Trinidad & Tobago (pictured) trains in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on November 9, 2015. (Photo courtesy of TTFA Media)
SUNRISE, Florida – As his players converge on Florida for a training camp, Trinidad & Tobago head coach Stephen Hart expressed delight with the facilities at the Sawgrass Grand Sports Complex.
In fact, he hopes the surroundings give the Soca Warriors an advantage heading into their World Cup Qualifying opener on Friday at Guatemala.
“The field is in immaculate condition and ideal for our preparations,” Hart told TTFA Media. “The facility really has the makings of what you need for a training camp like this.
“And by tomorrow, we should have the full team together but so far with the players here we’ve had a couple good, intense sessions and the players have responded quite well.”
Team captain and forward Kenwyne Jones arrived Sunday, a day after he scored in Cardiff City’s 2-0 English Championship win over Reading. The 31-year-old had been out of action for more than two weeks after suffering a shin injury in a collision with Nicaragua goalkeeper Justo Lorente during a scoreless international friendly last month.
“Obviously it’s good to have Kenwyne in at this time,” expressed Hart. “He is the leader of the team and therefore he brings that added presence. But generally all the players here have responded well to what we’ve asked of them.”
Another forward – Jonathan Glenn – is upbeat about the gathering. He – along with Jones – scored in a 3-3 draw with Mexico in September and views the current preparation as key to setting a tone for Trinidad’s future success.
“The guys are fully focused and giving it our all in practice here in Fort Lauderdale,” said the 28-year-old. “I have a one hundred percent confidence in the guys to go there [to Guatemala] and get it done.
“We know it will be tough, but if it was easy, then anyone could achieve this so we know we have to go there and work for the right result.”
In their last meeting, T&T posted a 3-1 win over Guatemala in the first Group C match for each in the CONCACAF Gold Cup on July 9, 2015.