Cuba’s Technical Director, Raul Gonazalez Triana, gives an insight into the team’s preparations for DCC
Wednesday, October 22 – Havana, Cuba: Cuba, also known as ‘The Lions of the Caribbean’, is confident about their success in the 2008 Digicel Caribbean Championships (DCC), despite defeats over the past year. Since being knocked out of the qualifying rounds for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Cuba’s three matches this week against the Netherland Antilles, Barbados and Suriname to qualify for the DCC Finals, are now its number one priority.
Technical Director of the Cuban National Team, Raul Gonzalez Triana, explains, “Our matches against the Netherland Antilles, Barbados and Suriname here in Havana for the Digicel Championships are extremely important. The team has to improve – mainly in the psychological aspect. I don’t blame the players for the bad results of the team, I blame the technical body. Now, we must assume the responsibility of guiding them in the preliminary rounds toward the Gold Cup and the Digicel Caribbean Championships. I believe that the time is short, but it is now in our hands and we will have to go into these games with the same force that we used when we defeated Guatemala 2-1 last week.”
Raul Gonzalez Triana has recently taken the reigns as Technical Director replacing German Reinhold Franz who will now act as an advisor to the team. Triana goes on further. “We want to incorporate five additional players for DCC matches. In fact, we will incorporate a goal keeper from City of the Havana and two players that were in the Cuba Olympic Selection Team.”
Triana also confirmed some of his star players for the DCC, “Odelín Molina, Yenier Márquez, Silvio Pedro and Kanier Dranguet will all play. In the midfield it will be Lázaro Alfonso Prats, Jaime Colomé, Hensy Muñoz and Alain Cervantes. Playing foward will be Leonel Duarte and Roberto Linares.”
The second phase of Stage Two of the Digicel Caribbean Championships will run for three days and begins on Thursday, October 23, at the Pedro Marrero Stadium in Havana, Cuba.
DCC Group G Fixtures
Pedro Marrero Stadium, Havana, Cuba
October 23 – 27
Thursday Oct 23:
3PM – Barbados vs. Suriname
5PM – Cuba vs. Netherland Antilles
Saturday Oct 25:
3PM – Suriname vs. Netherland Antilles