T&T put it together to defeat Cuba 3-1 in W/C Qualifier

While most of the attention in the upcoming CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers is on Group 2 with Canada, Mexico, Jamaica and Honduras (the group of death) the Trinidad and Tobago senior team selectors, management and coaching staff after months of turmoil have put together a team that perform well enough to defeat Cuba .....Stay Tuned!

T&T Germany W/Cup players rejoin squad for 08 qualifiers

   Dwight Yorke      Stern John          Chris Birchall     Aurtis Whitley    Carlos Edwards    

    Collin Samuel      Kenwyne Jones      Cyd Gray        Avery John    Dennis Lawrence

       Cornell Glenn      Densil Theobald      Clayton Ince        Jason Scotland  Silvio Spann

While most of the attention in the upcoming CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers is on Group 2 with Canada, Mexico, Jamaica and Honduras (the group of death) the Trinidad and Tobago senior team selectors, management and coaching staff have recognized their inadequacies and have called up six players from the Germany World Cup squad to the team’s roster for the upcoming third round CONCACAF World Cup qualifying campaign.

As a result on August 20 while the big Group 2 clash between Canada and Jamaica will be taking place at sold BMO Field in Toronto, the Soca Warriors fans has been given a renewed confidence that the Soca Warriors team with most of their past World Cup players now available can be victorious against Cuba in Havana on the same day.

The buzz in the twin island of T&T is based on flicker of hope that now surrounds Warriors team with the light flickering at the end of the tunnel. With the many ups and downs that the Warriors had endured al last there seem to be a sense of urgency with the inclusion of these players which signifies the end of the bickering and dispute and the start of the only chance for coach Maturana to have the togetherness and comradely that is needed for the Soca Warriors to have a realistic chance to qualify for World Cup 2010 in South Africa. 

To improve team chemistry the new players called up are Coventry City midfielder Christopher Birchall, Wrexham midfielder Silvio Spann, Clico San Juan Jabloteh defender Cyd Gray, Miami FC defender Avery John and Kansas City Wizards forward Scott Sealy.

However the big news and inclusion noticeable addition to the Soca Warriors squad of former national captain Dwight Yorke after Yorke met with TTFF special Advisor Jack Warner and was invited to join the team. With the latest addition of these players the T&T roster has a total of seventeen players who were part of the 2006 World Cup squad as Dennis Lawrence, Clayton Ince, Densill Theobald, Collin Samuel, Jason Scotland, Aurtis Whitley, Kenwyne Jones, Carlos Edwards, Stern John, Cornell Glen and Anthony Wolfe are included to round of the list.

“I have communicated with each of these players who all expressed their absolute zeal to represent Trinidad & Tobago on the football field once again,” Team manager David Muhammad said.  “We are very confident that this enthusiasm will add an element of renewed excitement in the team as well as with the public. We are also hoping to include each of these nationals in our squads for at least one or more of the upcoming Friendly International matches within the next few weeks before the August 20th qualification fixture away to Cuba.”

TTFF Special Advisor Jack Warner is also busy at work trying to solidify games for the Soca Warriors and has revealed from his trip to Haiti that, he had spoken to the Haitian Football Federation President Yves Jean Bart over the staging of a friendly international between Haiti and T&T in Port-Au-Prince before the start of the semi-final round and details are to be worked out.

“That will be done in early August. I will talk to Digicel to ask them to sponsor the event as they have done in El Salvador and Guatemala. I am hopeful that Digicel, as sponsor as the Haitian National Team and the CFU, will accept my request to sponsor the encounter,” Warner said.

Commenting on the inclusion of the mentioned players, Warner responded “Whichever players the coach wants… he will get but I will not pick players for him nor impose any players on him.”

The TTFF Special Advisor said he continues to have faith in coach Maturana at the helm of the Team.

“It is expected that he will come under fire. When you try out and you build and you try different permutations… you come under fire. The only time a coach doesn’t come under fire is when he wins or qualifies. I am sure that Maturana, with his experience, is used to this and therefore I am not worried. Absolutely I will continue to keep faith in him,”

With the exception of Cyd Gray, coach Maturana will have to do without the other five of the six recent additions to his squad after the five players were deemed unavailable due to conflicting schedules with their respective clubs.

