T&T U17s played “way, way above what they were given”; Cooper dissects Costa Rica loss

Are the Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Under-17 Team failures for their inability to defeat Costa Rica in their own backyard in a do-or-die World Cup qualifier?

Are Soca Warriors supporters justified in expecting wins in such scenarios, within the context of the two football nations?

Head coach Shawn Cooper did not pose those hypotheticals himself, but he did hint that a reality check might be in order when one reviews Trinidad and Tobago’s latest elimination from a World Cup qualifying series.

The young Soca Warriors came within three points of a spot at the Qatar 2025 Fifa U-17 World Cup last night—albeit in a bizarre new Concacaf qualifying format that comprised three to four matches, depending on the size of your group.

But Costa Rica stood in Trinidad and Tobago’s way and, across 90 minutes, the Warriors barely tested opposing goalkeeper Ian O’Rourke at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto in Alajuela.

“For what was given to us—the exposure that those boys got (or didn’t get)—they played way, way above what was given,” Cooper told Wired868. “The numbers don’t lie. Football is about statistics and when you analyse the game, the game was very closely contested until the penalty.

“You could not have seen in the performance [against Costa Rica] that these boys were not given the type of exposure they should have been given. They played way above [their level] and the game was as close as it could be.”

At the end of the night, Costa Rica had 53% possession with 412 passes to 375 to Trinidad and Tobago. There were three shots on target each.

For Cooper, the stats indicate that there was little to choose from between the two teams, who he insisted were “even stevens” until the 44th minute.

But, of course, only one team needed a win last night. Costa Rica would have still advanced with a draw, due to superior goal difference.

Cooper’s tactical overview hints at the dilemma he faced. Trinidad and Tobago needed three points but did not feel they were capable of going hell for leather against a traditionally formidable foe.

“I thought we nullified their strengths in terms of their both wingers who are very dynamic and got in a lot of crosses in during their previous games,” he said.

“Their number 10 (Sebastian Lopez) who was very instrumental in their previous games, we had him playing away from goal. So, I thought we did well defensively against them.”

In the build-up to Sunday’s crucial affair, Cooper noted that Guyana rattled Costa Rica with a high defensive press in their 2-2 draw. But, in the end, Trinidad and Tobago did not take that route—not quite.

Cooper explained that forward Josiah Kallicharan was asked to split Costa Rica’s two defenders (keep them from passing to each other, in an attempt to force them to attack on only one side) while his teammates attempted to block off passing routes into midfield.

“We were more concerned about [Costa Rica playing] balls into the middle third,” said the Trinidad and Tobago coach, who decided against trying to pinch balls off of their back four—which carries the risk of the opponents passing through your first line of pressure and into space.

“They are very confident in [getting] the ball higher up the park… We snuffed out their number 10 (Lopez). He didn’t get that room to play intricate passes into their 9 (Ethan Barley).

“Once you don’t get behind our backs, that is the most dangerous part of the field. If they are playing it in front of you, that is okay.”

And what about how Trinidad and Tobago hoped to win the match at the other end?

“Offensively we were able to come out of the back and get to the sides of the park, although they had their three front players pressing,” said Cooper. “We would have liked to have gotten more shots on goal from [Kallicharan] but he was closely marked.

“[…] And for the possession we had, we could have gotten a little more crosses into the box to use our aerial advantage. But I think, just like us, they did a good job in addressing our ability to play cross balls too.

“But it was a good game of football; an entertaining game of football. Both teams went for the win. It was our best performance of the tournament.”

Cooper described the penalty, awarded after Trinidad and Tobago defender Adam Pierre thrust his forearm out at Costa Rica attacker Isaac Badilla, as “a very unfortunate call”.

Initially, Canadian referee Michael Venne, who was well placed, allowed play to continue as Pierre emerged from the defence with the ball. But after furious waving by his assistant at the sideline, Guatemalan Jorge Lemus, Venne relented and pointed to the spot.

“Adam Pierre was in possession of the ball and he tried to separate himself [from Badilla] because they (the Costa Rican footballers) were playing very close and using their bodies,” said Cooper.

• Canadian referee Michael Venne offers Costa Rica a penalty for Trinidad and Tobago defender Adam Pierre’s use of his forearm against opposing attacker, Isaac Badilla.

“Because the player was shorter than him, it looked worse than it was. He went down holding his face but jumped up celebrating as soon as the penalty was given.”

Cooper noted that last night’s match was the first time many of his players faced Central American opposition, while even those who did had not done so since the 2023 Concacaf U-15 Championship.

Costa Rica, he said, played two games against Caribbean teams (Guyana and the British Virgin Islands) before Sunday’s match, which would have helped prepare them for the athleticism and physicality of the Trinidad and Tobago troops.

