The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

WHEN the Bahamas Football Association spearheaded the construction of the new beach soccer facility at the foot of the Sir Sidney Poitier Bridge, it was with the intention of the Bahamas being more than just hosts, but also regional contenders in the sport.

The Bahamas is the host of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2013 CONCACAF qualifier, and national team members appear ready to take on the region’s best when the tournament kicks off on Wednesday.

Christopher Davis, starting goalkeeper for the Bahamas, said that the team has worked diligently in preparation for this big event.

“We have been training really, really hard. A lot of sacrifices have been made, a lot of 5am practices. We are just training to have our best performance possible for the tournament. I am the goalkeeper, so my training is a bit different than my teammates. In beach soccer the goalkeeper is like a quarterback, if you do not have a good goalkeeper it’s almost impossible for the team to be great,” he said. “You have to sacrifice your body a lot for the game. It’s a physically taxing game, running, screaming, jumping, bicycling, kicking, heading and tackling – all in a short time span. It’s a ‘beast mode’ sport, you need a lot of testicular fortitude. A lot of people say they don’t like to watch soccer because they consider it to be boring, but not beach soccer. It is the opposite. There is a lot of scoring.”

Defender and forward Eren Hanna said he is looking forward to the support from the Bahamian people when they play on their home turf.

“You will be seeing a lot of me moving up and down the field, so look forward to an exciting game. We are hoping our fans and the Bahamian people come out and support us. We want you guys out there,” he said. “I have been playing soccer for about 15 years now and I have been on the past three beach soccer teams. We are really excited to host this game here and bring this one home. We are looking to go to Tahiti in September for the World Cup, that is really our goal, we want to compete well and represent our country well, definitely place in the top two, so we can qualify for Tahiti.”

Fred Lunn, general secretary of the Bahamas Football Association, said the Bahamas faces a tough road ahead. In preparation for the CONCACAF beach soccer qualifier, the national team is currently competing in the Beach Soccer Worldwide Riviera Maya Cup in Cancun, Mexico.

“Right now, the Bahamas, we are in the group with the United States, Guatemala and Puerto Rico. We have played Guatemala and the US in the past. We had great matches against them, so we pretty much know their style, so we know what we have to do. Puerto Rico is going to be the surprise, because we don’t know much about them. It’s their first time coming to the event. It might be the same like when the Bahamas went to Mexico and we scored the first goal on the US in the first five seconds. Folks don’t know what to expect. We remember that lesson and we talked about it and the guys are going to be prepared,” he said.

“As part of their preparation, they actually faced the best team in the world, Brazil. They will be playing against Spain, which is again one of the best teams in Europe and also playing against Mexico in the Riviera Maya Cup. This is an invitation tournament so I am very proud of these guys, the association is proud of them, the teams are proud of them. What they have done in the past few years just to be in a position to be invited as a small nation to play a very big nation in the world is incredible.”

Lunn said although the team faces some stiff competition, the support of the Bahamian people can make all the difference in the team’s performance.

“The Bahamian team is going to have one of the toughest schedules I have ever seen a team play. They had Mexico on Friday, Brazil on Saturday and then Spain. They fly back to the Bahamas on Monday, then they have a rest on Tuesday, then they open Puerto Rico on Wednesday, Guatemala on Thursday and USA on Friday. They are mentally and physically prepared. Mexico, Canada, Trinidad, Guyana are here for the first time. The Caribbean nations are getting more involved in beach soccer. We call this group ‘the group of death’ – El Salvador, Costa Rica and Jamaica. That is going to be a tough group to compete in. It is going to be a very competitive tournament and a lot of action starting next Wednesday (until the following Sunday), from noon until 5pm everyday,” he said.

Calling all Bahamian fans

“It’s a free event. Games will kick off at 12pm and the Bahamas plays at 3.45pm every day. Bring your flags, bring your cowbells, come make noise. Let them know the Bahamas is the team to beat. This is a spectacle where music is being played the entire time the event is going on, this is really a beach festival where soccer is being played and is played at a very high level of football,” Lunn said.

At the opening of the facility in November, the BFA hosted close to 1,000 people at an exhibition match against Jamaica. BFA executives said that match introduced people who had never seen a beach soccer game before to the sport and they look forward to even more new fans coming out for this tournament.

Joining the Bahamas in Group A are the US, Guatemala and Puerto Rico. In addition to Mexico in Group B are Canada, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. El Salvador will have Costa Rica and Jamaica in Group C. All of the teams will play a round robin tournament within their group.

Each winner will advance to the semifinals, while the other teams will play for the remaining spots for a ranking from fifth to 11th place.

The final two finishers will play for the title and eventually advance to the World Cup. A total of 25 games are expected to be played before the tournament is completed.

A specially designed ball depicting the colours of the Bahamian national flag will be used during the tournament.

Josep Ponset, the head of competitions for Beach Soccer Worldwide, said a large number of international media organisations are expected to be in town to cover the event.

He added that the tournament is scheduled to be broadcast live and in delayed broadcast in more than 100 countries in the Middle East, Europe and Central America.