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The Trinidad and Tobago Women’s National Under-17 Team start their Fifa 2025 U-17 Women’s World Cup campaign tomorrow against the US Virgin Islands from 8pm at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva.
The fixture is the second match of a Group B doubleheader, with Honduras and Belize meeting from 5pm at the same venue.
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The eventual group winner qualifies automatically to the Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship along with the best two runners-up from the six groups.
Five Concacaf nations will eventually advance to the 2025 Fifa U-17 Women’s World Cup, which will be staged in Qatar.
The Trinidad and Tobago U17s, led by coach Ayana Russell, showed their potential at the December 2024 Jewels of the Caribbean U-20 tournament in which they defeated their elder counterparts before being edged 2-1 by the Jamaica National Under-20 team in the final.
Attacker Orielle Martin was arguably the best player in the competition, while full back Kanika Rodriguez, midfielders Cherina Steele and Mia Lee Chong, and flanker Rasheda Archer should be a handful for their opponents this week.
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Trinidad and Tobago will be without stand-out defender Jasmine McNish, who tore her ACL at the Jewels of the Caribbean tournament, and talented attacker Nikita Gosine, who withdrew from the squad after the non-selection of her sister, Natalia Gosine.
Nikita’s late withdrawal means Trinidad and Tobago will have 20 players for the Concacaf tournament, and not 21 like their opponents. And her absence is also likely to see Martin used at centre forward, rather than in her preferred role as an attacking midfielder.
However, the technical staff remain confident that the Women Warriors can get the job done on home soil despite the disruption.
Trinidad and Tobago face Belize on Wednesday night before tackling Honduras on Friday. All the host team’s games kick off at 8pm in Couva.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868
Trinidad and Tobago Women’s National Under-17 Team
Goalkeepers: 1.Zaira Aimey, 18.Kenisha Taylor, 21.Zofia Richards;
Defenders: 20.Jessica Nesbitt, 3.Hackeemar Goodridge, 5.Daniella Paul, 15.Kanika Rodriguez, 2.Kaitlyn Darwent, 17.Mikaela Yearwood;
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Midfielders: 6.Cherina Steele, 8.Ty’kaiya Dennis, 11.Sanni Wilson, 13.Zyesha Potts, 12.Rori Gittens, 14.Mia Lee Chong, 16.Madison Campbell, 4.Aniya Thompson;
Attackers: 7.Rasheda Archer, 10.Orielle Martin, 19.Jayda Herbert.
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I think it’s really sad that this parent missed a great opportunity to teach her daughters what real teamwork is and what the real world is like. The message she has sent is that it’s only good if she wins. should be, “Now let’s work harder to make the team next time.”
No one is guaranteed a spot and if she was selected, someone else would be omitted. It is not a family affair.