Bermuda are targeting a winning start when they face Suriname in a Concacaf Under-17 World Cup Qualifier group B encounter at Flora Duffy Stadium tonight (7pm).

Janiya Sealey, one of the senior players in the team, said that they had been working hard for the victory. Bermuda also face Bonaire on Monday and Panama two days later.

“We’re just looking to move the ball around, score goals and win the group,” Sealey told The Royal Gazette.

“We want to win the group because we’re playing at home. We’re urging Bermudians to come out and support us.

“Support is the biggest thing that we need right now. It’s our first time playing at home so it's a little different atmosphere.

“We’re not used to people cheering for us. We’re used to people booing us, but it’s our crowd, so just come out and support.”

Sealey has for the past few months been adjusting from playing as a defensive midfielder to playing at the back.

“I’ve always played defensive midfielder but this year I’m a centre back,” she said.

“I’ve been playing here for a couple of months now so I’m in the groove of it. It’s different because at the back there is no room for mistakes.

“Anywhere on the field really but you’re closer to the goal so mistakes will be all on you.”

Another seasoned player in the squad, Evans Welch, is determined to win the opening match.

“Whatever it takes, just get the win and get the early three points to put us ahead,” the 16-year-old said.

“Just stay together, play good football and then the goals will come.”

Welch has identified Panama as the team that could give them a torrid time.

“Definitely Panama, that is the team to watch out for,” she said.

“We’ve been working hard for a long time to prepare for this tour and it would just mean a lot to us if you guys come out and support us.

“This is a good opportunity to be playing at home, have our friends and family supporting us. Who knows when we’ll be able to play on the home field again, so just come out and support us.”

Riley Khan, one of the new members of the team, has settled well into the side with help from the seniors.

“It’s amazing. All the players are good, all the coaches are nice and it's just a great experience,” Khan said.

“I’ve trained with the under-15s but I haven’t been able to play with them because of other issues.

“Being able to join the under-17s is a great experience, especially being at our home field and all the support and everyone coming.

“They have great support and I feel like everyone on the team gets along well.”

Last year, Khan joined Benfica Residential Academy in Tampa, Florida. The youngster feels she has learnt a lot about the game since making the switch.

“I think that the biggest thing that I’ve learnt is not dwelling on the mistakes and just having fun and enjoying the experience while I have it,” the 14-year-old said.

“This is a great experience coming to play on the home field. The biggest thing we need is support because we’ve been working hard for this tournament.”

Coach Gary Adams has since Monday been preparing the players to collect three points.

“We want to win the first game at home, stay organised and get off to the right foot to set us up for the week,” he said.

“I'm not going to take anybody lightly but, on paper, Panama is technically the team to watch out for. They’re the highest ranked team in our group.

“In Concacaf, they’re sixth right now, while we sit fourteenth, so not a big jump.

“This is the competition we need to be consistently playing against. We have a plan but anyway, on game day, it’s up to them to execute it the best they can.”

Adams, who guided Bermuda to the final round of qualifiers last year, has the bulk of the players still available for this campaign.

“We have half the team returning from last year,” the coach said.

“So we’re hoping that they can take that experience and the growth they’ve had over the last year and help to actually lead the team more this year.

“It’s great because you have the natural leaders stepping up and they’re being great examples for the young girls coming up.

“Again, we have a great blend of a lot of overseas players going to school and local-based players.

“We had two weeks over Christmas together and then the girls went back to school. We’ve actually only had the full team together as of Monday.

“We have one full week of training and then we’ll have our first game Saturday night. As you can imagine, we’re trying to get as much information and get them gelling as much as possible in the short window.”