Naquita Robinson, the Bermuda Under-15 girls’ coach, has identified technical weaknesses that must be improved upon for the team to flourish at the international level.

The under-15 side failed to reach the knockout stage of the Concacaf Championship in Cayman Islands, despite thrashing Barbados 7-1 in their final group game at the weekend.

Robinson, whose team finished third in their group, said that she was encouraged by her team’s efforts but believed they were not as technically adept as some of their Caribbean rivals.

“This is a very young team with many playing off raw talent while others have had a bit of experience,” Robinson said.

“Moving forward, we must pay particular attention to our technical skills as that’s what separates us from the rest of the field.

“Physically we matched all of our opponents but we struggled with the basic skills at times.

“We’re not far off from the more elite competitors but we must step up our technical training and development sessions. All and all it was a great tournament to gauge where we are and where we need to get to.” Richard Todd, the National Academy director, said that he was proud of the team’s display.

“The team have represented Bermuda and their families with strong pride and unity,” said Todd, who added that the team would now turn their attention towards next year’s Caribbean Football Union Concacaf Under-17 World Cup qualifiers Bermuda finished on four points from their three games in Cayman.