Despite not making it to the finals, Cayman’s national team finished strong in the 2024 CONCACAF Girls’ U15 Championship in Trinidad, which runs through 11 Aug.
While not quite working out according to the coach’s plan, the team gained additional international experience.
Cayman faced off against Dominican Republic on Monday, at Port of Spain’s Larry Gomes Stadium in Group F and despite their efforts, they lost 2-0.
Cayman played Bermuda the following day, and lost again by the same score.
But the team finished strong with a 3-2 victory against Suriname on Thursday.
Prior to the games kicking off, coach Alexander Gonzalez pointed to the Cayman players’ collective international experience, noting that his “expectations for this tournament are really, really high”.
“We’ve been working with this group for about three years,” Gonzalez said. “We participated last year in the Under-14 girls’ tournament, in Antigua. This year, we participated in a Puerto Rico tournament, and around 60% of the girls have about eight to 10 international games.”
This year’s CONCACAF U15 competition features a record 34 CONCACAF Member Associations, which are divided into three leagues.
“For the first time we’re competing in [League B],” Gonzalez said. “We play against teams with good levels. It’s a good experience for them because… next year is our big goal (Girls’ U-17 World Cup qualifiers).
“It’s important because next we’re playing against … top teams and this tournament is very, very important for us.”
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