International play gets underway for the University of The Bahamas Mingoes' men's soccer team on Thursday, August 15 and they have put in the final touches as they look forward to a successful trip.
The team is set to open international play with a match against Ave University Gyrenes on Thursday in Naples, Florida at 7 p.m. They will then clash with the United International College Eagle Rays on Saturday, August 17 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 10 a.m.
Head coach for the team, Alex Thompson said that they were able to retain a lot of the players returned and the squad is coming together.
"Leading up to the trip we have been working on tactical and technical sessions. Some of the players have been traveling over the past few weeks and everyone is here now except for one. It has been a big help and to have everyone reading out of the same book," Thompson said.
Making his return to the team this year is captain and central defender, Marlon Barnes who is feeling ready to get to work on the field.
"It is an amazing feeling to be back," Barnes said. "I'm coming off an injury and I feel great. The team has been looking great and we are ready. All we have to do now is go on the field and execute."
As expected, a few players have graduated but Thompson said that the team has some new talent.
"We lost a few players including one of our captains, Oakland Duncan and three or four other players who graduated," Thompson stated. "We lost a few players to academic reasons who were going to be key contributors. We brought in quite a few freshmen with talent that we are excited about."
The Mingoes took care of the Eagle Rays last international tour in 2023 with a 3-1 victory. They will look to get the same result on Saturday.
"Seventy percent of the squad is returning and has tasted victory and defeat over there. That 70 percent understands what is necessary to pull off a win. We are battle-tested and we have our captains in place to lead the team. Our key players are firing on all cylinders and we are looking good," Thompson said.
Barnes said that they are looking at improving in areas that they fell short on last season. Those areas include defending in the final third and their discipline on the field. He knows that is a work in progress and they will build on it.