The Bahamas will play its first match of the 2017 FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) Beach Soccer World Cup against Switzerland, and is drawn into a group with the Swiss, Senegal and Ecuador.
Going into the official draw inside the Atlantis Theatre at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island last night, Team Bahamas Captain Gavin Christie said that at this level, every match is tough, and there is no favorable group. In the Beach Soccer Worldwide Rankings, The Bahamas is the lowest ranked team in the group, and it's an uphill battle from here on in. The FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Bahamas 2017 is just eight weeks away, set for April 27 to May 7, at the Malcolm Park Beach Soccer Facility here in Nassau, The Bahamas.
"We're excited to play. The interesting thing is that you have three totally different teams with three totally different styles of play. It means that we have to be very meticulous about our preparation moving forward," said Christie.
In the Swiss, The Bahamas will face off against a very familiar opponent. They spent two months in Switzerland, training with and playing against, their national squad in exhibition games last summer. Now, they will face them in a match that actually means something. The Bahamas, ranked number 44 in the world, will play the No. 6 ranked Switzerland team in the featured match on the opening day of the beach soccer world cup. That match is set for 8 p.m. on Thursday April 27. Two nights later, The Bahamas will play Senegal in the featured match, at 8 p.m., and they will end group play against Ecuador at 8 p.m. on Monday, May 1. Only the top two teams from each group will advance to the quarter-finals.
"I'm very happy to play the first match against The Bahamas because it's the first match of this world cup, and it's against the host team in such a fantastic country," said Switzerland Head Coach Angelo Schirinzi, who actually spent a portion of last year training and coaching Team Bahamas. "We know this team very well - we are very good friends. It's a great honor for us to play in this spectacular stadium against them.
"The Bahamas has improved a lot and they have a number of outstanding players. Lesley St. Fleur and Kyle Williams are very good. Their captain Gavin Christie is a good leader. The federation is obviously doing a great job with them and for the development of the sport in The Bahamas, and not only with the team, but the stadium as well. It is a great stadium, and this is a milestone in beach soccer. The Bahamas is doing great work.
"When you look at the other teams in our group, Ecuador is surprising, and Senegal is strong from Africa so it is not an easy group, but anything is possible."
No. 6 Switzerland finished second in the beach soccer world cup qualifier for the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) region behind Poland. Senegal won the CAF (Confederation of African Football) qualifier, and Ecuador finished third in the CONMEBOL (South American Football Confederation) qualifier behind Brazil and Paraguay. Those four countries make up Group A. Group B will include Nigeria, Italy, the top qualifier from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Mexico; Group C will be made up of the second qualifier from the AFC, Paraguay, Portugal and Panama; and Group D will include four-time beach soccer world cup champions Brazil, Tahiti, the second qualifier from the AFC, and the UEFA top qualifier Poland. The AFC Beach Soccer Championship, the final qualifier for the beach soccer world cup, will take place from March 4-11, in Malaysia.
"We want all the fans to come out and support us, just like they did in the last tournament - just come out and put on your colors and get behind Team Bahamas," said Christie after the official draw last night. "We know the Swiss team very well. We played against and trained with them. That's a very strong team, and very technical. It should be an amazing opening match for us. We know that Senegal and Ecuador will be strong as well."
Senegal General Manager Ibrahima Ndiaye Chita, in town for the official draw, said that he is certain that his squad is looking forward to the challenge.
"It is a very balanced group," he said through an interpreter. "We have respect for every team that we will play against. We played Switzerland at the world cup before. We know how strong they are, so we know that it will be a tough game. They have our full respect. We saw The Bahamas play the U.S. the other day, and we took some notes of course. We also saw some of the games with Ecuador during their qualifier, so we have a pretty good idea of what to expect. When you look at it, we played Portugal in Portugal, we played against Italy in Italy, and we had very good results, so we know how to play against a host team in their country. We will be ready."
In preparation for this beach soccer world cup experience, Team Bahamas spent months in Europe last summer, playing against some of the top nations in the world. The played Switzerland in Switzerland, Estonia in Estonia, and Italy in Italy. They also beat the United States in Switzerland. Following that, the team traveled to Argentina for three exhibition games against Argentina, Mexico and Paraguay. In addition, the host country got in a lot of work at the recently concluded CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) Beach Soccer Championship in The Bahamas, where they finished with a 4-2 win/loss record.
The FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Bahamas 2017 will be the first FIFA global sporting event to be held in the Caribbean. It will be the longest continuous global sporting event ever held in The Bahamas, and is expected to increase the popularity of the sport here at home and in the Caribbean region. It is already one of the fastest growing sports in the world.
Prime Minister Perry Christie brought the welcoming remarks at the official draw last night, and the official song of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Bahamas 2017 - 'Pure Good Vibes' - was released. It was sung and performed by Grammy Award-winning artist Bahamian Rick Carey.

