The Trinidad and Tobago Women’s National Senior Team will be led by technical director Kendall Walkes when they face Mexico from 11.30 am tomorrow in Brazil, after interim head coach Anthony Creece returned home.
The “Women Soca Warriors” were already without head coach Randy Waldrum and assistant Ben Waldrum, who were unable to get visas due to the late invitation from the tournament organisers.
Creece’s departure means that the Trinidad and Tobago women are without all three of their designated coaches.
Creece, who oversaw the Women Warriors’ 3-0 loss to Mexico on Wednesday in their final match of the Natal Female International Tournament, insisted that the four-nation tournament has been a bonus for the squad.
“Kendall Walkes will be in charge of the team because I had to return home due to a prior commitment,” Creece told the TTFA Media on Friday.
Trinidad and Tobago meet Mexico in tomorrow’s third place play off while hosts Brazil and Canada contest the final.
The Women Warriors were without their entire midfield trio of Maylee Attin-Johnson, Janine Francois and Karyn Forbes against Mexico, due to injury, while defender Afiyah Matthias has already returned home for an unspecified reason.
The Trinidad and Tobago women have only one goalkeeper in Brazil, Tenesha Palmer, after first choice custodian Kimika Forbes remained in the United States due to school responsibilities.
“We played a very tough game and it was unfortunate that the result was not better (against Mexico),” said Creece. “Our team was missing four players including key starters through injury. We were doing quite well and they were ahead 1-0. But our legs gave up in the last 10 minutes and we went on to concede two goals late in the match.
“But although the group is already banged up, I think this has been a real proper learning experience for the players and we will now switch our attention to preparing for the Olympic qualifiers in February.”
Incidentally, the Women Warriors head coach, Waldrum, warned about the possibility of picking up injuries due to the inadequate physical preparation for his team before a tour that comprised two games against Mexico and one each against the United States, Brazil and Canada inside of 11 days.
Trinidad and Tobago’s 3-0 defeat to Mexico followed 6-0 and 4-0 losses to the United States and Canada respectively while, with a weakened team, they were routed 11-0 by Brazil.
Just over a year ago, a weary Trinidad and Tobago outfit drew 2-2 with Mexico in the Canada 2015 Women’s World Cup qualifying series before falling 4-2 on extra time.
Two days earlier, Trinidad and Tobago had lost to Costa Rica after 90 minutes of regulation time, 30 minutes of extra time plus penalties. While Mexico coach Leonardo Cuellar craftily rested his entire midfield and forward line-up—six players in total—in their semifinal match-up against the United States to ensure his troops were fresher when they met the Women Warriors.
Since then, Mexico has had the benefit of a World Cup and Pan American Games while Trinidad and Tobago’s program has stalled. But Waldrum has insisted that he can get his team ready again with a pre-Olympic qualifiers camp next month.
With Creece and the Waldrums missing, Walkes will oversee the Women Warriors, as they try to end their tour on a high against Mexico tomorrow.
(Trinidad and Tobago squad in Brazil)
Players: Tenesha Palmer (GK), Arin King (captain), Patrice Superville, Victoria Swift, Anastasia Prescott, Annalis Cummings, Sharain Cummings, Jenelle Cunningham, Joy Daniel, Renelle Findley, Tamara Johnson, Jo Marie Lewis, Melissa Woo Ling, Khadidra Debesette, Janine Francois, Karyn Forbes, Maylee Attin-Johnson, Ahkeela Mollon, Shenelle Henry, Mariah Shade,
Staff: Kendall Walkes (technical director), Sharon O’Brien (manager), Clayton Ince (goalkeeper coach), Benyam Astorga (trainer), Michael Taylor (physio), Steve Fredericks (equipment manager), Claire George (equipment manager).
no problem lasana
Keep Your Heads Up Ladies, Continue Being Motivated⚽?❤!!!
they knew but apparently not djw he cleared things with the td pieper and sharon ob
And Manager should have been responsible for advising the executive.
thank you cheryl that’s basic common sense so its not like he abandon the team he agreed 2 go cause they assured him he would get back in time
Did the TTFA not know that Creece would be leaving the tour when he did?
Looks like the message never got to the top…it stayed at Manager’s level
lasana what I am saying just as with my tour 2 turkey a whole set of fools talking when none of them never even organise a field trip 2 the zoo but they wanna criticize creece and I changing lives in a positive way when these idiots just bussing up they mouth and aint doing shit for them youths
You mean everyone who isn’t a coach should hush Dion? That doesn’t make sense.
Nobody should criticise? That doesn’t make sense either.
Be specific…
I think we got his point ? He’s passionate about our women ?
