PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — Trinidad and Tobago’s Soca Warriors will kick-start their preparation for the CONCACAF Gold Cup in July when they face Panama in an international friendly next month.

The game, pencilled in for March 27 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, will be the first international of the year for the Soca Warriors, who also begin their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign in November.

Head coach Stephen Hart said the fixture would mark the first phase of the team’s preparation, especially with the domestic league wrapping up on March 20.

“We are extremely grateful for this game,” Hart said. “It is an opportunity to play a CONCACAF team that I consider to be one of the top five in the region.”

T&T were last in action during the CFU Caribbean Cup last November when they went down in the final to Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz.

However, they managed to qualify for the CONCACAF Gold Cup from July 7-27 in the United States, by reaching the final four.

Panama are expected to be a handful for the Soca Warriors. They were losing finalists in the 2013 Gold Cup when they went down to United States in the final, and currently lie 61st in the latest FIFA World rankings.