After making his debut for Gremio in 1994, Brazil's Emerson certainly stretched his legs around some of football's finest institutions. Joining Bayer Leverkusen three years later, he start what was to be a glittering career in Europe. He would go on to collect Serie A titles in Italy with Roma and Juventus, win the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2007 with AC Milan and taste La Liga glory with Real Madrid.

The former midfielder was also a major presence on the international stage, representing the Auriverdes for almost 20 years and claiming a runners-up medal at the 1998 FIFA World Cup France™ and the FIFA Confederations Cup 1999.

Time never stands still, though, and after hanging up his boots, the 40-year-old remains involved in football and is currently serving as a FIFA Legend. It is in this capacity that he made the trip to the Bahamas for the Official Draw for the 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. As you would expect, he also took advantage of his time there to sample the sand for himself. FIFA.com spoke exclusively to him about the competition, which will take place in Nassau from 27 April to 7 May, and his new role.

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FIFA.com

Behind a historic effort from sophomore Joanna Evans, the Texas women's swimming and diving team dominated the competition this past weekend to win the Big 12 Championship for the second year in a row. Evans and the University of Texas Longhorns hosted the meet at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center in Austin, Texas.
The Longhorns women won all 21 events contested to earn 991 points, finishing ahead of second place Kansas, which had 683.5 points.
On Saturday, Evans
captured her third Big 12 title, winning the women's 1,650 freestyle for the second year in a row. She touched the wall in 16:05.11, more than eight seconds faster than her time last year. Emma Skelly from West Virginia was second in 16:23.44; she was followed by Keely Soellner from Iowa State University in 16:26.59.
On Friday, Evans won her second Big 12 title of the meet, taking the 200 freestyle in 1:44.41. Her Texas teammates Quinn Carrozza and Nora McCullagh were second and third in times of 1:46.11 and 1:47.11, respectively.
On Thursday night, Evans smashed a 25-year-old school record in the 500 free. She emerged victorious in 4:36.97. The previous school mark was 4:37.73, set by Olympian Erika Hansen at the 1992 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships. Evans' time also surpassed the Big 12 mark of 4:37.81, which was set by Texas A&M's Cammile Adams at the 2011 Big 12 Championships.
Fellow Texas swimmers Lauren Case and Quinn Carrozza finished second and third behind Evans in the 500 free, in times of 4:40.09 and 4:45.97, respectively.
Evans, who has scored wins in the 500 free and the 1,000 free at almost every dual meet that the Longhorns competed in this season, is one of the main reasons Texas women's swimming and diving team is ranked No. 5 nationally.
Earlier this month, Evans was named the Big 12 Conference Swimmer of the Week. She achieved that honor for the week of February 1-7.
With the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships right around the corner, the Texas women's team will look to bounce back from a tough finish last year. After spending the majority of the year ranked in the top five, the women's team finished the NCAA Championships in 15th place with 79 points.
At last year's championships, Evans finished 34th in the 200 freestyle, 19th in the 1,650 freestyle and 17th in the 500 freestyle.

