Clemente Reynoso has been directly linked to Cuban futsal for two decades, although he has also worked with soccer teams. He is the man charged with the task of successfully leading the Cuban team to its fifth Futsal World Cup.
Such a task is difficult, considering the high standard of many of the teams from the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) area, but is not impossible for the Cuban players. First, the national team faces the Caribbean Football Union's (CFU) Qualifying Tournament to be held in Havana later this month, for which two spots will be up for grabs for the CONCACAF Futsal Championship to be held in Costa Rica this May. The CONCACAF competition will see at least two tickets* awarded to the 2016 Futsal World Cup in Colombia, in September.
Clemente Reynoso spoke with Granma International in regards to the training programme in the lead up to the Havana tournament, which will be held in the Kid Chocolate Multipurpose Arena.
How do you view the Cuban team as they approach this qualifier for the Costa Rica championship?
Physically they have trained well, and we have been perfecting tactics and set-plays over the course of the warm-up matches we’ve played. Since September, the pre-selection team has been training at the Cerro Pelado High Performance Athletes' Training School, which has allowed us to win in the collective game.
What concerns me most is that the squad goes out onto the field under pressure, keep in mind that we are the hosts of the tournament and the top seeds. The public watching at the Kid Chocolate is very knowledgeable about futsal. The boys know they have to create the set-plays they have been practicing without any fear.
To address this issue, we have worked with them on the psychological side, so that they maintain concentration during the game. We respect the opponents we face, but our team has to go out and do its job, which is to score goals in the first minutes of each match, so as to control the game at the pace we want and avoid any surprises from our rivals.
Do you have the starting lineup decided?
Yes, a few days ago, the coaching collective and I settled on it, but it could be that any one on the first team changes, in any of the three matches in Group B, where Cuba is grouped with Jamaica, St Martin and Guadeloupe. The definites are goalkeeper Brenneth Suárez, Ronald Egozcue as a winger, while Fernando Chapman will act as wing-pivot and Yhonnet Stalin Martínez will serve as pivot. In the wing-defender position I have two or three men, but of them, whoever adjusts best to the opponent we face will start the game.
Have you thought about retirement?
So far I have not thought about leaving the coaches’ bench. I am focused on qualifying for the World Cup in Colombia. Here I am, I have always tried to offer all my knowledge to our football. I have the satisfaction of working with a good group of coaches, many of whom were students of mine in their time as players. They are the replacements.
Are there possibilities for Cuban players to join foreign futsal clubs?
So far, no player has been signed. When we participated in the tour of Peru, in November, to prepare for the tournament in Havana, several coaches approached us and showed interest in two of our men, but nothing more happened. Sometimes scouts need to follow athletes to get a better idea of their potential, so I think if we secure our place in Havana, the world qualifier in Costa Rica will open up these opportunities for any of the players to join clubs in the CONCACAF area or South America.
*At press time it was unknown whether the qualifier in Costa Rica would award two or more tickets to the 2016 Futsal World Cup in Colombia.
