- Bicentini’s side was drawn into a very competitive Group C in which they will face Guatemala, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Cuba and the British Virgin Islands.
MIAMI, Florida – Curacao grabbed the attention of everyone in the Concacaf region when they qualified for the 2017 Gold Cup, and they showed that was no fluke when they reached the tournament for a second straight time in 2019.
The Caribbean island was one of the revelations of the 2019 tournament, as a win over Honduras and a draw with Jamaica earned Curacao a place in the knockout round, where they narrowly fell 1-0 to the United States in the quarterfinals.
Now on the heels of that Gold Cup display and a second-place finish in their Concacaf Nations League group in League A, Curacao is ready to take aim at Concacaf World Cup Qualifying for Qatar 2022.
“The only thing that we want is to qualify for Qatar 2022. We must reach the Final Round of course, but the last few years give us hope and we are focused to win the first and second round and go to the final round. Our absolute goal is to go to Qatar,” said Curacao Head Coach Remko Bicentini following the conclusion of the Draw for Concacaf WCQ on Wednesday.
Bicentini’s side was drawn into a very competitive Group C in which they will face Guatemala, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Cuba and the British Virgin Islands.
Bicentini expects his team to receive a stiff test from all four opponents.
“Our opponents are all good opponents. Every game is a big game and we know we must win all the games we play. We need to have good concentration. All of the opponents we have drawn are good opponents and we will work hard for a good result,” said Bicentini.
Not only does Bicentini see four quality opponents, but also four teams with varying styles. Yet the football displayed by Curacao in recent Concacaf competitions is enough for Bicentini to think that Curacao will have success.
“They have four different styles, so that’s why it’s important for us to study before we play them. We have done a lot of good things from last three years in the Gold Cup and Nations League and I hope we can take that good feeling and good play into these four games. I think if we do that again, we’ll have chances,” said Bicentini.
While on-field tactics and performance will be crucial for Curacao, so will be the cohesion that the team has enjoyed under Bicentini. With the Covid-19 pandemic presenting all sorts of challenges, unity is more important than ever for Curacao.
“We need to be better always. We haven’t played since November. I know my players and I know how we can play. We are a big family and I know if we must play in October, we will stay together and do our best to win the matches,” concluded Bicentini.