However Maturana will still be able to see those unavailable players in a proposed friendly match scheduled for July 27.  The Soca Warriors is scheduled to play their international friendly game against Netherlands Antilles this Thursday at Guaracara Park, Point-a-Pierre at 7:30pm.

Soca Warriors advance with 2-0 win over Bermuda

Trinidad and Tobago Soca Warriors managed to pull it together just in time  to defeat Bermuda2-0 in their second leg game.  The Warriors goals were scored by Daryl Roberts and Stern John at the 10 and 69 minute mark respectively. With the win the Soca Warriors managed to squeeze into the third round of the W/C Qualifiers to face Guatemala, Cuba and USA in Group 1.

This was a game that coach Maturans gambled and called up striker Daryl Roberts to create more movement in the play of his strikers and opted to bring veteran Stern John fresh of the bench to create more havoc in what he gambled to be a tired Bermuda defense in the second half.

Maturana maneuvers paid instant dividends as Roberts open the scoring at the 10 minute mark while Stern John came of the bench to start the second half and scored the all important second goal to close the door on a gallant effort by the Bermuda team.

Group 1 of the third round will pose a greater challenge for Trinidad and Tobago but if the Soca Warriors has any intentions of duplicating their accomplishment to appear in another World Cup then Group 1 is a better path  than the tough Group 2 with the likes of Mexico, Jamaica, Canada, and Honduras.

In other qualifying second leg action El Salvador upset Panama 3-1, while Surinam eliminated Guyana to create the only two major upsets of the second round of the 12 teams which received a bye.

 Bermuda expose T&T in CONCACAF W/C Qualifier

Trinidad and Tobago Soca Warriors will have to show their worth in the second leg of their CONCACAF World Cup qualifier this Sunday, after their surprising 2-1 loss to Bermuda at the Marvin Lee Stadium in Macoya Trinidad last week.

With the return match schedule for Bermuda, it would be interesting to see if the Soca Warriors could step up their offensive game to win the game by a 2 goal plus final score required for Trinidad and Tobago to advance into the 12 teams of the third round.

In the first game last Sunday there was no doubt which team was the better team, but with the many obstacles and distraction surrounding the Soca Warriors, it is quite conceivable that the T&T Soca Warriors could be making an early exit in the CONCACAF 2010 World Cup qualifiers compared to their 2006 campaign.

In T&T there seemed to be old grudges piling upon disputes, and into new indifferences. The troubling trend continue this week after TTFF advisor Jack Warner announced that the TTFF would be applying to FIFA to play the rest of the Soca Warriors World Cup qualifying home games on the road (preferably New York). This is due to what he (Warner) considers to be unreasonable pricing of the football venues by the Ministry of Sport.

The big concern is that it seems like the Soca Warriors players seemed to be getting involved in the dispute after captain Aurtis Whitley and a few past national players appeared on the air at different times, expressing their concerns and hope for a resolution to the disagreement between the TTFF and the Ministry of Sport.

Some members of the media and the public are calling for the return of the Germany Soca Warriors players but I consider that request to be unrealistic and non progressive since the Germany World Cup team was the oldest in the competition and the six World Cup players that started against Bermuda did not make any significance difference to support that argument by their performance.  

The only mistake the TTFF Management made, was not giving the Germany Soca Warriors players what I consider to be a Courtesy call up even if they may not have been included in the final roster. This would have helped the overall moral of the T&T Soca Warriors and its supporters and it is not too late to have these players around the team as supporters.

It would be easy for me to join the band wagon and say that the T&T football problems is being caused by Mr Warner of the TTFF and Mr Hunt of the T&T Ministry of Sport, but based on my experience I would venture to say that the Trinidad and Tobago Government has the power and should step up to the plate and find a mediator to resolve this senseless dispute which in reality is tarnishing the image of the country of Trinidad and Tobago.

