PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Head coach Kenwyne Jones has pointed to squad preparation as key to Trinidad and Tobago’s fortunes in July’s CONCACAF Women’s Championship in Mexico.

T&T were this week drawn alongside Canada, Costa Rica and Panama in Group B while the other English-speaking Caribbean side, Jamaica, will line up with giants United States and Mexico, along with Haiti for the July 14-18 campaign, which serves as the confederation’s final round qualifier for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

“Hopefully with collaboration with the (Football Association) we will be able to have a couple matches,” the NewsDay quoted Jones as saying.
“I know locally once we have a squad together we will have a few training matches and maybe a couple matches before we go off to Mexico.”

He added: “I think the pool of players was already settled from inception, from the time that I got there.
“We are going to have a few other players who are part of the pool that we are going to see over the next two months or so before the tournament.

“Hopefully, that would further add to the level of the squad and the competitiveness and then give us a good headache going into the tournament.”
T&T open their campaign with a tough assignment against Canada on July 5 before taking on Costa Rica three days later. They round off the group stage with a clash against Panama on July 11.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals and also qualify for the Women’s World Cup, while the third-placed teams in each group will move into a playoff.
Jones, a former national striker, said while the group was a “tough” one, it was also “favourable” for T&T.

“I think at the end of it we were kind of pleased with the fellow participants in our group,” he explained.
“We know that stepping up to this CONCACAF level of qualification all opponents are going to be tough matches but you kind of have biases of who you would rather face, and I think in the end we did probably get a favourable draw.

“At the same time, we are going to buckle down and prepare for each match of that group stage.”
T&T advanced to the final round earlier this month by topping Group F with ten points, after playing unbeaten in their four outings