In contrast, the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) declined an invitation to compete in a pre-tournament international series in Mexico and also failed to deliver a camp in Panama with practice games against their local clubs.

“We didn’t have that luxury, in terms of preparation against Central American opposition,” said Cooper, who pointed to the difference in tempo and tricks on and off the ball by their Spanish-speaking continental rivals.

The penalty meant Trinidad and Tobago needed to score at least twice in 45 minutes. Cooper responded with a tactical change on the field—but it was not one that involved his substitutes.

“I selected a team with players who can do multiple positions,” he said.

So, Cooper pushed right back Talan McMillan to right wing, rather than introduce QRC and Pro Series winger Jasai Theophilus, for instance.

“If that was the best option, we would have used it,” said Cooper. “We needed someone to get down and get crosses and then still have to do the function of the wide player.”

Attacking midfielder Caden Trestrail, a Fatima College student who recently signed with Defence Force, was Trinidad and Tobago’s first sub. But he and attacker Timothy Valentine were not introduced until the 75th minute, when they replaced playmaker Dominic Joseph and forward Phillip Nelson respectively.

“We were contemplating taking over Dominic Joseph because he was having a problem with the physicality in the middle,” said Cooper. “But as soon as we decided to make the change he started doing better, so we decided to leave him on a bit.

“But when nothing came out of it, we brought in Caden. He tried his best to get into the game but he couldn’t as he would have liked.”

Against Sint Maarten, Cooper used Trestrail and Joseph together to good effect. But he suggested that trying to repeat the trick against Costa Rica would have been reckless.

“You have to look at your defensive duties too,” he said. “You can throw the kitchen sink and say if you lose, you lose; but the game has to be planned out.

“[…] What you can get away with against Sint Maarten, you can’t get away with against Costa Rica. It is a case of horses for courses.”

Cooper explained that Sint Maarten were playing deep and Trinidad and Tobago needed more creativity to take advantage of the space his players got facing the opposing goal. So, Trestrail was used as a second forward then.

However, he felt his team needed to attack the space behind the Costa Rica defence or attack expected crosses yesterday. For that reason, he chose not to partner Trestrail and Joseph while he opted for brawn upfront.

“We thought the pace and physicality of Josiah [Kallicharan] and Nelson and then Valentine, who is quicker on his feet [than Trestrail],” said Cooper, “was what we needed to unsettle their defence.”

Arima North Secondary utility player Criston “CJ” Gomez, who recently swapped FC Ginga for QPCC FC, was Cooper’s third and final change in the 85th minute.

A talented midfield organiser, Gomez was recovering from a groin injury when the competition started and Cooper did not think he had the legs to do the required defensive work over 90 minutes.

“You could always in hindsight say you could have done this or that,” he said. “But would that have been the solution? You don’t know. We used substitutions that we thought could have gotten the job done.

“At this level, you need experience and consistency in these big games. We made what we thought were the best decisions.”

In the end, Trinidad and Tobago’s best efforts on the night were not good enough to advance. But were they prepared for success?

“Our players were given on the job training—they were learning as they went along and I think they did very well,” said Cooper. “We didn’t get the goals they wanted but I can’t fault any of them. They put in a shift, they played very well and they left everything on the field.

“We have to look at what was done and wasn’t done. The game is just the finished product; you have to look at the foundation that was laid. I think for what was given, those boys represented well.

“It is just what we do after—and if we learn from what we didn’t do and what we should do.”

Cooper pointed out that even proper preparation does not guarantee success. Jamaica, for instance, played in the Mexico invitational tournament that Trinidad and Tobago missed, while the young Reggae Boyz also had the benefit of being group seeds.

Yet, Jamaica fell at the last hurdle against El Salvador when they only needed a draw.

Trinidad and Tobago, he said, has a lot of work to do in closing the gap with Concacaf’s top teams. In countries like Costa Rica, all club teams have proper facilities with multiple training grounds, guest houses and a gym.

In the two-island republic, not even the Home of Football has a gym while even top clubs like Defence Force and San Juan Jabloteh have to share training grounds.

“From time to time, we punch above our weight and feel that is a given—but it is not a given,” said Cooper. “We have to do things the right way… We as Trinidadians look at results, but we should also look at preparation.”

Regardless of the final result, Cooper said he is proud of his team’s efforts.

“It was a very tight game,” he said. “They had the home crowd going behind them and they were very vociferous—at times hostile.

“At the end of the game, the Costa Rican supporters applauded our boys because they knew they saw a good game of football. Our boys never wilted under the pressure of the occasion; they went out and played and they fought to the end.”