00:00For Trinidad and Tobago to qualify for the World Cup, they will need to defeat hosts
00:05Costa Rica, Bermuda, Barbados and St. Martin.
00:09The 32 participating men's under-20 teams were split into two groups of six and four
00:13groups of five.
00:15After round-robin play, the first-placed team from each group will advance to the 2026
00:20CONCACAF Under-20 Championship, joining the six top-ranked nations that are pre-qualified
00:26directly to the tournament.
00:28Head coach of the national team Marvin Gordon says he is suitable for the job.
00:31It started back in 2009, Ross Russell gave me the opportunity to be his assistant at Army
00:37and I just took it from one place to the next, doing my courses, starting with my B license,
00:44A license, CONCACAF license, you know, and here I am today.
00:49He says it's a battle for spots on the team but thinks that's a good problem to have.
00:54I don't want to go ahead of myself, you know, but I think this group of players,
00:58it's a fantastic group, they're working hard.
01:01I think the atmosphere that we're creating as a staff, the binding to everything we want
01:05to do, right now what we're doing is trying to prepare them more physically and mentally
01:09for the tasks at hand.
01:11We have a lot of talent in the group.
01:12I think it's going to be very difficult when we pick this final team, the type of players
01:17that will be left out because I believe everybody honestly fighting for a place in the final team.
01:23He also added that the team will be boosted by foreign-based players as they aim to work
01:29on mental strength ahead of the competition.
01:31So we have 32 players presently in training locally, right, over the Christmas period we
01:37had about 42.
01:38We had some foreigners in here and a couple of them will be back to join the team.
01:43Whereas, well, we also, well, I'm expecting some English-based players to come in later on
01:47this month so we can see how they fit into the puzzle as well, right.
01:52What we're working on right now is more physical, right, and mental and tactical, right.
01:58I think I'm this group where I'm there receiving everything, right.
02:01There's a staff with a lot of experience.
02:03Rush Russell, Devon, Jocelyn, Gilbert, Bart Thomas, myself, Dexter Thomas.
02:07I kind of surround myself with a lot of experience because I know it will take experience at
02:13international level if we used to get to the World Cup.
02:15The team will also be boosted by under-17 players.
02:19Yeah, it'll have a couple of them well.
02:21It'll have Dominic Joseph from the U.S.
02:24It'll have Jon Caprieta, who is here, Adam Pierre.
02:29You know, it'll have a lot of them who find for a place and I think should be in the final
02:33team.
02:34You know, I don't want to let nothing out of the bag, basically.
02:38But I think the last under-20 team has seven players in this pool as well.
02:42You have Daryl Zumzum Garcia, right, you have Ochoa, you have LeSean Morris.
02:48You know, all quality players.
02:50You know, as I say, I don't want to go ahead of myself, but I think this team have a hell
02:54of a chance to take Trinidad to a World Cup.
02:56The tournament will take place from February 23rd to March 4th, 2026 across the three venues
03:02in Central America and the Caribbean, suited for TV6port.
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