For you the Soca Warrior supporter, I can only suggest that you keep the faith and be realistic about the Warriors 2010 World Cup campaign. I may sound like a broken record but I can honestly say that the Soca Warriors players have inherited problems and in search of progress and improvement some of them are also guilty of putting one foot forward while putting the other foot backwards. 

In the end it would be up to the Soca Warriors players who would have to come together as a team by Sunday for the Bermuda rematch to get the job done. There should be no excuses, since the entire Soca Warriors squad is much better than Bermuda’s and errors by coach Maturana in regards to changes or starting line up is minuscule compared to the play and responsibilities of the warrior on the field.

It is also ironic that three out of the last four CONCACAF teams at World Cup 2006 in Germany have stumbled out of the gates in the First leg of Round two since # Mexico had trouble defeating Belize 2-0 while #3 Costa Rica had their hands full in a 2-2 tie with Grenada and T&T Soca Warriors decision to take the long and winding road after their 2-1 loss to Bermuda.  

Some of the favored teams to press for the final four CONCACAF spots were true to form as Canada defeated St Vincent and the Grenadine (SVG) 3-0 on two goals by Ali Gerba to set up what seemed to be a cincher in Montreal on Friday June 20, while Jamaica trounced Bahamas 7-0 at the “office in Kingston to take a strong hold into the second match on Wednesday at press time.

Soca Warriors shock Reggae Boyz in Rhythm Clash

VS     

Kingston: The long awaited soccer Rhythms Clash between Trinidad and Tobago Soca Warriors and Jamaica Reggae Boyz turned out to be a “ Soca Warriors shocker in Jamaica”.  In a game where the Reggae Boyz dominated for over 70 minutes of play, Trinidad and Tobago lived up to their Warriors image by picking up a late tempo to score two goals to secure a surprising 2-2 tie in extra time.

The result of the Rhythm Clash was a favorable one for the Soca Warriors and probably a blessing in disguise for the disappointed Reggae Boyz, when you factor in the inexperience of the T&T team and the sudden withdrawal of their key players.  Reggae Boyz on the other hand would have to learn that the game is played for 90+ minutes and a slim 2 goal lead is erasable.

However from my vantage point the Reggae Boyz performed to their level of physical readiness in the first half of the game, but it could be argued that their mental toughness may be in question and unfortunately for Jamaica coach Rene Simoes it was public knowledge that Trinidad and Tobago had a young and inexperience roster especially with the absence of Kenwyne Jones, Carlos Edwards and Collin Samuel.

I am of the belief that Rene Simoes mistake had more to do with his assessment of Coach Maturana T&T team resiliency. With an attainable 2-0 half time advantage, coach Simoes replaced goalkeeper Donavan Ricketts and captain Marlon King at the break.

  Simoes big mistake was replacing striker #6 Marlon King since King was the player that had the young Warriors defender in a mess with his running off the ball.  When he was in the game the T&T defenders had no idea where he was and where he was going to which for the most part was behind the Warriors defense to receive his passes.

After the early tentative minutes the Reggae Boyz broke the game open with an effective and entertaining offensive display after missing a few chances. Marlon King opened the scoring for Reggae Boyz at the 34th minute on text book turn around shot after getting the inside position on his defender.

The Reggae Boyz fans erupted on the goal and the Rhythm football show had began on the expense of a number of last minute tackles and switch coverage by the T&T defense. The Reggae Boyz fans were buzzing with excitement and licking their chops in anticipation of a Jamaica rout.

To add to the celebration (TFC own) Reggae Boyz right back Tyrone Marshall out muscled his opposing defender to beat goalkeeper Jan Williams to give Jamaica a 2-0 lead at the 40^th minute that held up into the half.

The nature of the second goal must have given Jamaica coach Simoes a false sense of security as he inserted, Deon Burton for Marlon King at halftime and Tyrone Marshall was given the captain’s armband.

Goalkeeper Barrett was also replaced in the Reggae Boyz net with Duwayne Kerr which in reality was a change at both ends of their defense, and although Jamaica continued their dominance at the start of the second half, their vertical game appeared to have an underlying hint of showboating which spurred the Soca Warriors to firm up in an effort not to be embarrassed.

