Despite a failed Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup qualifying campaign, Trinidad and Tobago senior women’s Head coach Richard Hood took heart from the effort of his team, as he forecast that much more can be achieved, provided there is continuity going forward.

Hood’s sentiments followed a spirited performance by his team in limiting regional powerhouse Mexico to one goal, on their home leg at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo. This was particularly pleasing because Trinidad and Tobago were hammered 6-0 when they first visited the Mexicans.

So, while the twin island republic didn’t secure a spot in next year’s Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup group stage or preliminary round, Hood felt their objective, which was continued improvement, was met for the parts.

Trinidad and Tobago finished at the bottom of the three-team League A group with a solitary point, as Mexico (12 points) and Puerto Rico (four points) progressed to the inaugural Gold Cup.

"I was satisfied with the efforts from the team and satisfied with the organisation. I am not so much satisfied with the offensive part, as I thought we struggled to keep the ball," Hood said.

"I am happy with the performance and the effort from the younger girls. I thought the real purpose for me in this game was to keep demonstrating the improvements (we have made), and I think we did that,” he added.

The tactician singled out 23-year-old goalkeeper Simone Eligon for some praise, as she was impressive throughout the campaign, and was even named to the Concacaf League A Best XI for the October window.

"Simone has been magnificent. She has come up big for us in each of the (three) games she has played. She was a little nervous in her first game against Puerto Rico but that is understandable. International football is a completely different kettle of fish. Our understanding of the tactical requirements of the game — offensively and defensively — was good,” Hood noted.

Still, Hood pointed out that there is much more work to do if the Women Warriors are to be more competitive in the future, which is why he stressed the need for continued development of the programme.

"We were not great offensively, but it is a work in progress. It is something we have to keep continuously working on with the girls. It is important for us to maintain continuity where the local girls are concerned and we have to monitor those who are abroad as well,” Hood reasoned.

"Minister Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis indicated the ministry is very much willing to back the women's programme to the same level of monetary (contributions) from Concacaf. She asked us to make proposals and we are going to do that. It is critical for the women's programme. We must never get back to the level where we met the programme when we started in July this year,” he noted.

Trinidad and Tobago will be missing two of their key players when they tackle Puerto Rico in their return-leg Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup qualifier on Tuesday evening.

Maria-Frances Serrant and Chrissy Mitchell, both failed to make the trip to Puerto Rico due to visa issues. This serves as another major blue to twin island republic's chances, as the Richard Hood-coached team is intent on overturning the 1-2 loss they suffered, to the same opponents at Hasely Crawford Stadium, last Friday.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Victoria Swift says the team’s build-up to their Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup qualifier against Puerto Rico has been intense and purposeful, as they target a positive result on Friday.

With this being the first on home soil for the senior women’s team since April last year, Swift is eagerly anticipating the encounter which represents an opportunity to put points on the board, following a 0-6 loss to Mexico last month.

The experienced defender is one a few veterans expected to be named in Head coach Richard Hood’s side which is set to be announced on Wednesday.

Kick off for Friday’s game is 7:00pm at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

“Preparations have been very intense since we got back from playing Mexico. Thus far I’m extremely proud of the players for all their efforts in each and every session,” Swift told TTFA Media.

“Words can’t explain how excited I am to be playing in Port of Spain before the home fans. This is going to give us the opportunity to bring back joy and passion of women’s football to Trinidad and Tobago. I know there are a lot of players hungry to get opportunities and do well in women’s football here and a positive showing by us can only boost the local women’s game,” she added.

Swift knows the importance of seeing Trinidad and Tobago advance to the next Women’s Gold Cup, especially as they harbour hopes of possibly making the cut for the next FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027.

“Getting a positive result on Friday is of utmost importance. This would keep our dream alive of qualifying for the first ever Women’s Gold Cup. It’s an opportunity to create history.

“A lot of the focus has been on how we want to play as a unit. We plan to go out there as a team and play with heart and soul… laying it all on the line,” Swift shared.

Following Friday’s match, the Soca ladies will travel to play Puerto Rico on October 31st.

The Road to the Women’s Gold Cup involves 34 participating teams split into the three leagues – League A, League B and League C.

Trinidad and Tobago are in League A which has the nine top-ranked teams divided into three groups of three. League B consist of 12 teams split into three groups of four teams, while League C has 13 teams in total. In League C, Group A will have three teams, while Group B, Group C and Group D will have three teams each.

In all three leagues, the teams will play each other home and away.

The three group winners from League A will qualify for the 2024 Women’s Gold Cup, while the three second-placed teams from League A, will advance to the playoffs, which will include the three group winners from League B. The League A second-placed teams will play a single-leg playoff match against the League B group winners to determine the final three places in the Gold Cup.

With their preparations marred by financial constraints, Trinidad and Tobago’s senior women’s Head coach Richard Hood is bracing for the daunting task of trying to secure a spot in next year’s Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup. 

