Chaves rescues win for T&T U-20s against “Vincy Heat”; Canada demolish Dominica

Trinidad and Tobago got their Peru 2025 Fifa Under-20 World Cup campaign off to a winning start last night, as substitute Michael Chaves sent over 3,000 patrons floating out of the Hasely Crawford Stadium with a last gasp winner over St Vincent and the Grenadines.

That is the glass half-full version.

The other side of the coin is that coach Brian Haynes, with the most gifted collection of Trinidad and Tobago players in over a decade, failed to produce a cohesive unit and needed a stoppage time winner to squeak past an unheralded opponent.

At present, the young Soca Warriors trail Canada by seven goals in Group D and the hosts will almost certainly need to defeat Dominica by double figures on Sunday to climb to the top of the standings.

Anything short of that, and Canada will need only a point to grab the sole qualification spot into the next round when the two nations clash in Port of Spain on Tuesday 27 February.

Throw in an injury to playmaker Lindell Sween too and there was plenty to worry about, if you are so inclined.

Earlier yesterday, Canada kicked off Group D with a lopsided 8-0 win over a Dominica team that registered only one attack on the opposing goal—a cross-cum-shot by flanker Roosevelt Coipel, which was taken low by custodian Gregoire Swiderski in the 50th minute.

Canada never got out of first gear. They didn’t have to.

Dominica were well outclassed and could barely string a half-dozen passes together. And they were already four goals behind when flanker Fabio Drigo lunged in to retrieve possession and ended up with a straight red card from Saint Kitts and Nevis referee Kimbell Ward instead.

Canada’s last two goals came from 15-year-old CF Montreal Academy full back Sergei Kozlovskiy, who scored directly from a corner kick and then with a rocket from inside the area—both off his left boot.

Trinidad and Tobago had no reason to expect such an easy ride against the “Vincy Heat”. Yet they were still left reeling just seconds into the match, when the visitors took the lead.

After a long diagonal ball from the kickoff failed to pick out Rio Cardines down the flank, SVG got a throw-in, worked the ball across their back four, down the left flank and then into the Trinidad and Tobago penalty area—where attacker Steven Pierre was bundled over by goalkeeper Ailon Panton.

Vincentian captain Kirtney Franklyn converted from the spot to take the lead. Only two Trinidad and Tobago players had actually touched the ball up to that point.

It was the definition of a nightmarish start and things got worse still in the 28th minute, as Pierre doubled their lead by redirecting an inswinging corner kick.

Trinidad and Tobago’s problems went beyond the score summary at that point. It was not just that Haynes suggested he was building a possession-oriented team and emphatically failed to deliver, but that—four months, two international friendlies and one competitive fixture later—it is still difficult to decipher what exactly is T&T’s attacking credo.

From up in the media box, the instructions seemed to be: get the ball to the front four and let them figure it out.

Flanker Derrel “Zoom Zoom” Garcia, for one, struggled to impact on the game—and the Warriors supporters let him know it. But he seemed to be repeatedly improvising, without the comfort of a pattern of play around him.

Is it that Trinidad and Tobago’s attackers were not sticking to the plan? Or was coach Haynes promoting an extempo competition upfront?

Ironically, it was a defender, team captain Cody Cooper, who brought the Warriors back into the game with a 37th minute finish.

The lanky son of National Under-17 Team head coach Shawn Cooper reduced the arrears with a well struck half volley, after the visitors failed to clear a Rio Cardines corner kick.

Forward Larry Noel, incidentally, won the corner with a neat pivot and shot on the turn after a pass from Sween. The understanding between the former San Juan North Secondary teammates was Trinidad and Tobago’s best weapon in the first half, and Noel looked in the mood for sure.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ best moments already looked well behind them.

Undoubtedly, the Lesser Antilles islands—with a combined population of just over 100,000—knew how they wanted to play in the build-up phase. But they lacked the discipline to resist dribbling in risky areas of the field.

And, on defence, their full backs were prone to allowing Trinidad and Tobago wingers to control and turn to face them, before they tried to get close. Surely that was not going to end well.

Yet, at least twice, Cooper was caught out at the back for a lack of pace and possibly being slow to spot danger. While neither defender Russel Francois alongside him or holding midfielders Levi Jones and Abayomi George distinguished themselves on the night.

Trinidad and Tobago could get the goals to sneak a result, but it seemed they could just as easily concede again too.

Tactically, it was uninspiring. As a spectacle, it was probably more exciting than The Beekeeper.

A reported calf strain to Sween forced a change near to the end of the first half and Haynes opted to insert Chaves. With Chaves, Cardines and Garcia flitting around Noel, Trinidad and Tobago were certainly busy—and Vincy Heat players were clearly starting to tire.