 As a result T&T clawed back into the contest and was rewarded when substitute Osei Telesford broke free on the right from a head-on pass from Roberts to sizzle a shot past goalkeeper Duwayne Kerr. The goal stunned the Reggae Boyz supporters at the “Office” who at the 74th minute mark were already leaving with what they thought was a Jamaica win in the bag.

Then suddenly at the announcement of two minutes play of extra time by the fourth official, lightening struck and this time the ”Office” crowd was shock. Warriors captain Aurtis Whitley eluded a Reggae Boyz defender on a fail defensive clearance and unleashed a 25 yard left footer that deflected slightly to beat the goalkeeper into the net to give the Soca Warriors a 2-2 tie. The equalizer sent the small contingent of Warriors fans into a frenzy much to the disappointment of the faithful Reggae Boyz fans.

At the press conference, Reggae Boyz Technical Director Simoes was under pressure and admitted “When things are not going good, it is me the coach that everybody will look at. It was my decision to make the changes... it was my decision to take out Marlon King and put in Deon Burton.

Even JFF President Burrell voiced his opinion at the press conference “I, too, am disappointed, to say the least. It was very unfortunate that we did not win the game, but when you looked carefully at what happened, you would have seen that in the first half we had our more experienced players on the pitch.

'But one has to also understand... that there are players that the coach must look at with World Cup qualifiers just around the corner in June,' Burrell said.

Meanwhile, Trinidad's assistant coach Anton Corneal was not at a lost for words as he praised his young side for a gutsy second-half performance. Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica will play Bahamas and Bermuda respectively in their World Cup qualifying game on June 14 and 21-22 in a home and away series

Teams:

 TRI: - 1.Jan-Michael Williams, 5.Keyeno Thomas, 2.Kern Cupid, 15.Akeem Adams (3.Akile Edwards 46th), 13.Makan Hislop, 9.Aurtis Whitley (capt), 19.Keon Daniel, 6.Khaleem Hyland, 8.Kerry Baptiste (4.Osei Telesford 59th), 10.Darryl Roberts, 11.Randi Patterson (7.Jamaal Gay 59th).

JAM: Donovan Ricketts (Duwayne Kerr 46th), Adrian Reid, Demar Stewart, Obrian Woodbine, Oneil Thompson (Khari Stephenson), Tyrone Marshall, Rudolph Austin, Omar Daley (Ricardo Cousins 68th), Demar Phillips (Wolry Wolfe), Marlon King (capt) (Deon Burton 46th), Luton Shelton (James Thomas).

T&T coach Maturana and his Soca Warriors face tough Questions

Trinidad and Tobago interim head coach Francisco Maturana has found himself between a rock and a hard place in his efforts to put the T&T team together for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. Unlike the T &T World Cup Germany qualifying campaign, when then coach Leo Beenhakker inherited the leadership of Yorke, John and Latapy in the later stages of the Germany World Cup qualifiers, coach Maturana finds himself in an interim coaching position with the length of his coaching contract in question since T&T coach Wim Rijssbergen suspension expires in June.

 However after having four days to prepare for his game on Ash Wednesday, coach Maturana relied on his overseas players to lead his team against Guadeloupe. He appointed Southampton striker Stern John as the captain for the game but had to swap the arm band with striker Kenwyne as John Silvio Spann and Densil Theobald were taken out of the game at halftime.

 Maturana could have saved himself that trouble had he given the captaincy to veteran goal keeper Clayton Ince. This would have allowed John and Jones to get into the game and familiarize themselves with the play of their new teammates. Instead Kenwyne Jones was double and triple teamed while trying to get a read on the developing plays. Stern John on the other hand seemed to be waiting for the perfect pass and at the interview reinforced that notion by admitting that the services (passes) were less than adequate.

To add to the TTFF woes the Queens Park Oval stands were only 20% full which makes one wonder if the $150 cost of admission and/or the 4pm kickoff could have had something to do with the embarrassing crowd turnout.. This game was marked as the return of the T&T World Cup players after they withdrew their services due to the alleged breach of payment by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) in regards to their World Cup appearances.  

