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LATAPY: I'M MONITORING THE TALENT AVAILABLE AT HOME RIGHT NOW Print



Men's Senior Team head coach Russell Latapy sat down with the local media prior to Wednesday's training  session at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, giving a synopsis of his approach following his first couple sessions at the helm of the "Soca Warriors."


 Latapy had a look at several young players, most of whom campaign in the local Digicel TT Pro League, such as Kern Cupid (W Connection), Keon Daniel (Caledonia AIA), Atullah Guerra (San Juan Jabloteh) and Devon Jorsling (Defence Force). Also among the bunch were USA-based Keedan Crosby, former Germany-based pro Jamaal Gay and national youth footballers Shahdon Winchester and Sheldon Bateau. Latapy said he will continue screening sessions until he can look at every player he thinks can contribute to his team. Click on videos for full interview.


'I am looking to find the best possible team, so if there are players in Trinidad or with a Trinidadian link who we could get to play for the national team then we will have a look at them. And we want to invite them to see what they can do.

’We already have a core of players that we all know. From the last campaign we have the Atullah Guerras, the Keon Daniels and the Hayden Tintos. These boys have the type of ages I am looking to build a squad around, but I still believe that there are a lot of talented players out there who deserve to have a chance and we have to give them a look-in.’

Latapy said his first major goal is to prepare a locally-based team for the Digicel Caribbean Cup which is scheduled for Guadeloupe in November. Latapy said he felt very disappointed that T&T did not do well in the last Caribbean Cup, and so subsequently failed to qualify for the 2008 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He will focus on local players because he said experience has taught him that getting the foreign-based professionals to play in the tournament will be difficult.

’I would like very much to carry a team of local players to it,’ Latapy said. ’Being there before, it is always difficult to ask one of the players playing with one of the bigger clubs outside to come down and play in the Caribbean Cup. I think that some of our local players are well capable of doing well in this competition and these are the types of players I will be using to play in the Digicel Cup,’ he said.

’I think we have always been one of the super powers in Caribbean football and not qualifying for the Gold Cup, and not performing well in the last Digicel Cup, it kind of knock that back. So we need to build again and the means to do that is to do well in the Digicel Cup so that Trinidad and Tobago can be one of the super powers in the Caribbean again.’

Latapy also introduced Marvin Faustin as interim assistant coach. (March 17,2010)
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