The Plight of the Trinidad & Tobago National Team

Fans following Coach Waldrum on Twitter have received quite the in-depth look at the trials and tribulations of the Trinidad & Tobago National Team. From the team arriving in Houston a few months ago with only eight soccer balls to practice with and a few pinnies, to Coach Waldrum's detailed tweets about their training facilities, it goes without saying the team is fighting an uphill battle to get to Canada next year.

Wednesday though, Coach Waldrum sent out a plea to the soccer world. The T&T team arrived in Dallas last night with no equipment to practice with, no transportation arranged from the airport to hotel, and most notably, only $500 to last the team until the end of CONCACAF qualifying. More staff was expected to arrive later Wednesday.

I need HELP! T&T sent a team here last night with $500 total. No equipment such as balls,no transportation from airport to hotel, nothing.

— Randy Waldrum (@CoachWaldrum) October 8, 2014

The road to the United States was far from easy; as of last Saturday the team lacked the $40,000 needed for the team's visa applications. Petrotrin, a state-owned oil company, teamed up with the country's Ministry of Sport to pick up the tab for the applications and the cost of the training camp in Dallas.

By winning the Caribbean Cup and coming to the States to play in the CONCACAF tournament this year, Trinidad & Tobago has made history; it will be the first time the team has had a shot at making it to a Women's World Cup. They will take on the U.S.A. in the opening game on October 15th.

The soccer world rallied around the team and soon a fundraising campaign was established through Houston's Keeper Notes' website using PayPal.