Bermuda Under-23s will make their final preparations for next month's Olympic qualifiers at a training camp in Toronto with coach Kenny Thompson adamant reaching Beijing is not beyond his team.

A squad of 18 flies to Cuba on September 7 where they will take on the Cubans, the Cayman Islands and Puerto Rico, with only one nation progressing to the next round.

Twenty Caribbean nations have been placed in six groups for the first-round qualifiers with Aruba, the Bahamas, Cuba, St.Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and The Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago each hosting a group between August 31 and September 13.

One player who will not be joining up for the crunch encounters is Boulevard striker Angelo Simmons, due to a breach of discipline when benched in a match at the Island Games in Rhodes in July.

The colts have been preparing for the qualifiers since April with intensive training as well competing in the Island Games for the first time.

And although Thompson is keen to stress the success of the Under-23 programme should not be based purely on results, he insists their overall objective is to cement a berth at Beijing next summer.

"Preparations have been going well although we've not been able to work consistently with the entire squad as some are based at college in the US," he said. "But we'll all be together in Toronto for five days training before heading to Cuba.

"We know Cuba are formidable opposition and expect the Cayman Islands and Puerto Rico to be difficult as well. But I don't want any player heading to Cuba not believing Bermuda can qualify.

"Reaching the Olympics will be a tremendous achievement but our long-term vision must not be solely based on results, certainly not immediate results."

At a time when some Bermuda cricketers have come under the spotlight for not showing enough commitment to play for their country, Thompson's young charges have proven their desire by training twice a day at the National Sports Centre despite work commitments.

"The commitment, dedication and desire of these players has been first-class over the last few months," said Thompson. "We've trained twice a day at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. at the National Sports Centre so the players can still work full-time. As amateur athletes, time can be an issue, but I believe you can always get around that if you're dedicated and serious about your sport. I don't want to hear Bermuda use our amateur status as an excuse anymore - my players have been very professional."

"Their attitude suggests they can achieve things in the future and that bodes well for Bermudian football."

Bermuda face Cuba on September 9, before playing the Cayman Islands on September 11. Their final match against Puerto Rico will be on September 13.