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Turks and Caicos U17 boys national football team returns determined to excel Published on Monday, August 11, 2008 Email To Friend    Print Version By Tess Hennigan Caribbean Net News Staff Reporter Email: tess@caribbeannetnews.com   PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands: The Under 17 Boys National Football team has returned to the Turks and Caicos after strong performances in Trinidad and Tobago. Though defeated, the team is even more determined to excel in the future. Last week, the squad comprised of young men ages 13 to 16, traveled to Trinidad to make their first attempt at competing in the U17 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. TCI Under 17 Boys National Football Team and coaches Pitted in first round matches against teams from St Vincent and the Grenadines, Cuba, and Dominica, the match-ups gave players a chance to showcase their skills and play against the best teams in the region. The competition was as strong as expected, said Matthew Green, Technical Director at the Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association (TCIFA), which took place at Saint Mary’s College in Port-of-Spain. The boys played extremely well considering it was their first major tournament, gaining valuable experience for the future, as well as exposure to international competition at the highest regional level. Team TCI played their first game against St Vincent, in which they were defeated 4-1, and then Cuba, resulting in a loss of 7-0. In their final game, Dominica triumphed over Team TCI with a 2-0 victory. Green noted that the Cuban team was perhaps the best squad in the tournament and, “We played an excellent game against them.” “The coaches had an excellent strategy, unfortunately, we don’t have enough quality players at the moment to see these tactical ideas through,” he said. “This proved our downfall.” “We didn’t get the results we wanted,” said Green, however, “We did assess where we are in terms of our development programmes and what we need to work on if we are to close the gaps.” “Our ability to compete in a tournament of this nature is a major benchmark in the development of the Football Association,” said Christopher Bryan, President of the TCIFA, noting, “The players and coaches now need to build on this experience.” Bryan stated, “We have a long term development plan for football in these Islands and right now we are on track,” adding, “This is down to the hard work and commitment of all those connected with the game here, as well as the organisation of our Executive Committee.” Many of the players will remain in the U17 Division over the next two years. Some will advance to the U20s Division in three years’ time, becoming the core of TCI’s senior national quad. “The good thing about the team is that the players are all very receptive to coaching and instruction,” said Green, “and very disciplined on and off the field.” To that, he noted, it is only by testing the water that they were able to assess how much work is needed in the years ahead. The players exhibited performances that exemplified their skill, sportsmanship and competitiveness, making them “excellent ambassadors for the country and the Association”.   Reads : 356 Back... Comments: No comments on this topic yet. Be the first one to submit a comment. Back... Send us your comments!   Send us your comments on this article for publication in our Readers' Forum or as a Letter to the Editor. All fields are required and in the interest of openness and transparency we will no longer accept anonymous submissions. We therefore request that all submissions include a name for publication, regardless of content. We will in special circumstances protect a writer's identity only after we have established good cause for anonymity, otherwise we will not be able to publish the submission. For your contribution to reach us, you must (a) provide a valid e-mail address and (b) click on the validation link that will be sent to the e-mail address you provide.  If the address is not valid or you don't click on the validation link, it will be a waste of your time typing your submission because we will never see it! Your Name: Your Email: (Validation required) Comments: Enter Validation Code *