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The Trinidad and Tobago National Under-23 Team set a new low point for local football last night as the “Soca Warriors” were eliminated from their 2016 Olympic qualifying campaign after just one match.
Technically, it took just 45 minutes to end any realistic hope of success for coach Zoran Vranes and his troops as they trailed St Vincent and the Grenadines 4-0 by the halftime interval in Puerto Rico.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)
By the final whistle, the Warriors halved the deficit—the final score read: St Vincent and the Grenadines 5, Trinidad and Tobago 3—but it was not nearly enough to avoid a humiliating exit from the Olympic Games at the first competitive rung.
Trinidad and Tobago now face Puerto Rico from 8 pm on Monday with no chance of advancing. The host nation, who drew 2-2 with “Vincey Heat” on Thursday night, will aim to whip the Warriors by a larger margin to snatch the sole qualification berth at stake.
It is a humbling indictment on the state of the local game at present.
The young Warriors would bear the stigma of this defeat. And five squad members—Alvin Jones, Jomal Williams, Xavier Rajpaul, Duane Muckette and Shackiel Henry—were on the National Under-20 Team that was also eliminated in the Caribbean preliminary round, three years ago.
However, Trinidad and Tobago’s Olympic qualifying campaign was always a disaster in the making, although probably more spectacularly than most may have envisaged.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)
On the day Vranes was unveiled as Under-23 coach, on 21 April 2015, he admitted he only learned of the team’s fixtures that very morning and was very unimpressed.
“If I knew (earlier) our qualifiers started in June, I would not have accepted,” Vranes told Wired868. “I had information that it was in August. I have a month to prepare the team but I will not say that we have no chance…
“We made plans for August and tomorrow is the first day of training. But I was told today that (the Olympic qualifiers will start in) June. Now, I have to sit down to make new plans.”
Vranes requested five different practice games against international opposition, including Panama. Every one was turned down for financial reasons.
Two weeks ago, the Warriors did snag a closed doors contest with Nicaragua at the Ato Boldon Stadium, which they lost 1-0. But by then the team was in disarray, as their failure to secure visas for an astonishing 15 members of their 20-man squad forced Vranes to recall players he had already let go.
Trinidad and Tobago only got 12 players to Puerto Rico in time for their first scheduled match against Suriname and just four of that number were in Vranes’ initial squad.
Suriname failed to show and was withdrawn from the competition. And Warriors manager David Muhammad cooed about the depth of his squad and the administrative effort of the support staff.
“The impression given is that the Trinidad and Tobago team was behind everyone else,” said Muhammad, on Wednesday, “but we are the only travelling team that is here and ready to play. So I am really proud of that…
“Now looking at how the other teams have fallen by the wayside thus far, it was a really impressive group effort by all of those persons and the staff out here.”
St Vincent had not arrived in Puerto Rico at the time. But they had little trouble in exposing the flaws in a Trinidad and Tobago team, which included players that Vranes deemed were not up to scratch over three weeks ago.
Gomez was one of the key players who missed the Olympic qualifying round due to his inability to secure travel documents.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)
Within a 25-minute spell yesterday, the Vincentians scored four times in the first half. United States-based strikers Rundell Winchester pulled back one and Defence Force winger Akeem Roach grabbed a double. But it was not enough for the Warriors.
And Trinidad and Tobago was out.
(Trinidad and Tobago Under-23 Team in Puerto Rico)
Goalkeepers: Aaron Enill (San Juan Jabloteh), Montell Joseph (Unattached);
Defenders: Jesus Perez (North East Stars), Josiah Trimmingham (San Juan Jabloteh), Leland Archer (College of Charleston—USA), Alvin Jones, Martieon Watson (both W Connection);
Midfielders: Duane Muckette, Neveal Hackshaw (both North East Stars), Jelani Felix (Defence Force), Xavier Rajpaul (College of Charleston—USA), Jabari Mitchell, Jomal Williams, Aikim Andrews (both W Connection), Kadeem Corbin (St Ann’s Rangers), Akeem Roach (Defence Force);
(Courtesy CONCACAF)
Forwards: Rundell Winchester (Portland Timbers 2—USA), Ricardo John (Virginia Tech—USA), Adrian Welch (St John’s University—USA), Shackiel Henry (Point Fortin Civic).
Ineligible: Keane McIvor (Lindsey Wilson College—USA).
Staff: Zoran Vranes (coach), David Muhammad (manager), Gilbert Bateau (assistant coach/trainer), Michael Taylor (physio), Esmond O’ Brien (equipment manager), Nigel Neverson (goalkeeper coach).
2016 Olympic qualifying results
(Thu Jun 25)
Puerto Rico 2, St Vincent and the Grenadines 2
(Sat Jun 27)
St Vincent and the Grenadines 5, Trinidad and Tobago 3 (Akeem Roach 2, Rundell Winchester)
(Mon Jun 29)
Puerto Rico v Trinidad and Tobago, 8 pm.
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Lasana Liburd is the managing director and chief editor at Wired868.com and a journalist with over 20 years experience at several Trinidad and Tobago and international publications including Play the Game, World Soccer, UK Guardian and the Trinidad Express.
We are third world. Anything you see go down here say otherwise?
Aaron Enil… Jabloteh ( as far as i know)…Sample of Central FC did not travel..visa issues…
Who was the starting Keeper ?
We shouldn’t have expected better, when the team was NEVER prepared. We barely had a bench of reserved players. To me that is a scandal. This is international football we’re talking about. But it make we sound so “Third World”.
If you fail to prepare eh, always prepare to fail., but nobody eh listening to your uncle. Gordon Pierre. Them really good yes.
Trinidad football team and the West Indies cricket team should switch sports and see if maybe they were in the wrong sport all along.
