Fortune eager to bring luck to T&T

United States-born midfielder Dre Fortune wore a Soca Warriors shirt proudly at age ten as he cheered on this country’s senior footballers at the 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany. He was accompanied by his dad Andre Fortune at T&T’s three matches. Tomorrow the 16-year-old will be among the players making their debut for this country as they begin their quest for 2013 U-17 World Cup qualification against British Virgin Islands at the Hasely Crawford Stadium from 7 pm. Suriname tackles Guyana in the earlier match from 5 pm. Fortune has experience on his side, having trained with the United States Under-15 squad and he was also part of the US U-15 Academy League. At age eleven, he spent two weeks at Barcelona’s Academy after being spotted by Steve Archibald. He was also invited to train at the Manchester City Academy last August during which time he suffered a broken leg. Fortune has one main focus this week. “I’m here to help Trinidad and Tobago get through to the CONCACAF qualifying round for the Under-17 World Cup,” Fortune told TTFF Media.

 

 

“It’s been a real pleasure for me to be here. Even from when I was a lot younger, my dad and my family taught me a lot about the Trinidad culture. I grew up on it. I supported the national team all along and now I’m very proud to be part of the national team. The guys on this team are like family and I think we’re going to do well,” he added. Fortune, who has T&T parentage, received his passport in 2007 and is eager to wear the red, white and black strip. “This is my dream and I think I speak for all my teammates, to be able to wear the national uniform. We want to represent well and we want to be winners,” he said. Head coach Shawn Cooper will have a final session at 7 am at the Hasely Crawford Stadium today. Manager Christopher Gouveia explained the early morning session is being held because there is another event at the venue later in the day. “We’ll train early in the morning and then the boys will have the rest of the day to rest the legs and focus on the opening game. It’s the first international match for a lot of the players so it’s a crucial time for them. They’ve worked really hard waiting on this day,” Gouveia said.