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The Trinidad and Tobago National Under-17 Team arguably started today as underdogs in Group E but ended it as group leaders, as they downed Bermuda 3-1 in their opening 2019 Concacaf Under-17 Championship fixture.
The result virtually assure the Junior Soca Warriors of a place in the tournament’s Round of 16 stage, as three from the four Group E teams advance to the knockout stage with only the table proppers facing early elimination.
T&T won 3-1.
(Copyright Concacaf)
Mexico and Jamaica complete the Group E quartet and both also met each other this evening with the North American outfit prevailing 1-0.
National Under-17 Team head coach Stern John hailed the vital result in his first competitive match on the job.
“It’s a critical win for us because we knew this game was one we needed to pick up points to put ourselves in a good position to advance to the next stage,” John told the TTFA Media.
Bermuda are preparing for their maiden Gold Cup appearance at senior level while their Under-17 squad has been in preparation in months, so they were not short of confidence going into today’s affair. But Trinidad and Tobago were hungrier and more positive and got due reward in the 24th minute.
Lanky forward Justin Araujo-Wilson deftly took a pass from teammate Jean-Heim Mc Fee into his path and evaded retreating defender Mazhi Simmons in one fluent motion before burying into the far corner with his right boot. It was a goal made on Mucurapo Street with a current Fatima College student supplying a past pupil.
[dfp-ad]It was not the only debt of gratitude that Trinidad and Tobago would owe to Fatima on the day either.
Arajuo-Wilson doubled the Warriors’ lead, 14 minutes later, with a left footed finish from close quarters off a pass from Netherlands-based attacking midfielder Tyrese Pierre.
And, when Bermuda set pulses racing by pulling a goal back through Nazuri Dailey in the 75th minute, Fatima midfielder Andrew De Gannes came off the bench to settle the frayed nerves with a speculative left footed effort from distance in the 92nd minute.
The fourth Fatima player in the squad was the captain Zachary Welch who played as a midfield anchor for the Warriors.
John gave qualified praise to his charges who almost conceded an equaliser in the 81st minute, only for Bermuda attacker Ne-Jai Tucker to bang his penalty off an upright.
“We made hard work of it at the end,” said John. “I said before the game that the key for us would be settling early and the goal by Justin helped but we should have done better in the second half to take the game away from them.
“We kept them in it and they didn’t lie down.”
Conversely, Trinidad and Tobago could have been out of sight long before the final whistle with defender Luke Savery and Araujo-Wilson both striking the bar from good scoring opportunities.
It will get tougher from here with the Warriors set to face Jamaica on Friday evening before ending the group stage against Mexico on Sunday.
Bermuda must defeat either Jamaica or Mexico and hope that Trinidad and Tobago fail to pick up any points in those games to deny the twin island republic of progress.
John stressed that they are not nearly satisfied yet, though.
“I think we needed to be a bit more disciplined and keep the ball a bit better,” said the National Under-17 head coach and Tobago’s record senior team goal scorer, “but I was pleased with the way we transitioned into attack and created chances. Justin took his two goals well and should have had a third and then Andrew took his goal very well.
“It’s just the first win and there’s much more to do here so we’ll recover for this and get ready for Jamaica.”
T&T U-17: 20.Kahlil Oliver (GK); 2.Nigel Carraby, 3.Luke Savery (18.Isa Sayeed 81), 4.Jordon Britto (10.Andrew De Gannes 79), 5.Cephas St Rose; 6.Zachary Welch (captain), 17.Kevan Kahoussi, 19.Ajani Fortune; 11.Jean-Heim Mc Fee (12.Curtis De Leon 54), 9.Justin Araujo-Wilson, 8.Tyrese Pierre;
Unused substitutes: 1.Isaiah Williams (GK), 7.Jaiye Sheppard, 13.Gary Griffith III, 14.Jerrell Nixon, 15.Jeremy Lashley, 16.Keilon Burnett-Acevaro.
Coach: Stern John
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where we can watch these games?
Spencer, it’s on Flow Sports 2 here.
Step 2 completed now step 3
3:2. Good win. We are prone to defensive lapses and fitness is an issue. We have conceded two goals (and a penalty) in the final minutes of our two matches. But that win secures at least second place in the group. Well done.
Keith Look Loy would have loved to see more patient possession to close out the game but fitness and focus/concentration can be tough at that stage even when well prepared.
Big win for sure!
Hoping that some of these youths continues on their journey to the U20 and then unto the senior team because many of the times they disappears in the wilderness after attending the schools in my second sweetest country and not even looking back wanting to represent our sweet country
The same man who couldn’t control a ball now we leading JAMAICA 3/1 congratulations STERN & KENWAYNE
Christo Araujo!!!
Step one now step two focus!!!!!
Strive on Fatima Boys…Strive on…#NitendoVinces
More Match Highlights, but missing T&T’s 3rd goal.
Match Highlights
By the way what happened to the game yesterday Jamaica vs Mexico?
