THE EDITOR: I have journeyed with my son in the seven-month build-up to the Men’s U17 Concacaf Championships in Guatemala. Granted I am a mother, so I am genetically biased, but given the first-hand knowledge and experience, I can attest that our young men represented their country with dignity and their warrior spirit needs to be acknowledged and applauded.

You might say they were minnows swimming amongst sharks. They played against teams whose players are attached to professional club academies in the US and Europe. Those players have been living and training in residency for the past two years. Those teams have an entourage of experts, professionals and chefs to attend to their every need.

In preparation for this tournament they played against many international opponents. And with all that, our TT team instilled panic and fear and had them on the back foot. They faced their opponents bravely and gave it their best effort.

I applaud these players for their sacrifice and dedication to the programme. Players were pushed to their physical, mental and emotional limits to become tougher and stronger. I thank the coaches and support staff for their commitment to this team and the time they invested in getting our young men ready to compete.

The obvious take-away form this competition is the potential and talent that our young players possess. We need smart investment to further develop our programme, cater to our unique needs and hone our own Soca Warrior-style of play.

They need consistency and continuity with steady training and international competition in order to grow from strength to strength. Only then can we expect our players to advance to the next level and have a fighting chance on an international playing field.

JESSIE-MARIE CHAVES

via e-mail

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