Bermuda's youngsters are ready to rumble!

After all the hype ahead of tonight's first leg Under-17 World Youth Cup qualifying match against Caribbean giants Cuba at National Sports Centre, it's time for coach Kenny Thompson's charges to perform.

And if they can repeat their showing of early last month when they emerged triumphant from a qualifying group comprised of Guyana, St.Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago, then they can take another giant step towards the World Cup finals scheduled for Finland next year.

Thompson's injury-free troops will looking to recapture the magic of the last campaign and seize the initiative in what, on paper at least, appears to be a difficult contest before they head off to Cuba next Thursday for the second leg match at the Campo La Polar in Havana.

Thompson says his team's success depends quite simply on their ability to convert chances.

"In international football if you have two chances then you need to put away at least one of them. You have to take full advantage them," said the coach earlier this week.

During last month's World Cup qualifying games, Bermuda managed to breach opposing defences but failed to capitalise on their chances. And it proved costly against Guyana as the local boys went down 1-0.

"We missed many chances and they waited for one and the guy put it away," recalled Thompson.

Poised to take on a Cuban team that appears to be physical in its approach to the game, the coach is pinning his hopes on speed. Bermuda will also have to be solid at the back against a team that have smacked in 11 goals in their previous three qualifying matches.

"They (Bermuda) must have speed in decision-making and being mentally alert to situations and reading those situations in advance. They have to learn how to handle the physical aspects of the game. Their physical strength will be tested," noted Thompson.

"In the modern game, speed is the component that has changed the most over the years."

Thompson says both he and his players are hungry for success.

"We are in this to be given the opportunity to play two matches and develop further and also try to win. We are not in this to just play two matches," he added.

And the coach said his players were up for the challenge.

"They know it will be another step up. They know they are up against top quality opponents," he said.

He pointed out that from this point onwards the road would become tougher, and he expected Cuba to provide stronger opposition than last month's matches.

"The more we play better teams the less the number of goalscoring chances we will have. We have to make the best of those chances."

Thompson rated the Cubans along with the likes of Canada and Jamaica, two teams Bermuda faced earlier this year, losing 2-0 to Jamaica and 4-0 to the Canadians.

But he believes valuable lessons were learned from those experiences.

"This time our players should not be overawed by their opponents as perhaps they might have been in the summer," he added.

"Those matches certainly opened the players' eyes to what is needed at the international level."

Much of the scoring duties will be shouldered by young Somerset Trojan Damon Swan along with PHC's Antoine Russell and Boulevard poacher Angello Simmons.

In midfield Tuarean Manders, Keishen Bean and skipper Kyle Outerbridge will be relied upon to thread the balls through the Cuban defence while Robert Wilson, Thomas Watson and Logan Alexander will be looking to keep things tidy at the back.

`Keeper Daniel Johnson will also have to keep a close eye on Cuba's prolific marksman Felix Crespo.