Black Starlets coach Laryea Kingston says the top priority of the technical team is to qualify for the TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.
The FIFA U-17 World Cup silver medalist, who took over from Karim Zito last year, is set for his first major competition as head coach, having led the team to three invitational tournaments in Serbia, Saudi Arabia, and Russia.
“The WAFU tournament is important to me and the entire nation because since 2017 we have not qualified for that major tournament, and for us as a technical team, that’s our topmost priority since we were appointed,” Laryea Kingston told ghanafa.org.
The Black Starlets recently played in a four-nation tournament in Volgograd where they lost to host Russia and defeated Serbia and Kazakhstan.
“We were very careful in selecting players because of the style the GFA (DNA) ‘Agoro style’ has put up, which is the major signature that is motivating us as a technical team.”
“The technical team wants to dominate play, we want to have transitions in our play, but we don’t want to forget the GFA DNA and adding the philosophy of the technical team, it is working perfectly for the team.”
The former Accra Hearts of Oak and Great Olympics attacker also talked about his experience and that of the boys in the recently ended UEFA U-16 Invitational tournament in Russia.
“The journey has been tedious but experience-wise it’s worth it, especially with the boys, our takeaway has been very positive.”
“We had our first loss against Russia since the technical team took over, our first loss in so many games. For us, it was very shocking, and for the boys as well, but for me, I think our next game against Serbia, they learned from their mistakes and came out playing very well.”
“We met a different style of play in the first edition that we featured in Serbia. It was more of Western Europeans participating, and this time around it was more of Eastern Europeans, so for me, it was a very good experience as a coach to understand every part of the world, the way they play, and the mindset of the coaches,” he added.
Laryea Kingston’s side scored 11 goals and conceded 5 during the recently ended Invitational tournament in Russia.
The Black Starlets will kick off their WAFU Zone B campaign against Cote D’Ivoire at the University of Ghana Stadium on Wednesday, May 15, 2024.
Ghana is paired with Cote D’Ivoire and Benin in Group A. The WAFU Zone B U-17 Cup of Nations is scheduled for Accra from May 15-28, 2024.
