Haynes suggests three-pronged plan to beat Canada, after T&T whip Dominica 5-0

Trinidad and Tobago head coach Brian Haynes says his team can beat Canada in Tuesday’s deciding Concacaf U-20 Championship Qualifier and he has a plan to get the three points

The National Under-20 Team beat Dominica 5-0 yesterday—with a double from forward Larry Noel—while Canada eased past Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4-0 in the earlier match at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

Trinidad and Tobago and Canada meet from 7pm at the same venue on Tuesday. The North American team only need a draw to advance while the young Soca Warriors will be eliminated if they do not win.

Haynes said Canada, who beat Dominica 8-0 last Friday in the opening Group D fixture, are formidable opponents. But he suggested that he has a three-pronged plan for the “Maple Leaf”.

“One, we are going to outwork them—the first thing is that we will outwork them,” he said, in the post-game press conference. “Then, we will try our best to outplay them, and then, most important, outscore them. There is no other way to beat an opponent as formidable as strong as they are.

“So that’s what we need to do. With those three things, we will come out ahead.”

Both T&T and Canada are on six points with Canada ahead on a superior goal difference. Only the group winner goes through to the Concacaf U20 Championships.

Haynes says he and his technical staff would review Canada’s first two games today to fine-tune their game plan.

“We are going to spend most of the day watching videos and make sure we understand what their strengths are and try to find out what their weaknesses are,” he said, “and come up with a game plan that will not only test them but make us very comfortable to win a game here at home against a formidable opponent.

“I am very happy about the fact that we get to play them.”

Yesterday, the Soca Warriors needed an 11-goal win over Dominica to leapfrog Canada at the top of Group D.

Haynes made four changes to the team that beat Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3-2, with attacker Michael Chaves, flanker J’lon Matthews, midfielder Josiah Ochoa and defender Akil Henry replacing Lindell Sween, Derrel Garcia, Levi Jones and Russel Francois respectively.

Only the Sween swap owed anything to health concerns.

Chaves, who got the late winner against Vincy Heat, fired Trinidad and Tobago ahead last night inside the opening three minutes off a Matthews cross, while flanker Rio Cardines also got on the score sheet. Both goals sandwiched an opportunistic double by Noel.

However, Trinidad and Tobago only scored once in the second half—despite playing for half an hour against 10 players.

Noel had a penalty saved by substitute goalkeeper Anton Wyke in his first involvement of the match, after Dominica custodian Ronny Lockhart saw red for a foul on the former San Juan North student that led to the spot kick in the first place.

Noel spurned another good scoring opportunity for his hattrick by a misplaced lobbed effort in the 72nd minute, although he did tee up Garcia for an 82nd minute finish.

Notably, Dominica, who got only one chance on goal against Canada with a spliced cross-cum-shot, might have scored within seconds against Trinidad and Tobago—after Ochoa and right back Lyshaun Morris combined to needlessly give away a corner kick.

And, even with 10 players on the field, substitute Ajani Richards almost got a consolation item with a swerving free kick in the 76th minute that required a flying save from Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper Ailan Panton.

Haynes suggested that his team committed fewer mistakes than in their opener against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and was pleased with what he saw.

“The players did most of the work they were to do to get a clean sheet,” he said. “That was the important part of the exercise.”

Equally important to Haynes was staving off “leg-weariness”, as they prepare for their third game in five days.

Canada coach Andrew Olivieri made nine changes to his starting team against SVG, with only his third-choice goalkeeper, Nathaniel Abraham, remaining on the sidelines.

Haynes tried as best as possible to also rotate his squad.

“I was trying to make sure—it was difficult—that everyone would not play another 90 minutes,” he said. “[…] I made one mistake, well the goalkeeper (Panton) is not that much because he is not that much on the field, but my left back, Duhrell Young. He played another 90 minutes.

“He played well as well but I was trying to make sure guys did not play two 90-minute games. It is difficult with just five substitutes but I came close and now we will have to use more rest and rehabilitation, so we will be fresh and ready on Tuesday against Canada.”

