'Yaya' ready to lead from the front

Expect skipper Kennya "Yaya" Cordner to lead from the front when the Trinidad and Tobago women's football team play El Salvador from 6 pm today at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo in a must-win Concacaf W Qualifier. 

At 37, Cordner is still a big part of the TT women's setup, and is expected to lead the line for coach Damian Briggs' team as they hunt the victory which will take them to the Concacaf W Championship. With El Salvador leading group F of the Concacaf W Qualifiers on six points, anything less than a win for the second-placed TT (four points) will spell the end of their 2027 Fifa Women's World Cup qualifying run. 

Speaking to media personality Whitney Husbands earlier this week during the team's residential camp, Cordner touched on the importance of her role as team leader. 

"As the captain, I have to lead from the front because I'm no stranger to the game. I am worldwide and international, so I have to lead as the captain that I am for the younger ones, because they are the future," Cordner said. 

Trinidad and Tobago women's football team coach Damian Briggs and team captain Kennya "Yaya" Cordner at yesterday's media briefing at Radisson Hotel in Port of Spain. Photos courtesy TTFA

"(The players) have to stamp their name and authority because we have to show (the) TT (public) that women could still play the football and we could still have a chance to qualify for the World Cup," Cordner said, of the intensity that will be needed for the El Salvador match. 

Though approaching 40, Cordner said she still has a lot left in the tank to produce at this level and has a burning desire to help her country get a step closer to next year's World Cup in Brazil. 

"Sometimes people feel your age is too big of a number for you to continue the game. Age is just a number," the Speyside-born forward said. "I'm 37, and I'll be 38 in November. I may not run like the 18, 16 and 24 year olds, but I can still run as much as 70-plus minutes in a football game because once you're mentally in it and you mentally want something...you will go after it." 

She said the residential camp was integral to building team chemistry off the field, and it also gave her a chance to rub shoulders with the younger players whom she expects to take up the mantle once she and other experienced heads call it a day. 

Gates for today's clash will open from 4 pm, while tickets will be on sale at the venue from 3 pm. Regular uncovered tickets are priced at $60, while two-for-one uncovered tickets are priced at $100. Covered tickets are priced at $120. 

Members of the Trinidad and Tobago women's football team go through their paces on the eve of their Concacaf W Qualifier with El Salvador.