The content originally appeared on: Barbados News
The Barbados Under 17 men’s football team departed the island this morning on route to the Concacaf Under 17 men’s Championship in Guatemala.
The young Tridents will contest Group B of the competition which features Canada, Trinidad & Tobago and the United States of America (USA).
Barbados will open their campaign on February 11 versus group favorites USA at the Estadio Pensativo in Antigua, Guatemala, then after a day’s rest, take on another confederation powerhouse in Canada, and they will complete their group fixtures against regional rivals Trinidad & Tobago on February 15.
“We have three difficult assignments, but the guys are very optimistic, they have prepared properly and will be ready”
The top three teams from the group will advance to the Round of 16 and the final four of the championship will represent the confederation at the 2023 FIFA Under17 World Cup in Peru.
Head Coach of the squad, Fabian Massiah said he is optimistic and looks forward to rubbing shoulders with some of the region’s best during his international debut.
“Preparations have been steady, we started back in April last year and to be honest, this is my first assignment, but I can say I’m satisfied with the preparation because I had enough time to get the boys ready for what they are about to face.
It is a difficult group if you are looking at traditional opponents.
We have three difficult assignments, but the guys are very optimistic, they have prepared properly and will be ready.
I want to thank the public for supporting us as we go on this venture. It is a developmental age-group, but at the end of the day we still want to get those results to show the pubic we can compete at this level.”
Players and staff of the under 17 men’s team are joined by senior men’s team forward Nick Blackman after a recent training session.
Massiah will be assisted in the dugout by former national forward Kenroy Skinner and Wayne “Trini” Williams.
The Squad:
Goalkeepers: Jireh Malcolm (Paradise FC), K’Den Hee Chung (Pro Shottas)
Defenders: Ajani Banton (Ballaz Academy), Ajani Payne (Barbados Soccer Academy), Warren Trotman (Pro Shottas), Zachari Yard (Pro Shottas), Kamari Johnson (Kickstart Rush), Amego Jordan (Pinelands Academy), Ephraim Gill (Pro Shottas), Micaih Clarke (Paradise FC)
Midfielders: Christian Gill (UWI Blackbirds), Joshua Husbands (Whitehall FA), Jayden Greenidge (Kickstart Rush), Kairos Greaves (Technique FC), Shamari Harewood (Paradise FC), Ronan Lee (Pro Shottas), James Moore (Pro Shottas)
Forwards: Rovaldo Massiah (Pro Shottas), Che Millington (Pro Shottas)