Whatever the reason for the lack of interest in T&T, on game day it did not seem to affect the Guadeloupe team. Guadeloupe completely dominated the Soca Warriors and although some T&T fans would try to attribute their team poor showing to a lack of preparation time, or the Carnival festivities, or the terrible field condition, the fact is T&T had no direct shot on goal, and although the Soca Warriors created a few anxious moments around the Guadeloupe goal, those moments were few and far in between.

To measure the poor showing of the Soca Warriors is to understand the rationale of Guadeloupe’s coach Roger when he inserted his reserve goalkeeper with 10 minutes left in regulation time and the game scoreless but to him no threat.  T&T coach Maturana on the other hand watch anxiously as his starting goalkeeper Clayton Ince made big saves, early and often through out the game to secure the 0-0 tie.

The Soca Warriors number one problem is a lack of offense and imagination. If Maturana corrects this problem it would allow the team to score goals and keep their fans entertained and confident that their team can overcome a deficit to win games. Building a team based on defense can be done almost overnight as coach Maturana has shown against Guadeloupe, and Beenhakker in Germany.

Maturana move to insert young talent into the Soca Warriors team seemed to be a good start but his 22 year old striker Kenwyne Jones was at a lost for words when he was asked about his team's poor performance in combination with the poor turn out of the  Soca Warriors supporters.

Since the Maturana's emphasis on youth gesture, the TTFF announced that Dwight Yorke and Russell Latapy have been invited to take part in the game against England in early June and Autis Whitley is also back in the squad.

The TTFF decision to include  Yorke and Latapy for the England game could be perceived as a loss opportunity for a young upcoming Soca Warriors player just before T&T World Cup qualifying game on June 21, This situation could pose a problem to the team unless Yorke and Latapy is also included in the coaching side of the shop for the W/C campaign. T&T will now play El Salvador on March 19 before meeting Jamaica in the Caribbean Rhythms Clash on March 26.

Jamaica Reggae Boyz vs T&T Soca Warriors

As old man winter with his unwelcome early presence, delivered lots of snow at our doorsteps, the Caribbean “snow birds” are thanking the Football Federations of Jamaica (JFF) and Trinidad and Tobago (TTFF) for their promise of heat, fun and excitement during the winter months. 

Last Sunday the two football Federations has included a Reggae Boyz- Soca Warriors   series to their football fun packages of International friendlies in preparation for their World Cup 2010 qualifying second round campaign. The first Trinidad and Tobago’s “Soca Warriors” - Jamaica’s “Reggae Boyz” game is scheduled for the National Stadium in Kingston on March 26.

 According to TTFF President Oliver Camps “The game comes at an ideal time as both countries will be in the process of getting prepared for the start of their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaigns. We always have a good rivalry with Jamaica and I expect that we will have a team inclusive of our best players to put on a good showing on the day,” Camps told TTFF Media on Sunday. Jamaica’s Football Federation President Horace Burrell reinforced Camps sentiment and is anticipating that the game would serve well to assist his country’s build up program for the 2010 campaign.

 The Football Federations pounced on the opportunity to fine tune their squad for their second round scheduled in June, 2008 after both T&T and Jamaica received a first round bye into the tournament. Both teams rosters are expected to have their overseas-based professionals and for this game it is a given that player motivation would not be a factor for the “Caribbean Rhythms Clash”.

 However one should be aware that the stakes of this game is only bragging rights and the outright winner to the Jamaica–T&T series would have to continue to work hard to maintain their emotional lift. The date of the first Reggae Boyz–Soca Warriors game (March 26) is a FIFA date and as such the second leg of the first round of World Cup qualifiers will be playing on the same day.

 The Jamaica-T&T rivalry is old hat for Jamaica new head coach Simoes. As coach of Jamaica he tied a friendly 0-0 against T&T during his campaign to France World Cup in 1998 with the Reggae Boyz's. Simoes lost to Jamaica 2-1 when he was head coach of Trinidad and Tobago in the closing stages of the 2002 World Cup qualifiers. Both games were played at the Queen’s Park Oval. On the flipside T&T head coach Wim Rijsbergen can learn from this experience. Simoes will officially begin his duties with the JFF on January 5.  

Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago 2010 campaign would end in the preliminary phase of the World Cup qualifiers, if T&T does not get past the winner of the Bermuda and Cayman Islands series and Jamaica does not get past the winner of the Bahamas/British Virgin Islands in June. The first round will be played on February 6 and March 26.  

T&T and Jamaica second round home and away games are on June 14 and June 21. Once through to the third round (semi-final stage), T&T could conceivably play against the United States, Cuba and Guatemala. If the second round is favorable for Jamaica they could potentially be in the group of death with Canada, Honduras and Mexico providing there are no upsets. 

10-01-2008: Trinidad and Tobago under assistant coach Anton Corneal, has been busy putting the Soca Warriors roster together for the upcoming game against Guadeloupe on Ash Wednesday at the Queens Park Oval as the assistant coach. Anton has been in charge of the Soca Warriors team after the suspension of head coach Wim Rijsbergen from December to June, 2008. It should be noted that Anton Corneal was one of Rijsbergen assistant at the time of his suspension and also an assistant coach for the Soca Warriors at World Cup Germany under then coach Leo Beenhakker.

 Since the suspension to Rijsbergen the TTFF has appointed Colombian Francisco Maturana as the interim head coach.  Maturana is scheduled to arrive in Trinidad later this month (January) to start his official duties. Francisco Maturana last worked with Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata of the Colombian league from April 22, 2007 to August 2007 and he had a long football career as a national player and has also coached Colombia at the World Cup in 1990 and 1994.

 In Maturana absence Trinidad and Tobago Soca Warriors started training under Corneal with their local players from the T&T Pro league, until their overseas players arrives. The nine overseas Soca Warriors players invited for the Ash Wednesday game against Guadeloupe includes Carlos Edwards and Kenwyne Jones (Sunderland), Stern John (Southampton), Silvio Spann (Wrexham), Densill Theobald (Ujpest FC), Jason Scotland (Swansea City), Collin Samuel (TFC), Goalkeeper Clayton Ince (Walsall) and Darryl Roberts (Sparta Rotterdam). Striker Darryl Roberts is the only new name from the Germany World Cup squad given with the overseas players.

 Also included in the T&T squad are Cornell Glen (CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh) and defender Cyd Gray from the World Cup Germany 2006 squad. Other notable mention are striker Gary Glasgow from Joe Public T&TPL, striker Scott Sealy (Kansas City Wizards of the MLS), striker Anthony Wolfe (T&TPL), defender Osei Telesford ( Chicago Fire of the MLS)  and Anthony Noreiga who is returning from the brain contusion he suffered at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup against USA.

Assistant coach Corneal has indicated that Chris Birchall and the other are still in the overall pool. Corneal stated “There are players who may not have been called for this game but they definitely will not be overlooked.”

Stay tune for what seems to be a very interesting Soca Warriors development, since five of  T&T defensive players of World Cup Germany has not been invited for the friendly match on Ash Wednesday February 6. 2008.

Trinidad and Tobago Soca Warriors received a bye into the second round of the CONCACAF World Cup 2010 qualifying.  At the third stage of the tournament the Soca Warriors would be in a group with the United States, Cuba and Guatemala beginning August 20, providing the Soca Warriors can get past the second stage against the winner of Bermuda and Cayman Islands game. The Bermuda- Cayman Island first stage game is scheduled for February 6 and March 26 with the winner playing Trinidad and Tobago on June 14/15 and June 21/22 on a home and away basis.

Trinidad & Tobago join Jamaica as the two Caribbean qualified into the six- team Qualification Final Round of the 2008 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic. The Lady Warriors got pass Puerto Rico based on their away goals tiebreaker after a tied 2:2 after winning the first match 2:1 as the away team and losing the second game 1-0. Both games were played at the Estadio Juan Ramón Loubriel in Bayamón The loss was the first-ever for the Soca Princesses against a Caribbean team in CONCACAF Women’s Qualification to the Olympic Games and FIFA Women’s World Cup.