The road to the Bahamas
As hosts of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2017, the Bahamas were not required to qualify for April/May’s showpiece event. In spite of that, they opted to stage and take part in the 2017 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship, where they finished sixth. The hosts began the tournament in exemplary fashion winning their opening three group games against Guyana (4-1), Belize (3-0) and Jamaica (3-2). However, that run ended in the quarter-finals with a 5-3 defeat at the hands of Guadeloupe (3-5). In the end, they would have to settle for sixth place after going down 4-2 to USA.
Strengths and style
The Bahamas’ standout player is talented forward Lesly St. Fleur, who carried his side’s hopes at the qualifying event by scoring no fewer than nine of their 12 goals. The team’s well-drilled defence also caught the eye, particularly in the first phase when it was breached only three times. Playing a big part in that was their ever-dependable goalkeeper Ivan Rolle, whose fine reflexes were in evidence throughout.
FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup record
This will be the Bahamas’ first participation at a Beach Soccer World Cup.
FIFA.com