Earl Mango Pierre mexico 1 jamaica 0
Trey Hart Very interesting Thanks man
Wondered if any of the staff got to see Jamaica play.
Congratulations young soca Warriors.
Glad for the win, and I expected it, but there wasn’t really much between the teams. Thankfully we were able to ride our luck, which you need at times in these tournaments. Hopefully it will give use the confidence needed to compete at a higher level in the next two games against Jamaica and Mexico.
https://www.concacaf.com/en/under-17s-men/game-detail/471326#tab_match=match-details
Congrats to team and staff!
The goalkeeper seems to be a very brave fella but he has to watch is weight while getting older and l like how some of the other kids are big and strong let me guess they are from South and they are eating the good food not chicken and chips and as I said before our Coaching and training staff have to concentrate on their fitness level , two of the defenders pulled up with the cramps hence the reason for one of the goals that scored against us.
Earl Mango Pierre the keeper is actually from the east. And plays for San Juan Jabloteh
Earl that cramp thing is something I was speaking about, not taking away from the coaches. But if those boys had more match fitness they might have been better prepared… but I’m glad we got the win and hope they can build on it
Joshua Mickel Lamb really like is confidence and I am hoping that he stays focus and continue playing the beautiful game
Earl Mango Pierre Yeah. He’s 15 … and his confidence and composure is way beyond his years…
As I have always said that these teams doesn’t blow us out and I am positively certain that their preparations are always better than ours but because of our players with the natural talent and of course those who attends the colleges and universities and professional teams and plays in my second sweetest country where the football is better organize on the real professional level we always give them a run for their monies and sometimes winning or drawing the game so as you stated if only our teams are always better prepared I am positively certain that we will do much better and of course with the real professional coaches in charge also our players fitness and the concentration must always be top of the line in every game , when the defender went down with the cramps that was when the Bermuda player scored the goal and they will really have to step it up especially against Mexico and Jamaica
Joshua Mickel Lamb I have two DVDs (1) Goalkeeper training for beginners (2) Advanced Goalkeeper training and I will definitely have to get them to him so that he can see what it really takes to be a real top of the line professional goalkeeper
And just letting our wanna be Coaches and even the present Coaches that this is what makes a real top of the line professional Coach not some of the Coaches in our sweet country that likes to Cuss our players in order to get their points across and I am not calling any names because I don’t want anyone to threaten to take me to court lol Coaches should always be teachers and managers and also understand the needs of our players and try to help them always and they will always try their best to win for you and that is how I use to treat my players back in my Coaching days in my second sweetest country so I am hoping that Coach Stern John saw this clip already and if he didn’t he needs to do so and others who have his same mentality Them really good yes
Earl Mango Pierre sometimes them boys need a good cussin eh lol
Joshua Mickel Lamb guess they should’ve asked rangers for their “scientific” training ??
Trey Hart I don’t know what you speaking about na
This past weekend I decided to go and take in the youth football in the Police Barracks my Police VS La Horketta U 12 I think it was and there was this Fat fella I was told was the assistant coach for the visiting team while their real coach sat on the bench and if you hear how this fella carrying on with these youth players more confusing them than helping them and although they won the game my police coach at halftime changed the better goalkeeper and that was when the opponent started scoring the goals fuss he wasn’t ready so I said to myself maybe he just wanted to give the other goal keeper a run and when he couldn’t take it anymore he tooked him of and put back his best keeper eh then of course it was to late and when I call them bootleg they does get vex with me and I just left with seeing the rest of the games because I really don’t like watching the beautiful game on the field that I left 35 yrs ago or more and it is in the same condition I am really feeling for our youth players that have to play on the fields the same in other parts of our sweet country Them really good yes
Trey Hart ouch!!!
We take the points and run. Luck is part of football. Bermuda should have equalized to make it 2:2 and their goalkeeper gave away a horrible third goal. That said, it’s always necessary and nice to have a win in your first match. We must improve the defending. It was slack. The remaining matches will be much harder in all departments.
Keith Look Loy We also seem to have run out of steam early in the second half…I could hear the coaches on the sideline urging our forward players to press the Bermudan defenders.
Brian Springer this may get progressively worse due to the relatively short preparation time
Brian Jordan And the short recovery time.
Keith Look Loy didn’t expect anything different from you sir
Keith Look Loy TRINIDAD &TOBAGO 3 JAMAICA 2 Congratulations
Paula Araujo-Wilson yay!
Paula Araujo-Wilson yay!
Lasana Liburd…and info on the DeLeon kid ??..he looks a bit quality ..
Gary I don’t know much about him at present. Will check.
Lasana Liburd danke.
guess he was one from the USA scouting mission ?
And maybe he have the same blood running through his veins the same like our greatest player that represented our sweet country Coach Leroy De Leon and I am hoping that the Coaches gives him some more playing time in the next games eh Them really good yes.
Luke Savery hit the upright not Cephas ….
Pleased to see a win, triumph against JA and we looking good