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They made Belize proud, and played their hearts out at this year's 2024 CONCACAF Nations League games in Turks and Caicos, emerging with their second win in the tournament. p> But the Belize Jaguars male senior team returned home looking ahead to what they can win next. I was at the airport:

After ten days in Turks and Caicos, the Belize senior men's national football team, a contingent of 32, 23 of them players dominated against Turks and Caicos and Anguilla in this year's 2024 CONCACAF National League. The head coach of the team says, though they only had less than a month to prepare, he was impressed with the team's performance.

Carlos Slusher, Head Coach,Belize National Senior Men's Team
"When we were participating in the CONCACAF Nations League for 2024, we were in Turks and Caicos Islands playing a basically like a little triangle with Turks and Caicos. The first game that we won, four nil and we played against Anguilla. The second game we won one nill. So we won both of our two games, which is, you know, something great for us."

"I have to be impressed in the context of the amount of time we had to to train, as well as the knowing that maybe there was only one starting eleven from the from the former national team. So this is a this was a new, new group and within a period of three weeks we had with a new group."

"And the way we perform, I as a coach have to be satisfied. But I know that at the same time we have a lot of work to do so that we can become better."

And now that they are back in the country, they only have a few more weeks to bring the heat again. When Anguilla and Turks and Caicos arrive in October for the return match, Slusher says he is confident they will prevail again.

Carlos Slusher, Head Coach,Belize National Senior Men's Team
"We actually will play against the same two teams here in Belize on the 9th of October, on the 15 October in Belgium open at 8:00. So we're we're hoping the entire country will come out and support us and see what we can do because again, we want to win the next two games. And this will entitle us to move from Group C and basically graduate into Group B, which is which is a higher level, which is always a pleasure to see the team improving."

"And that's again, that is our aim. Like I said, we set out on a mission to get to the next Gold Cup and we are going in the right direction. Getting out of Group C into B is always is a step forward into achieving our ultimate mission."

We also spoke with some of the top players today about their experience in this year's league and it seems that they all share the same goal to move from Group C to group B in the ranks.

Jordi Polanco, Mid Fielder, Belize National Team
"I think the training, the trainings were good, kind of intense, but I think we are in good shape or we were in good shape here for these games. We have two more weeks to prepare, say for the next two matches, but we will be in good shape. I mean, the coaches had a plan and we execute very well."

Reporter:
"I understand you scored some of the main goals, how does that make you feel?"

Jordi Polanco, Mid Fielder, Belize National Team
"Well, personally, of course, it's a great feeling to score a goal for the Belize national team, so I felt very, very good. But this is a is a team work. So I want to congratulate the team also for the effort."

Charles Tillett, Goalkeeper, Belize National Team
"Well, it was a good experience, I think, yes we are in league C but. I think it's a new process for a lot of young players to get the chance to represent Belize. It's the opportunity to showcase that they're capable of doing the job. The training was very intense, we trained three days a week for three weeks, and it were very intense with our new coach."

"So I think the group was very focused on we just had to go and execute the job."

Michael Palacio, Striker, Belize National Team
"It's nothing new to me. I mean, this is not my first international game. I've done this more than once. I've come to the national team from 15 to 17, the 18 that I went to, the A national team and all that’s how I progressed from there. So personally, for me, I was preparing well for myself and also with my club team, you know, And when we went to the national team it’s just to build that chemistry with each other so that we can prepare ourselves for there."

"And we bring the victory."

The team has two home matches in October.