks likely to be in the final squad,” said Corneal.