The Bahamas beat the United States last summer in an exhibition match, but the latter got them when it mattered the most - for fifth place in the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) Beach Soccer Championships.
The event came to a close at the Malcolm Park Beach Soccer Facility at the foot of the Sidney Poitier Bridge last night, with Panama doubling up Mexico in the championship game, 4-2. The U.S. handled The Bahamas by the same score in the fifth place game.
The country's top goal scorer Lesley St. Fleur, who finished tied with Mexico's Ramon Maldonado for the 'Golden Boot' award, given to the tournament's top goal scorer, said that it was a learning experience for them. Both St. Fleur and Maldonado scored 11 goals in the week-long tournament.
"Overall, it was a great tournament for us, and it was fun to be here," said St. Fleur. "We still have a lot of work to do. We have to get back to the drawing board and correct the mistakes that we made in this tournament, but overall we had a lot of fun and we enjoyed it."
The FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) Beach Soccer World Cup is set for April 27 to May 7, at the same venue. The Bahamas qualifies as the host nation and Panama and Mexico move on as the two finalists from the CONCACAF Championships. For The Bahamas, it's right back to practice on Wednesday, one day after the official world cup draw at the Atlantis Resort.
"This was a very important tournament for us, but this is just the beginning," said Team Bahamas' Head Coach Alexandre Soares. "Now, we could look at the video, fix the negative things that we did wrong, and get back to work. We need to improve in the physical aspect. We have to train more, work hard every day. That is the only way that you are going to get better."
In the match, the United States struck first, capitalizing on a beautifully placed lob pass from Nicolas Perera. Oscar Reyes got his head on the ball, and diverted it past Team Bahamas goalie Torin Ferguson to give the United States a 1-0 lead at the 8:44 mark of the opening period. Later in the period, Alessandro Canale gave the Americans a 2-0 lead. Ferguson bobbled a reception, and Canale took advantage. He got his foot on the ball and pushed it into an empty net at the 3:37 mark of the second period.
Despite beating The Bahamas and finishing fifth, Perera said that they were disappointed that they didn't finish in the top two and qualify for the world cup. They lost their quarter-final match to Panama on Friday, 4-2.
"We only lost one game all tournament, and it just happened to be the one that we needed to win," he said. "It's a lil' disappointing, but being here in front of this crowd with these people was amazing. You guys put on an unbelievable tournament, and it's been such a pleasure and an honor to be here. The CONCACAF region is definitely getting stronger. You look at a team like Panama that was on no one's radar, and now they are in the world cup. This tournament is getting better, and it could only improve from here."
A full house showed up for The Bahamas and the United States' match last night. As a testament to how much the country has improved, The Bahamas lost to the U.S., 6-2, at CONCACAF two years ago, and 9-2 when the two teams met in the 2013 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championships in The Bahamas. As expected, the match was very physical last night, and the more experienced American squad seemed to push The Bahamas around on its home sand. There were five yellow cards handed out in total - three for the Americans and two for The Bahamas.
"This is beach soccer. It's a rough sport, and sometimes it gets out of hand. You just have to be extra careful," said St. Fleur. "To come out here and play well in front of the home fans is a good feeling. We know that we have plenty work to do - just have to go back and get ready for the world cup. This was a good tune-up tournament for us. It feels good, and we hope to continue playing well in front of the home fans. We hope that the fans come out and support us in the world cup just as well as they supported us in this tournament."
St. Fleur scored his 11th goal of the tournament on a free kick with 19.3 seconds left in the second quarter. A U.S. player got his hand on the ball in the penalty box, and St. Fleur and The Bahamas capitalized. This came about two minutes after St. Fleur uncharacteristically missed a shot at an open goal. American goalie Christopher Toth was caught out of position, but St. Fleur couldn't capitalize as he missed the shot.
The United States increased the lead to 3-1 at the 10:20 mark of the third period as Perera scored on a well-placed lob, but Team Bahamas Captain Gavin Christie got that goal back just three seconds later when he scored off a quick pass from Gary Joseph at the resumption of play. He drilled a shot from about 30 feet out, bouncing it past American goalie Toth. Ironically, it was Toth who completed the scoring, dribbling the ball to the midfield point and then powering a shot past Bahamian goalie Ferguson. That goal came at the 4:32 mark of the final period, giving the United States an insurance goal and the 4-2 victory.
"I think the team played very well in this tournament with the exception of the Guadeloupe game that we lost," said Christie. "That was a learning experience for us, and I think that moving forward we have seen what we need to work on. We did well, but we saw a lot of mistakes that we need to correct. It's right back to the sand for us. We have a lot of work to do, but we are prepared to put in the work so that we could be ready for the tournament in April.
"Every game is a tough game. You play every game as if it's your last. The fans came out in droves and supported us, and we are thankful for that. A lot of teams in CONCACAF, and globally, are saying that we have performed well and they saw a lof of good things. We've earned respect in the beach soccer community, so we wouldn't be sneaking up on anyone at the world cup."
Head Coach Soares is optimistic for the world cup.
"We got four victories in six games - that's very good," he said. "The game tonight was very difficult. The U.S. is a very good team and they handled us tonight, but I am happy with the performance. This was a very good warm-up for the world cup. We have to continue to work hard, and once we put in the work, we like our chances."
It seemed that all of the players, coaches and officials were impressed with the level of play, the new state-of-the-art 3,500-seat stadium, and the quality of the tournament staged by The Bahamas. Exciting matches throughout the six days of competition was the icing on the cake of well-structured CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championships staged in The Bahamas.
"This was amazing," said American forward Perera. "The stadium is wonderful, the sand is super deep, the stands are great, the people are loud and the entire experience was top notch. We're looking forward to coming back here at some point in the future."
The Bahamas finished with a 4-2 win/loss record in six games in the tournament and was sixth out of 16 teams. They were undefeated in group stage play, lost their first game of the tournament to Guadeloupe in the quarter-finals and then dropped the fifth place game to the United States last night. It's now on to the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup for the squad.