FORT LAUDERDALE, United States, CMC – Head coach Angus Eve acknowledged Trinidad and Tobago would now have to refocus following their belated inclusion for the group stage of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The Caribbean side was readying themselves for a qualification battle in the Gold Cup preliminaries beginning here tomorrow but were granted direct entry to the confederation showpiece after Nicaragua was tossed from the tournament for fielding an ineligible player in the Nations League.
According to CONCACAF, T&T secured their group stage spot “by virtue of them being the team with the highest points (overall) in League B of the 2022/23 [CONCACAF Nations League to not have qualified to the 2023 Gold Cup Prelims.”
They have been installed in Group A which comprises powerhouses United States and Caribbean Football Union giants, Jamaica, along with yet-to-be determined qualifier from the preliminaries.
“It was mixed emotions because the fellas are really eager to represent the country,” Eve said.
“The first day of training we were really buzzing. All the boys are here, they are fully focussed and here for the job at hand.
“Now we have to refocus our energies, and the prize for hard work is more hard work because we’re now in a group that is a very difficult group.
“But that’s where we want to be, that’s where we were aspiring to be and that’s where we are now and we just want to take this opportunity to continue to represent our country in the right way.”
T&T drew 1-1 with Nicaragua in their crucial final Nations League game in Tobago last March, which saw them finish behind the Central Americans in Group C to miss out on Gold Cup qualification.
In June last year, T&T suffered a 2-1 defeat to the Nicaraguans in Managua.
Also as a result of CONCACAF’s sanction against Nicaragua, Trinidad and Tobago will also replace them in League A, with the Central American side slipping into League B.
“The general feeling is one of great content and achievement, for achieving something like this for our country,” Eve continued.
“When we started the Nations League, the objective was to qualify for the Gold Cup proper and also to qualify for the ‘A’ Nations League, which would give us automatic qualification for the Gold Cup, and also give us the opportunity to qualify for the CONMEBOL Cup.
“So it was a bit deflating when we drew that match in Tobago.”
Following the qualifiers from June 16-20 at the DRV PNK Stadium, the Gold Cup will run from June 24 to July 16.
