From 4 pm on Wednesday, the TT Under-17 women's footballers will play a must-win game vs El Salvador at the Rignaal Jean Francisca Stadium in Curacao, as they bid to advance to the 2024 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship.
In Group A play in the ongoing under-17 qualifiers, both TT and El Salvador have registered two wins apiece, versus Cayman Islands and Curacao respectively. El Salvador's whopping goal differential of +19 is superior to TT's +9 goal differential, leaving coach Rajesh Latchoo and his team in a do-or-die situation in their final group game.
After healthy 5-0 and 4-0 wins in their first two matches of the qualifiers on Saturday and Monday, Latchoo's charges are now ready for the El Salvador challenge.
"We now look forward to the last game. We will be playing for points and not goals," Latchoo said, after TT's 4-0 win over Cayman Islands. "We have to ensure we get the points against El Salvador to come out of the group."
With nine players from TT's under-17 team coming from the national under-20 setup, Latchoo says it continues to be a learning experience for his young squad.
"The girls continue to play and gain experience in these tournaments, which is for their long-term development plan so they would have a better future for women's football in this country."
Tobago Chicas attacker J'eleisha Alexander, who featured prominently for TT in the Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship in April, has scored five of TT's nine goals in the current qualifiers, with the exciting Nikita Gosine adding two.
With a stiff test expected against El Salvador, Latchoo is hopeful that his team's depth could be a deciding factor.
"We embrace all learning opportunities we have with them so they could continue to grow," Latchoo said. "Certain players stepped up in the second half (against Cayman Islands) when given the opportunity. "Now, this adds more depth to the team as we prepare for El Salvador."
Should TT win their next match, they will advance as one of six group winners and join the pair of Mexico and the US in next year's Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship.
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