By TENAJH SWEETING
Tribune Sports Reporter
THE “Junkanoo Boyz” were just one win away from advancing to the 2023 FIFA Beach World Cup at the 2023 Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Beach Soccer Championship hosted at home.
The team wrapped up the competition in fourth place, which was their best finish in eight tournament appearances.
The biennial tournament is returning to the Bahamas March 11-16 for the fourth time in history and the home team is looking to take this opportunity to qualify for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Seychelles 2025.
Team head coach Francis Farberoff has conducted rigorous training sessions with a group of 18 players the last few weeks and is looking forward to seeing the team’s progress against Tahiti in upcoming scrimmage games this week.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for us to reach our goal which is to qualify for the World Cup in Seychelles but first we have some games coming up against Tahiti this week so we are looking forward to that. Right now we are working with 18 players and from that we are going to cut it down to 12 that will represent the country,” he said.
The Tahiti national beach soccer team, also known as the Tiki Toa (Warrior Gods), will certainly help the host team to make progress in their training.
The ‘Warrior Gods’ have achieved eight Beach Soccer World Cup appearances and were the runners-up in 2015 and 2017.
Coach Farberoff expects the ‘Junkanoo Boyz’ to raise their level of play after this week’s scrimmage games against Tahiti. “I think it is going to be great because the guys have been scrimmaging against each other for the past month so now playing against another team, referees and seeing a different jersey I think it will be exciting and also is gonna bring the level up. It will test us to see where we are at and what we need to adjust in preparation for the competition,” he said.
The Bahamas’ national beach soccer team trains five days a week in preparation to go all the way at next month’s CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship.
Last time around, the team came up short against Mexico 3-2 in the semifinals to finish fourth at home.
National team member Kyle Williams said he is confident that the home team has a great chance to punch their tickets to Victoria, Seychelles.
“It is building on what we have done the past 10 years. We built up to the point in the last qualifiers where we actually made it to the semifinals, the furthest that we have ever made it. We have a lot of the core guys back this time and a lot of new guys a part of it so it is gonna be amazing. We are ready and excited. We are playing at home again so that is always a boost to have our fans here cheering and supporting us through it. We have a good shot and we are preparing to make sure that we make the best of this opportunity,” he said.
Williams is looking forward to battling it out on the sand against Tahiti at the Malcolm Beach Park Soccer Facility in hopes of improving their play ahead of the regional beach soccer competition.
“Tahiti is a great country. They are kind of a small nation just like us so it is a great measuring stick to see where we are. They have been to the World Cup and done very well — top three team in the world and we are happy to have them here for a week-long training camp…They are a high level team so they are going to be able to raise our level so we know what to prepare for on this journey to the World Cup,” he said.
The 2025 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship will feature eight teams in the region battling not only for a title but one of the two available spots for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Seychelles 2025.
Participating nations include the host The Bahamas, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago and the United States of America (USA).
Competition kicks off with the group stage from March 11-13. This stage will be followed by the knockout stage on March 15. The semifinals, third place match and final will be played on March 16.
The Bahamas will open the competition against Panama on Tuesday, March 11 at 8pm.
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Publish date : 2025-02-19 09:28:00
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