Under-23 footballers take aim at Haiti in Olympic qualifiers

The next assignment for the St Vincent and the Grenadines Under-23 football team in the Caribbean Football Union’s zone of the Olympic qualifiers is a semi-final meeting versus Haiti tonight in Haiti.{{more}}

Having got past the first round and the group stage, the Vincentian players are exuding confidence, according to the outfit’s head coach Wade Jackson.

In an interview with SEARCHLIGHT last Tuesday, just prior to the team’s departure for Haiti, Jackson said, “We were prepared for this stage since beating Dominica… We are ready, as we have been working on a lot of stuff, not only physical stuff, but a lot of classroom stuff.

“Also, we had Roxell John coming in to do some work with the team and to prepare them psychologically and according to him, they are at a high level of confidence,” Jackson added.

The head coach related that on learning that Haiti was the team’s next opponent, the technical staff went about looking at tapes of their most recent matches.

Tonight’s other semi-final pits Cuba against Jamaica.

The two winners meet in the final, with both heading for the CONCACAF phase of the qualification process.

Hoping to take St Vincent and the Grenadines further are home-based players Akeem Williams, Jahvid Sutherland, Deno John, Lemus Christopher, Nazron Hoyte, Tyrone Tannis, Kevin Francis, Chavel Cunningham, Dennis Prescott, Danroy Edwards, Kevorn Henry, Vasbert Ledger, Kyle Edwards, Nazir Mc Burnette, Azhino Solomon, Tevin Slater and Sylvannus Baptiste, who will be joined by US-based Brad Miguel and Oalex Anderson.

The team of officials is made up of technical director Keith Ollivierre, head coach Wade Jackson, goalkeeper coach Kevin Richardson, physiotherapist Denis Byam and Dwight Roberts, manager.

St Vincent and the Grenadines reached this phase by beating Dominica 5-0 on aggregate in qualification round, then drew with Puerto Rico 2-2 and beat Trinidad and Tobago 5-3 in the group stage.

Reaching the final round of competition in CFU is the best to date by any St Vincent and the Grenadines Under-23 Olympic men’s team.(RT)