Enrique Russell On Trinidad Qualifier
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Enrique Russell, the Bermuda national team forward, said the island’s players are determined to deliver a strong performance in their final World Cup qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago today [November 18].
Russell hopes to retain his starting berth and lead the line against Trinidad at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain in their sixth and final group B match.
Bermuda sit bottom of the group, which also includes Curaçao and Jamaica – although Russell believes their results do not tell the whole story.
“It was always going to be tough against teams of this calibre,” Russell told Bernews.
“Hopefully, we can learn from these experiences and be here again in a few years.”
Russell, who played in the island’s 7-0 defeat to Curaçao at the Flora Duffy Stadium on Friday, believes there needs to be a portion of realism attached to their results in the final round of the Concacaf qualifiers.
“We’ve been playing some of the best countries in our region,” he said.
“Obviously, losing 7-0 is not good, but there are always some positives to take from it.
“We must be honest with ourselves and know there are technical areas we need to improve, as well as mentally and physically,” Russell said.
“If we keep playing countries like British Virgin Islands and the Bahamas, we win games but don’t know how far we need to go.”
The 25-year-old highlighted the fundamental difference in resources and structure between the competing nations and points to rivals who successfully recruit players with heritage ties from major European leagues.
“You have to remember teams like Jamaica bring in a lot of British players [of Jamaican heritage] and Curaçao bring in players from the Netherlands [of Curaçaoan heritage],” he said.
“It’s allowed their programmes to slowly improve.”
Russell underscored the contrast by mentioning his own status as a part-time player.
“You must remember we’re up against players who are full-time professionals, where I work for an investment company five days a week,” said the striker, who works for First Speciality XS.
The PHC Zebras said the team was unfortunate not to have secured a point in a battling 3-2 away defeat to Curaçao in September, saying that while the results had not gone their way, “the effort and willingness to win is there.”
Russell, who made his international debut in 2021, said he has relished the minutes given to him by coach Michael Findlay during the campaign, acknowledging the depth of competition ahead of him.
“I’ve understandably had to get behind professionals like Nahki Wells and Jonté Smith since joining the senior team, and then Kole Hall came along too,” he said.
“It’s only one position and I’m up against some top quality players. You must be patient and wait your turn.”
Russell, whose middle names are Enrique and Zidane [after Spain’s Luis Enrique and France’s Zinedine Zidane], comes from a family with a long footballing lineage, including his late father Tokia Russell and uncle Antwan Russell.
“There’s an expectation and a lot to live up to being a Russell, but I enjoy the pressure,” added Russell, who has previously played for English non-league teams Cheadle Town, Ilkeston Town and AFC Totten.
“My uncle used to teach me and say, ‘I’m not teaching you to be as good as me, I’m teaching you to be better than me’.
“I had no choice but to play this sport!”
