Soccer Salute
in the Community
Soccer
Salute in Toronto 2006
Soccer
Salute in Toronto 2006
Invitational vs
Invitational
Soccer Salute
2006 was played before a large
enthusiastic crowd at Allan Lamport
Stadium in Toronto last Sunday with
Trinidad and Tobago defeating Jamaica
1-0 on a goal scored by Kevin Jeffery in
the 75th minute of play. After the two
teams warmed up the atmosphere was very
electrifying. The fans of the two
teams started singing, chanting and
making noise with anything in their
possession in anticipation of the
friendly rivalry.
That must
have been a welcomed change for the
promoters of the event who were a little
concern on hearing that some people had left
and went home after
it was alleged that they were misinformed of the
starting time of the featured game. Should
that have been the case then
unfortunately those people would have missed a level of
soccer that had not been seen in the Toronto Caribbean community
for quite some time.
However,
there is no doubt that the
Jamaica
Invitational team attacks were
more dangerous than that of T&T. That was due to the fact that they worked
the ball beautifully to within the last
third and their looks at goal were
coming in close proximity
to the T&T net.
But
Jamaica could not
capitalize on their territorial advantage due to a high
percentage of their shots going high and wide or due to
their
lack of aggressiveness around the penalty
area. As
a result
T&T Invitational withstood the pressure and showed the
characteristics of the real Soca Warriors by not only
staying competitive but battling back to have more
direct chances on goals from a few headers off of crosses.
Reggae Boyz
Invitational goalkeeper and captain Warren
Barrett was up for the task and
responded with
brilliant saves to keep the score sheet clean. Although
the dominant Reggae Boyz Invitational team had only a couple of direct shots on net,
one of those chances was a
Whitmore classic.
Whitmore
shot was
from a low curving free kick, which forced
T&T goalkeeper and captain Ross Russell to make a full extension save to
push the ball around the post.
Although the half ended
goalless the game was full with excitement and the level
of play was definitely at International football/soccer
standard. The large crowd was full with enthusiasm and
the supporters of the teams were thrilled with their
moments of scoring anxieties combined with some defensive
scares.
Needless to
say the delay seemed to have affected the
Jamaica team as the second half started a lot slower
than the first with T&T having the
better of the possession.
From the touch
off T&T seemed a little more settled after
withstanding the dominant play of the Jamaican team in the latter
stages of the first half.
T&T was more deliberate in
their build up and play selections which even up the run of play and
time of possession. Although the game was
more competitive and T&T was combative, the slow precision build up of the
Jamaican team could not be flawed or matched.
I t was obvious
that
defense had
a more patient defensive game plan as they continued to work hard cut down the space of Jamaica
midfielders in an attempt to utilize their youthful
advantage. As the tempo of the game picked
up Reggae Boyz goal keeper Warren Barrett was forced to make at least three
big stops to keep his team in the game.
And just
like in the first half of play,
the Jamaican
Invitational team continued to hedge goal wards
with ease but without
the urgency needed to capitalize on their potential scoring
chances.
T&T
Invitational team perseverance was
rewarded when the Jamaica Invitational defense was
caught out of position, and T&T midfielder Kevin
Jeffery broke free all alone on goalkeeper to
tap in a bouncing ball over the keeper right shoulder
of goalkeeper Barrett and into the net.
The T&T supporters went into a
Germany World Cup
frenzy and with that momentum T&T created a few
more scoring opportunities as Jamaica defense went shopping for the tying goal.
But after conceding the goal, goalkeeper Barrett was a
difficult man to negotiate around .
The match
ended 1-0 in favour of T&T and the Soccer Salute 2006 Challenge Trophy
was presented by Jamaican Consulate General Mrs.
Annemarie Bonner to the T&T Invitational team captain, goalkeeper
Ross Russell.
The runners up trophy was presented
to the Jamaican Invitational captain goalkeeper Warren
Barrett by the Trinidad and Tobago Consulate General Mr.
Michael Lashley, and Soccer Salute 2006 closed off with
the sounds of DJ music and the mingling of the players
with the fans.
T&T Invitational Team: *Ross Russell (Capt), *Kwesi
Smith, *Kevon Carter, Claude Adams, Dexter Pacheco, *Devorn
Jorsline, *Conrad Smith, *Christopher Durity, Steve
Salim, *Sherron Joseph, Kevin Jeffery, Rene Martin, Todd
Oliver, Henry John, Marcus Marshall, Kerry Llewellyn.
Coach: Aldwyn McGill, Asst: Dixon Modeste
Jamaica Invitational Team : Warren Barrett (Capt),
Markino Gillins, Theodore Whitmore, Winston Griffith,
Daniel Ricketts, Byron Earle, Trevor Gragam, Gladstone
Richards, Jeffrey Caine, Kevin Rose, Ronald Nicholas,
George Salesman, Mario Osbourne, Kevin Mc Intosh, Andre
Steward. Coach: Winston Duhaney
Caribbean
Football in Toronto
Therefore it was
understandable that everyone automatically assumed back
then that the visiting Invitational team was the Soca
Warriors which played in Germany. However this was one time that everyone was
believing the hype, and as a result the promoter/s had
to attend radio shows to inform the public that the
Invitational T&T team would not be the Soca Warriors.
Invitational vs
Invitational
