SANDY, Utah, CMC – Seasoned goalkeeper Jan Michael Williams believes Friday’s friendly international against powerhouses Mexico will be great preparation for Trinidad and Tobago’s upcoming 2018 World Cup qualifying competition.
The Soca Warriors clash with the CONCACAF Gold Cup champions at Rio Tinto Stadium, a contest that precedes the country’s opening World Cup qualifier scheduled for November.
“This is another step in our quest and preparations to qualify for the World Cup,” Williams said.
“We are looking for continuation after having such a good showing at the Gold Cup. It’s our first friendly after the Gold Cup and I think playing against a team like Mexico is good for us.”
The two teams clashed during the Gold Cup in Charlotte, with T&T coming from behind to snatch a thrilling 4-4 draw.
T&T were 0-2 down after 51 minutes but scored three times in the space of 14 minutes to lead 3-2. Mexico equalized with two minutes left in regular time and skipper Kenwyne Jones’s own goal in the 90th seemed to have lost it for the Caribbean side.
However, Yohance Marshall scored deep in stoppage to steal a share of the points for the Trinidadians.
Williams, who watched the encounter from the bench, feels the fixture will be another entertaining one for the fans.
“I think the game will be an attractive one and obviously people will be looking to see if we can maintain the kind of form we had from that previous game [against Mexico],” Williams said.
“We will be looking to put on a good showing but again the bigger focus is on the preparation for the World Cup qualifiers.”
Trinidad will enter the World Cup qualifiers from the fourth round alongside the likes of Mexico, United States, Honduras and Panama.
The final round, scheduled to be played between November, 2016 and October, 2017, will feature six teams competing for three automatic spots at the World Cup, with the fourth-placed team contesting a playoff for another World Cup berth.
