Trinidad and Tobago’s senior men’s head coach Angus Eve, who watched his team overcome the odds to score a famous victory over the United States in the Nations League quarter-finals last year, said it was difficult for the Soca Warriors to handle. I believe that no challenge is too great.
So, while gearing up for another challenging and demanding campaign, Yves is confident in the depth of his squad and believes they can show their competitiveness and perhaps even rewrite history. Are expected.
Like the Soca Warriors’ 2-1 win against the United States, Eve knows the CONMEBOL Copa America playoff contest against Canada will be tough, but the team’s ability to overcome stiff competition on March 23 remains optimistic. and earn a spot in the prestigious Copa America tournament.
“Like the American team, the Canadian team is built the same way, with a number of European-based players. Some players play in MLS (Major League Soccer) and some in their home country. They are playing, but most of the players are playing in Europe and in good teams, ”evaluated Yves.
“But we think we can get in there. We think we can compete with anyone right now and we want to show that. We can go out on the park and compete with anyone.” “We want to show confidence that we can do it,” he added.
Eve incorporated new players into their training squad for their recently concluded four-day camp, a move that could bring a new dynamic to their gameplay. Still, he believes that with proper application, the team can compete strongly against Canada and, by extension, in the Concaf World Cup qualifiers, which promise to be demanding and exciting.
“We just need to be tactically conscious. The coach can only give instructions. When the players go into the game, they have to defend their position and do the role given to them by the coach to the best of their ability. You have to have the mindset to perform, because a coach can never tell a player what to do every second, just a few minutes of the game,” he reasoned.
The Soca Warriors are scheduled to play two practice games against Jamaica early next month ahead of their Copa America qualifier against Canada. The Reggae Boyz’ visit to Trinidad follows last year’s Soca Warriors trip to Jamaica for two friendlies.
“They have promised to return the favor, so these two games will be played in early March. We will use it and once that happens, we will choose the final team,” Eve declared.
He also welcomed the signing of two players, Defensive Force’s Leon Moore and Club Sando’s Real Gil, to play overseas in the Canadian Premier League and United Soccer League, respectively.
The tactician believes this is another step in the right direction, not only to help prepare the players for the challenges ahead, but also, more importantly, for football in the twin island republic. .
“This shows that the work we’re doing is (good) and that people are starting to identify players again, because we (used to) have the same set of players all the time. Because they were getting contracts. These are new players who are getting contracts, and when people see them playing for the national team, that’s how they get that kind of exposure. I can tell you it can be done,” Eve said.
“This shows that people are paying attention to us again and paying attention to our players, which is a good sign for the country and the team as a whole,” he concluded.