I am really fed up of you idiots always talking shit when you don’t know anything why don’t you go coach the damn team and pay the damn coaches allyuh does just be sitting at home doing nothing constructive all day waiting on a story 2 talk shit typical trinis always have solutions and very critical and never doing shit but just talking and wasting time I am so fed up of these idiots in this country
Lasana Liburd I applaud you for your efforts in telling these stories about local coaches and their gross misconduct with young people. What saddens me is that Trinidad and Tobago has no legislation preventing these men from returning here and continuing to work here as if nothing happened. And these coaches often continue to work with young people. And the thing is some of these cases are a matter of public record. A few google searches and all the information is there.
All i will say is i told u so and Hassan C Araujo the TTFA need to increase their think tank bc this tournament was a no go!! It really was amazing the arguments put forward for it lets get the thing right please!!
International Tournament of Natal at Arenas das Dunas is NOT a major international tournament. Major international tournaments have lengthy qualifying, this tournament is an invitational started in 2009. Our women are ranked in the high 48; they got a chance to play Brazil(7), Canada(11) and Mexico(26) at what cost to us? I know we had some players in Hawaii but the upside to this experience widened the pool for the selectors and gave more players top class experience. Its a credit to the teams progress and recent results that when Croatia(55) withdrew we were invited. TTFA funding does not get high quality games for any of our teams on a regular basis, the US U-17 play more high quality games and travel to play their peers more frequently than our Senior Men’s team.
I agree the lack of coaches is a problem, having a split team was a problem, injuries are a problem but our goal could not be to win. Go their to learn and benefit from the DEVELOPMENT opportunity for the players. Folks, we are not a top team yet, these challenges will help in the long run since our FA has scarce resources and hopefully is now beginning a planning process. All ways look for DEVELOPMENT opportunities, winning will come after we develop. Didn’t the coach support this tournament?
..You’re being politic Brian. Participation in this tournament was a bull shit decision made by people who for some reason decided they could not also be politic and politely decline the invitation. Instead, they decided to play politics in an attempt to look good. At the expense of everything important they sent and under-staffed, unprepared team to a serious tournament was. Creece and the decision-makers could go on forever about how important this tournament. In fact, it was an unmitigated disaster..
Hence my statement… This is so sad…
No team should leave these shores under prepared. You cannot prepare in competition. Further more when unfit you are bound to get injuries. Have not heard how many coming home injured.
This woman program should be scratch/scrapppppp and start a fresh with 17’s and 20’s
How can you say that? You can’t judge the women when they are playing unprepared and unfit.
I don’t think they did that badly considering. They are playing against some of the best teams in the world.
Agreed again but, we do need games ….if the results weren’t so bad and we we had gotten better results we’d have seen it for what it is valuable needed game time … I don’t think we necessarily need to get to their level as yet as opposed to getting to a better level……from a glass half full rather than half empty perspective but again I’m in agreement.
..Well, I honestly don’t believe we needed this debacle to let us know that we are not close to being to the level of the teams that humiliated us. Our U20s just lost to Honduras and Jamaica. We are NOT even at top CONCACAF level. Never mind world level. We don’t need humiliation to know this..
Creece on shit. He take a picture with Marta and call the tournament worthwhile yes… Lol!
The TTFA like to issue media releases. When are they issuing one apologising to these women? Wonder if it will take an emergency meeting or a regular meeting to get this apology. ?
Who agreed to this tournament again? And did the person who agreed to it know that there would be no coach available for the final match?
Blasted nonsense. Steups.
..Yes. We do..
Agreed LookLoy but, it will also put a realistic view on where we stand right now because I believe the asswipes known as administrators were banking on just throwing a team together and expecting a repeat of the run we had last year …..clearly that continuity has been rigidly severed so now they’re forced to get a consistent training regime in place. I could live with a lil embarassment if it precedes visible improvement. Imo participation (even one as poor as this) is better than sitting on your ass (then expecting a 1mil payout after a $1 performance).
What are the solutions to these problems…we have them all over the place…
..LOL..C’mon. That’s like saying government decisions could only be improved by people in government. We critique from the outside. The issue is if the critique is right or wrong..
Keith ,I hear you….I was going to put LOL many times at the end…..
The critique is right…spot on….
Maybe when some of you guys decide to take up the challenge in ttfa…..
When will this end !?!!!??!!
..Same bull shit from TTFA..
It has been a mess.
..Participation in this tournament was a bull shit decision made by people who for some reason decided they could not also be politic and politely decline the invitation. Instead, they decided to play politics in an attempt to look good. At the expense of everything important they sent an under-staffed, unprepared team to a serious tournament. Creece and the decision-makers could go on forever about how important this tournament was. In fact, it was an unmitigated disaster. And this debacle will no doubt negatively affect future invitations..
I feel really sad for the women players over there. And injuries on top of that…
? ?
Unmitigated disaster is an understatement
?
Sigh…
Sigh
This so sad…