In the 64th minute, Noel got the goal his centre forward play deserved, as he burst through the St Vincent and the Grenadines’ front door to prod the ball past opposing goalkeeper Tristan John.

Jason Statham, nothing.

Josiah Ochoa, who had just replaced Jones in the midfield and offered more creativity in the role, created the opportunity for Noel. Presumably encouraged by the input of his substitutes, coach Haynes made a triple change in the 69th minute with Jeremiah Cateau, Malachi Webb and Tyrell Moore replacing George, Garcia and Noel respectively.

Surely the Vincentian players and supporters were the only persons at the stadium—outside of the Trinidad and Tobago technical staff—who were happy to see Noel leave the field. But Cateau and Webb injected more energy into the game, which was one-way traffic by now.

Webb slipped at the point of contact, when running on to a Cardines cross in the 78th minute. And, five minutes later, the St Benedict’s College student fizzed the ball across the opposing goal without any attacker gambling to meet it.

One minute into stoppage time, Webb won a free kick on the edge of the opposing area and Cardines’ strike was tipped on to the bar by John and hurriedly cleared.

Trinidad and Tobago looked to be out of time. And then came a turnover from the Vincey Heat with the young Warriors quickly relaying the ball forward to Chaves.

And the young man, who came to prominence a javelin’s throw from the stadium at Fatima College, found the winner with a swing of his left boot!

Trinidad and Tobago overcame Saint Vincent and the Grenadines by three goals to two. That was the good news. It was also the bad news.

Coach Haynes and his troops must improve—and quickly.

The Canada National Under-20 Team did not hold a single training session or camp before they landed in Trinidad last Friday. Yet, they looked like the best unit in Group D last night. That is unlikely to change in four days.

However, Trinidad and Tobago played with dynamism, determination. physicality and some individual skill, all while being cheered on by a partisan crowd.

 

Will that be enough to trouble Canada? Half-full or half-empty?

We will know soon enough.

(Teams)

Trinidad and Tobago (4-2-3-1): 1.Ailan Panton (GK); 5.Lyshaun Morris, 4.Cody Cooper (captain), 3.Russel Francois, 2.Duhrell Young; 8.Abayomi George (12.Jeremiah Cateau 69), 6.Levi Jones (15.Josiah Ochoa 52); 7.Rio Cardines, 10.Lindell Sween (13.Michael Chaves 45), 11.Derrel Garcia (19.Malachi Webb 69); 9.Larry Noel (14.Tyrell Moore 69).

Unused substitutes: 18.Bryan Gafiuk (GK), 21.Makaya Taylor (GK), 16.Akil Henry, 17.Jaden Williams, 20.J’lon Matthews.

Coach: Brian Haynes

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (4-2-1-3): 1.Tristan John (GK); 19.Dimitri Thomas, 2.Tyrique Stephens, 3.Lerence Benjamin, 4.Joenaldo Payne; 5.Sebastian Alexander, 18.Mackellie Ferdinand (8.Juemar Luke 72); 17.Frankroy Cain (16.Aj Delpeshe 59); 9.Isiah Charles, 10.Kirtney Franklyn (captain) (6.Logan Cozier 63), 11.Steven Pierre.

Unused substitutes: 20.Devon Morgan (GK), 21.Jermaine Jarvis (GK), 7.J’quan Glasgow, 12.Lazaro Lynch, 13.Kentre Gordan, 14.Amaro Charles, 15.Emroy Edwards.

Coach: Wade Jackson

Referee: Ignacio Fuentes (Guatemala)

Concacaf U-20 Championship Qualifiers

Group D

(Friday 23 September)

Trinidad and Tobago 3 (Cody Cooper 37, Larry Noel 64, Michael Chaves 90+5), St Vincent and the Grenadines 1 (Kirtney Franklyn 3 pen, Steven Pierre 28) at Hasely Crawford Stadium;

Canada 8 (Myles Morgan 8, 36, 47, Santiago Lopez 26, 65, Kevaughn Tavernier 27, Sergei Kozlovskiy 86, 90), Dominica 0 at Hasely Crawford Stadium.

Upcoming fixtures

(Sunday 25 February)

St Vincent and the Grenadines vs Canada, 4pm, Hasely Crawford Stadium;

Dominica vs Trinidad and Tobago, 7pm, Hasely Crawford Stadium;

(Tuesday 27 February)

Dominica vs St Vincent and the Grenadines, 4pm, Hasely Crawford Stadium;

Trinidad and Tobago vs Canada, 7pm, Hasely Crawford Stadium.