Hood and his Soca ladies will begin their hunt for qualification on September 26 away to Mexico, and the performance there is expected to set the tone for the remainder of the busy period.

Aside from the financial woes which has limited their preparations, Hood is also faced with the issue of some senior players being reluctant to represent the twin island republic, which means he will have to rely on his young charges to make the most of the campaign.

“I would say we are in a difficult position. We always knew that we were going to be in a difficult position because there are certain constraints where the TTFA is concerned, financially that is, and we will never get the kind of preparation that we really need in order to excel. But as a staff, we accept that and we will try to do the best we can do with the limited resources available to us,” Hood said in a recent interview with Guardian Media Sports.

“We are going to put our best foot forward, we are going to prepare the team to the best of our abilities, and hopefully on game day, we get the players to come out and execute the plan and we get the results we are hoping for,” he added.

Despite being a mere six weeks into camp, Hood has identified some positives in terms of player quality that he believes can be used to good effect.

“Based on what I have seen so far; we have two maybe three players who can definitely be added to our roster. The problem we always encounter though, is whether the university players would be released from their colleges. We have communicated with the players and most of them, who we are interested in, have indicated that they will be available, so for the most part, we ought to get the players that we want,” he shared.

Trinidad and Tobago are in Group A of League A alongside Mexico and Puerto Rico. After opening on the road, the Soca ladies will host the return leg against the Mexicans on October 27, before visiting Puerto Rico on December 1 and again on December 5, at home.

After group play, the three League A group winners will qualify for the 2024 Women’s Gold Cup Group Stage. The three second-place finishers of the League A groups and the three League B group winners, will advance to the Women’s Gold Cup Preliminaries.

“The encouraging thing for me is that there is some talent that we could work with. There are some players I would have liked to be part of it who, for one reason or the other, will not be part of it, some locally and some foreign-based players as well. But we will work with what we have and do the best with what we have,” Hood ended.

League A Group B comprises Panama and Guatemala with the loser of the Olympic playoff between Jamaica and Canada to join them.

Meanwhile, Group C is made up of Costa Rica, Haiti and St Kitts and Nevis.

Richard Hood is once again the man charged with moving Trinidad and Tobago’s senior women’s football programme forward, as he was recently appointed Head coach for a second time by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA).

Hood was deemed best fit for the post by a selection panel, which had to sieve through 151 applicants.

The selection panel which comprised TTFA’s technical director, Anton Corneal, Jinelle James, director women’s football, former national player Steve David and Ken Butcher, former minister of sport and youth affairs and sport director at UTT, initially narrowed the list to 30 and then to 14, before Hood and two others were interviewed. 

Hood’s duties began with immediate effect, with his backroom staff which will include critical expertise in the area of performance and video analysis, to be named in short order. 

“I would like to thank the NC for having faith in me as well as the interviewing committee for recommending me for the position. I am deeply humbled and appreciative,” Hood told TTFA media.

“Of course, it’s always an honour and privilege to represent Trinidad and Tobago, particularly at the senior level. We have a very challenging passage into the 2024 Gold Cup but it’s not one that’s insurmountable. I am keen to start the process as quickly as possible because we have a very short preparation time before the first assignment in September,” he added.

Hood is no stranger to the position as he once guided T&T to the quarter finals of the Pan American Games in 2011 and Concacaf Olympic Qualifiers in 2016. He also served as head coach of the Under-20 team in 2020, at the Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship, and was assistant coach of the Under-17 team for the 2010 FIFA Women’s Under-17 World Cup when the twin island republic played host.

 “My immediate task is to establish the availability of players and I’ve already made several contacts in that regard. So, I’m looking forward to the challenge ahead and will approach same with tremendous enthusiasm and optimism and god’s willing, we will succeed in our task,” Hood noted.

Technical Director Corneal explained the reason behind Hood’s appointment.

“Mr. Richard Hood demonstrated during his interview and application, the necessary areas of expertise for the position. He also possesses the required experience coaching national women teams and understands the women’s competition in our region,” Corneal shared.

Hood’s first assignment in competition will be qualifiers for the Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup. The qualifying tournament will take place during the Fifa women’s international match windows in September, October, and November, and will include 35 Concacaf nations divided into three leagues. T&T will play in Group A of League A alongside Mexico and Puerto Rico. They will open away to Mexico on September 26, before contesting the return leg on October 27, after which they will visit Puerto Rico on December 1 and again at home on December 5.

After 90 group stage matches, which include home and away play within each league and group, the top finishers in each of the League A groups (three teams) will qualify for the 2024 Women’s Gold Cup Group Stage. Furthermore, the second-place finishers in each of the League A groups (three teams) and the first-place finishers in each of the League B groups (three teams) will advance to the 2024 Gold Cup Preliminary round.