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TT has been drawn in Group C alongside USA, Turks & Caicos and hosts Costa Rica for the upcoming Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship in May.
The national team is gearing up for a tough test against some of Concacaf’s more competitive teams as they seek qualification to the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Russia, from May 19-21.
Defending Concacaf champions Mexico are in Group A, in addition to Panama, Guadeloupe and Belize. El Salvador, Bahamas, Guatemala and Dominican Republic make up Group B.
After round-robin play, during May 17-19, the first and second-place finishers in each group and the two best third-place finishers will advance to the knockout stage. The knockout stage begins with quarter-final matches on May 21, followed by the semi-finals on May 22.
In addition to qualifying for the competition’s final, the two semi-final winners will earn a spot in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. The final is scheduled for May 23.
TT have, however, reached the quarter-finals of the Concacaf championships in 2015, 2017 and 2019.
On Thursday, former Spain national and Barcelona beach soccer player Ramiro Amarelle was appointed coach of the TT men’s beach soccer team and is tasked with getting the squad ready for the championships.
Amarelle arrived in TT last week and will take up duties with the national squad later this month to lead preparations. He will soon be joined by Maria Gordo, an assistant as well as a mental coach, and assistant coach and analyst Jaime Paz.
According to a statement issued by the TT Football Association (TTFA), on Wednesday, all three coaches will serve for the preparation phase and duration of the Concacaf qualifiers. The tournament kicks off at the Complejo Deportivo FEDEFUTBOL Plycem, in Costa Rica.
In a recent interview with the TTFA, Amarelle said, “It’s an honour for me and my assistants to get this opportunity to prepare the national beach soccer team of TT for the Concacaf championship.
“It is an exciting challenge and will require a total team effort. We are looking forward to working with all the players, the other members of the staff and everyone at the federation to make this the best possible preparation of the team.
“Of course the main ambition is to qualify but this will also be a process to improve beach soccer and create a better environment and awareness for beach soccer in the country. We will aim to improve many different aspects of the game here,” said Amarelle.
The new national coach is a FIFA instructor and advisor and also holds a UEFA Pro License coaching badge.
The rest of the TT team’s technical staff comprises Ryan Augustine (player/assistant coach), Dr Jason Pilgrim (athletic trainer), Dr Oba Gulston (manager) and Yuri Chapman (assistant manager).
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