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The Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team lost 1-0 to Jamaica tonight in a friendly contest at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in Montego Bay.
The outing was the first of a two-match series which concludes on Sunday 9 February with a meeting at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex in Kingston.
(via TTFA Media.)
Both teams fielded mostly home-based players, as the game falls outside the Fifa international match window and the bulk of the respective nations’ overseas players are unavailable.
Thirty-two-year-old Mount Pleasant Football Academy defender Sue-Lae McCalla got the winning goal for the “Reggae Boyz” in the 80th minute, on the occasion of his fourth senior international cap.
The outing was Dwight Yorke’s second fixture in charge of the Soca Warriors, after a 3-1 loss away to Saudi Arabia in December.
Yorke said he was satisfied with his team’s approach to the game, despite the eventual result.
(via TTFA Media.)
“Jamaica [are] obviously higher than us in the ranking—our target was to match them and see how [wide] the gap is,” said Yorke, in the post-game press conference. “[I am] fairly happy with how we performed tonight and the attitude from the players… We didn’t win the game […] but I thought we had some really good moments in the game as well.
“Of course, people are going to look at the results but we have a bigger vision in terms of where we are trying to get to, and we continue to build. This is a really big stepping stone for us.”
Yorke suggested too that his Warriors did some good work in possession during the build-up phase, although he conceded that more needs to be done in and around the opposing penalty box.
“Where we were lacking was in that cutting third,” he said. “Again, it is an opportunity for us to see what they are capable of doing and know where we need to improve and keep building on the team.
(via TTFA Media.)
“Overall, we are very, very happy. I know the result is what people are going to be looking at but I am very happy with the way things [went last night].”
Yorke said the “big picture” for him so far is trying to assess as many players as possible before Trinidad and Tobago’s first competitive match. For the players who have not been selected yet, he urged them to keep performing and be patient.
“Any player who thinks he has been overlooked; he’s not alone,” said Yorke. “My message is keep your head up. It is going to be a year’s journey.
(via TTFA Media.)
“If you’re available and good enough and if [you] continues to do what [you have] been doing, there is only so much one can be overlooked.”
Yorke’s first international friendly game in Riyadh was played behind closed doors with no live stream allowed. Tonight, the majority of Soca Warriors fans were also unable to follow the action on the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) YouTube page, despite being told that the game could be accessed for a small fee.
Those were able to see the match complained bitterly about the quality of the feed.
Up to the time of publication, there was no explanation regarding why the game was not readily available.
Team
Trinidad and Tobago: 21.Jabari St Hillaire (GK); 2.Isaiah Garcia, 5.Jamal Jack, 4.Josiah Trimmingham, 17.Justin Garcia, 6.Darnell Hospedales, 7.Steffen Yeates, 8.Michel Poon-Angeron, 10.Kevin Molino (captain), 12.Isaiah Lee, 13.Jariel Arthur.
Substitutes: 1.Marvin Phillip (GK), 22.Aaron Enill (GK), 3.Joevin Jones, 9.Nathaniel James, 11.Kaihim Thomas, 14.John-Paul Rochford, 15.Liam Burns, 16.Jesse Williams, 18.Tyrese Bailey, 19.Noah Powder, 20.Derrel Garcia, 23.Brent Sam, 24.Lindell Sween.
Coach: Dwight Yorke.
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“Tonight, the majority of Soca Warriors fans were also unable to follow the action on the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) YouTube page, despite being told that the game could be accessed for a small fee.”
I don’t want to hear it. Fans were unable to follow the action because they refused to pay to see their national team play. The same fans pay without so much as a whimper to see their favourite EPL, Serie A or La Liga team play. Spare me.
For many, including myself, the link simply said unavailable. Judging from the comments, those who were able to see it said the quality of the feed was horrendous.
Lasana, OK. So there was a technical issue. I’m sorry for those who paid and couldn’t watch. But the majority of people complaining want it free (paid for by advertizers) local TV. And that’s not happening for a friendly match with little international appeal.