Trinidad and Tobago’s Under-17 Soca Warriors Head coach, Shawn Cooper, is embracing the challenge of finalizing his squad for the upcoming Concacaf Under-17 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, as it speaks volumes of the quality in his training group.

With his current 40-player pool, featuring a mix of the country’s top local and foreign-based talent from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, Cooper is optimistic about the team’s prospects for the February 7–16 tournament.

Cooper explained that the inclusion of the international players has bolstered the squad as they add depth and quality to the group.

“We have a couple of boys from the US, and they have strengthened the squad a bit. These boys from the US have really added some quality for us, and we’re very excited for the road to this World Cup,” Cooper shared in a recent interview with Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) media.

The squad features standout players such as Inter Miami Academy siblings Chaz (left back) and Levi Williams (goalkeeper), as well as US-based talents Kimani Ford and Quintin John.

Other notable inclusions are Julian Chapman, a standout goalkeeper for the New England Revolution, their former captain Sheridan McNish, Dominic Joseph of Vancouver FC, and Brighton Hove Albion Academy’s towering striker Josiah Kalicharan.

With such a competitive group, Cooper acknowledges that narrowing down the final squad will be a tough task.

 “Kalicharan has some presence in front, holds the ball well, and has a good turn of speed for a big boy,” Cooper noted.

“It will be very difficult (to select a final team) because this pool is a little more competitive than the previous. We are looking and hoping that they gel together in the last couple of weeks before the tournament, and we hope for big things,” he added.

Trinidad and Tobago’s young Soca Warriors are drawn in Group B, alongside Costa Rica, Guyana, the British Virgin Islands (BVI), and St. Maarten.

Only the eight group winners will advance to represent Concacaf at the expanded 2025 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Qatar, which will feature 48 teams.

With that in mind, Cooper highlighted areas where the team needs to improve, particularly in tactical awareness and defensive transitions.

“Our technical aspect of the game is not too bad, but we need to work on our tactical aspect,” he said.

“I need the boys to be a little more concentrated on when we lose the ball in that defensive transition for us to organize properly. It’s very quick in Concacaf, and we need to concentrate a little more and organize a little faster,” Cooper added.

Despite the challenges of foreign-based players returning to their respective clubs, leaving him to work only with the local group, Cooper is encouraged by the progress the team has made so far.

The final squad is expected to be confirmed in late January.

“Their growth is tremendous. That is one of the areas that we are improving in terms of keeping possession of the ball. The spacing has to work out a little better, but some of the boys are more technically prepared from that (Under-17) programme we have going on here,” Cooper ended.