Noel and Chaves stayed on the field for the full 90 minutes yesterday, despite both enduring some strong challenges. However, Haynes noted that neither attacker played for the full 90 minutes against the Vincy Heat.

“It’s like damned if I do and damned if I don’t,” said Haynes, who opted to give a breather to the likes of captain Cody Cooper and Cardines instead. “So, I want to make sure I keep the balance. Sometimes we make mistakes as coaches, [but] when it’s zero on the board we are happy.”

Among the substitutes last night, Haynes praised defender Jaden Williams who replaced Lyshaun Morris at right back. The Fatima College student and QPCC player, according to the coach, followed his tactical instructions well and put himself in the frame for the crucial clash with Canada.

“We saw the leg-weariness with Morris, and we thought the best thing was to get him off the field and get him rested, and hopefully fresh for the next game,” said Haynes. “Williams made a name for himself by playing the way he did. Now it makes my job so much easier to decide who I have to pick between them.

“But that’s my job. It’s not a problem.”

There were repercussions for not giving Sween any minutes, though. The San Juan North schoolboy and Morvant Caledonia United attacker checked out of the Saint Vincent game with a calf strain but was declared fit to play against Dominica.

Haynes admitted that Sween was not happy about missing out on playing time last night. But the coach can live with that, so long as he is available for their crunch match against Canada.

“It is much better that he would be upset with me and be able to play against Canada,” said Haynes, “than to be happy and play and get hurt and can’t play against Canada. So, I had to weigh those options.”

Haynes said his team are in a good place and they are looking forward to facing Canada, who have six players that competed in the 2023 Fifa Under-17 World Cup.

“As a coach, I was extremely happy that they completed the task,” he said. “Two wins going into the last game against Canada, who also have two wins. But we’re at home so we intend to give it a good go and, hopefully, come out with the victory.”

(Teams)

Trinidad and Tobago (4-2-3-1): 1.Ailan Panton (GK); 5.Lyshaun Morris (17.Jaden Williams 59), 4.Cody Cooper (captain) (3.Russel Francois 64), 16.Akil Henry, 2.Duhrell Young; 8.Abayomi George (12.Jeremiah Cateau 57), 15.Josiah Ochoa; 7.Rio Cardines (11.Derrel Garcia 65), 13.Michael Chaves, 20.J’lon Matthews (19.Malachi Webb 46); 9.Larry Noel.

Unused substitutes: 18.Bryan Gafiuk (GK), 21.Makaya Taylor (GK), 6.Levi Jones, 10.Lindell Sween, 14.Tyrell Moore.

Coach: Brian Haynes

Dominica (4-3-3): 12.Ronny Lockhart (GK) [Red card 59]; 3.Malachi Labad, 5.Jaylan Jno Ville (2.Luke Itodo 75), 13.Lyan Edwards, 4.Laquante Alphonse; 7.Roosevelt Coipel (18.Pherel Esprit 66), 19.Yhan Timothy, 8.Dhamario Challenger; 10.Keeyan Thomas (captain) (16.Ajani Richards 75), 9.Tyreese Carbon (1.Anton Wyke [GK] 60), 14.Adriel Lawrence.

Unused substitutes: 21.Dwight Eloi (GK), 6.Jonathan Winston, 15.Dequan Abraham, 17.Jamo Talbert, 20.Shermal Clifton-John.

Suspended: 11.Fabio Drigo.

Coach: Malcolm Bertrand

Referee: Jefferson Escobar (Honduras)

Concacaf U-20 Qualifiers

Group D

(Sunday 25 February)

Trinidad and Tobago 5 (Michael Chaves 3, Larry Noel 19, 34, Rio Cardines 36, Derrel Garcia 82), Dominica 0 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium;

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0, Canada 4 (Tavio Ciccarelli 23, 54, 89 pen, Alessandro Biello 51) at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

Upcoming fixtures

(Tuesday 27 February)

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

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