Molino: We will learn and move on; Warriors hope to rebound with Guyana win

Editor Tuesday 25 June 2019 National Football, Volley 1 Comment

The Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team will have a final chance to pick up a result at the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup tomorrow when they close off their Group D assignments against Guyana at the Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas from 5.30 pm (6.30pm TT Time).

Both teams lost their two opening group matches with the Soca Warriors at the bottom of the table after conceding eight goals against Panama and the United States without scoring.

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago stand-in captain Daneil Cyrus (far right) has some choice words for USA midfielder Weston McKennie while goal scorer Paul Arriola (centre) is jostled by T&T players during their Gold Cup contest in Cleveland on 22 June 2019.
USA won 6-0.
(Courtesy TTFA Media)

US-based midfielder Neveal Hackshaw, who played 90 minutes at left back in their 6-0 loss against the US on Saturday, insisted that the Warriors want to get something out of their final outing.

“The result [against the US] touched us pretty hard—we were focused for the first 65 minutes and then we had a bad spell after that,” Hackshaw told the TTFA Media. “We are now focusing on the last game to try and get something from it. We have to stay positive and take the game very serious.

“The guys here want to win the match and we have to listen to what the coach wants and go out and apply ourselves.”

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Trinidad and Tobago were infamously eliminated from the Brazil 2014 World Cup qualifying series after a 2-1 loss away to Guyana. But that bad result against the ‘Golden Jaguars’ in 2011 was the exception rather than the norm.

In 21 meetings, Trinidad and Tobago have 14 wins, five draws and just two losses. At present, the Warriors are ranked 92nd in the world by FIFA while Guyana are 177th, which makes them the lowest ranked nation at the Gold Cup.

Hackshaw hopes the Warriors return to winning ways against the Jaguars as they look forward to their opening Concacaf Nations League assignment away to Martinique on 6 September.

“We’re trying to forget about the US game but its hard because it hurts,” said Hackshaw, “but we also have to start looking ahead to what is coming up with the Nations League and Qatar 2022 qualifiers. We have to believe and be patient and also start taking the steps to get over this and prepare ourselves for the future.”

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago defender Alvin Jones (right) beats USA defender Tim Ream to an aerial ball during Gold Cup action in Cleveland on 22 June 2019.
(Courtesy TTFA Media)

Warriors ace midfielder Kevin Molino, 29, said the team continues to harbour ambitions of success at the international level and will move on from the weekend’s humiliation.

“It’s a difficult loss for us but we have to move on, pick ourselves up and go again,” said Molino. “It was not the best [performance from] us in terms of the manner we conceded that amount of goals in twelve minutes or so; and we learn and move on. Now we have one more game which we will prepare for and go in there looking to get something positive.

“Then we return home and start the process again. There is some serious football coming up and we still have that ambition to push ourselves and achieve things in the region and also on a bigger scale in international football.”

At present, Trinidad and Tobago are on a run of seven successive matches without scoring a goal.