David is absolutely the worse manager in the entire world. Mr. Texter
@ Marc Aberdeen – Please allow me to quote you : “Being big and strong doesn’t make you good”. It’s the same sad old story…its like going to a shoemaker to extract a tooth . just don/t make simple commn sense . Football is a science a sport not ‘de sunday morning sweat”
Oops
Responsibility??? Trinidad leaders whether politics,sport,business do not account they just pass on the blame and continue to enjoy their position and rewards. Only Enterprise gets l locked down for crime ….ent
It would interesting to know how long St Vincent has been training and how many practice games and against what type of opponents they had.
This time I agree with Corneals analysis and recommendation.j, if the Coach has a plan and a vision firstly he must find the players to execute or make them from whatever base level he has to begin with,I guess it’s easy to bring in foreign players whose performance most times are below journeyman standard,it takes some ability skill and perseverance to create what you want though.
Wired family right now i so fed up not
only with the TTFA but we the footballing public who only talk talk and talk. TTFA elections due no one asking for constitutions etc. I want men to throw their hat in the ring now
not after general election!! And the so call revolutionaries where are they!!
Oh well….
Leslie noel it was st vincent
Imagine that … After Lasana Liburd wrote, edited, retracted, apologised and re-wrote the story they went on to lose…and to Grenada…… That’s karma for sure !!!
Sigh. This is getting worse with every match/ competition. A fish rots from the head. Lasana I am interested to know what needs to be done to remove these incompetent jokers at the helm of the TTFA. These fools cannot be allowed to continue with failure after failure
We fooling we self, yes… We love a sport that don’t want to have anything to do with us. As a matter of fact, Trinidad and Tobago does not even have a national sport! Do we?
It’s the same cycle year after year. We keep picking players on the wrong ability. Some one said it before, we need to have more intellectual and emotional players. Being big and strong doesn’t make you good. Africa tried that and their players break down mentally after the first half in World Cup.
Ah only hope that vanish didn’t go with that 3-5-2 system that’s outdated
My word!! This is a cross road moment we must decide seriously the way froward! The defensive system used by Varanes takes time to get accustom to so with all the changes going into the tournament the team was a disaster waiting to happen
Do not say that we is d land of d limbo low is very low.
It is sometimes difficult to say NO but football as in business when things are not right and there is no indication or serious intent to get the same things right, why bother embarrass yourself for the “clowns” who always know better and always have their exit strategy planned!
Vranes should have been stronger and said NO, this has been a farce from the outset and the clowns scrambling for an exit now should have been indentified and fired!
Preparation is KING in our business and not only team build and tactics but the sychological build is more important! Your team/players have to believe they can WIN! Imagine while we have been debating these pathetic issues over the last weeks imagine what the players must have been going through? They have been ignored, abused and thrown under the bus, shame on the TTFA and the usual suspects filling a position, earning a salary and producing this disgusting embarrassment to Trinidad & Tobago.
Social media around the world today is uncovering people in high places without competence, Mohammed and the administration at the TTFA should made fully accountable for this debacle.
Very sad day for our football Lasana. Feel sorry for the boys. This for sure is one game lost by the administrators.
TT shouldn’t even field a national team for a while and focus its spending on youth development. This is inexcusable.
Seriously?
We not be surprised by this result the players have been thru an emotional roller coaster the last few weeks with all the drama with visas and players in and out of the squad so keeping focused would have been very difficult 4 them because most if not all of them are mentally weak so once pressured is applied that would always be the end result these boys have a false sense of confidence that they are so called Big players which is created by the poor quality of our local professional league so let local teams continue 2 hinder players going abroad 4 their own benefit and these resullts would not change at all
agreed players today cant understand English farless his language
Good bye Vranes. Somebody, please deport that man
With the whole drama those guys went through how are they suppose to perform.
One and done. This and the previous U-20 team were good on paper, but came up short. They have been done an injustice. Steups!
Who played in the post
I see Gary Hector posted a partial line-up. I was covering WPL in Palo Seco and did not watch the match:
“Rundell and Shak Henry up front…Corbin and Aikim wide..Jomal and hackshaw in center…Alvin Jones and Perez full backs…Trimmingham is one center back”
What do we expect half ass prep time and no program of really building a team from scratch.
Did you got the starting lineup
Lol all I could do is laugh yes ..St Vincent hit us 5
I don’t believe where our football has reached.
The under 23 are the future of the sport here.
We are going backward because the players treat football as a game.
Not as a sport.
*sigh* how low can you go….?
I’d say a combination of the two, Nixon Benedict Caallender.
The state of local football or we have the wrong set of players?
Football and sports on awhole is a science together with emotional intelligence.
Maybe we need to rethink the intellectual and emotional quality of the players?
The “small goal” years have long gone.
When u fail to prepare well then prepare to fail
Well, I will press them on the issue at least.
Smh
I guarantee you nobody will Lasana.
Someone has to take responsibility for this farce.
I don’t know what to say Prince… I was surprised to be honest. I knew it would be very tough to qualify. But 4-0 down after the first half?!
I wonder if that jackass David Muhammad is still proud of he and his staff efforts?
Bunch of jokers. All of them! Every single person in the TTFA and currently working for the TTFA have to go before anything gets better. Raze it to the ground and start over. Nothing less will work.
I’m sick to the soul.
Well yess
Imagine that. … we can’t even beat PR…lack of preparation and a lack of talent…
Wow this is not a surprise
Honestly, I don’t think the Gold Cup squad would do good also. I’m utterly shamed of the guys. It’s as tho they have no passion for the game and money is their only motivation. No pride! No joy! It’s as if wearing the national color is just a regular football kit!