The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Less than a week remains before the Bahamas hosts several regional powerhouses in the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Associaion (CONCACAF) qualifier for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2013, and one tournament favourite is already in the capital beginning their tournament preparation.

Roman Raya, head coach of Mexico’s national team, said his side is ready to continue the recent success the country has had in beach soccer.

“The beaches and the water here are very beautiful. We have beautiful beaches in Mexico but your beaches are amazing. The team is all here, we decided to come a week early. That is how we do it every time to get in the mood to play. We are practicing and working hard twice every day. We are the champions and we have been in three World Cups so we have to work to maintain that legacy,” he said.

“I have been in beach soccer since 2006 and from that time to now the sport has evolved a lot, talking about tactics and strategy. In the beginning of this sport people thought it was going to be just a sport for former players, retiring and having fun on the beach. Now you have to run the whole 36 minutes. So it is a very difficult sport. It’s a very exciting sport and of course the goalkeeper is a very specific position for this sport. So you have to be concentrating on what is happening on the beach. You can be scored on twice or three times in one minute. We played against the United States, we were beating them with four minutes on the clock for three goals and in that time, they scored six goals. So it’s an amazing sport and you have to be focused.”

Despite their recent success, finishing as high as second in the 2007 Beach Soccer World Cup to Mexico, the sport is finding a difficult time gaining traction with the focus on soccer.

“In Mexico, unfortunately it is not gaining momentum. We were CONCACAF champions the first time we went to the World Cup in 2007, that was a big surprise and a big success for us and then when we returned we got some support but we don’t have leagues and tournaments like the Bahamas,” he said. “That’s a good thing with countries like this. Maybe in regular soccer and grass soccer it is going to be tough in the World Cup but in a place like this you can make it and you can do a lot of good things and make it grow. “

As for Team Bahamas, they are currently competing in the BSWW Riviera Maya Cup in Cancun, Mexico, a tune-up for next week’s qualifier.

The Bahamas is in Group A for the May 8-12 tournament to be held at the Beach Soccer Complex at the foot of the Sir Sidney Poitier Bridge.

In the official draw, which was held Tuesday in the Poseidon Room at Atlantis, the Bahamas was joined in their group by the United States, Guatemala and Puerto Rico.

Group B will be headed by Mexico, the top ranked team in the tournament. Also drawn to play in their group are Canada, Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana. Group C will comprise of El Salvador, Costa Rica and Jamaica.

Bahamas Football Association secretary Fred Lunn said he expects the Bahamas to produce a new cross section of fans to the sport as the national team prepares to host their toughest test yet.

“At the opening in November we had close to 1,000 people at that match and many of those people who have never seen a beach soccer before and we hope we get more people like that to come out this time. It is a spectator sport, we have a lot of giveaways as well,” he said. “The Bahamian team is going to have one of the toughest schedules I have ever seen a team play. This week in the BSWW Riviera Maya Cup they have Mexico on Friday, Brazil on Saturday and then Spain. They fly back to the Bahamas on the 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.”

For the tournament, a specially designed ball depicting the colours of the Bahamian national flag will be used.

According to Josep Ponset, the head of competitions for Beach Soccer Worldwide, there are expected to be a large number of media personnel and television stations that will be in town to cover the event. He noted that the tournament is expected to be broadcasted live and in delayed broadcast in more than 100 countries in the Middle East, Europe and Central America.