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The Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team’s bid for an unprecedented place in the Copa America tournament stalled this afternoon at the Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, as the Soca Warriors lost 2-0 to Canada in a playoff.
Coach Angus Eve clearly set out to restrict Canada over the first hour and then try to win the contest in the second half.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868
He must have been a pleased man, then, when both teams went into the interval on even footing.
However, Canada broke the deadlock through forward Cyle Larin in the 61st minute before Jacob Shaffelburg got their insurance item in second half stoppage time to confirm their Copa America berth.
Trinidad and Tobago have been here before. Eight years ago, under coach Stephen Hart, the twin island republic got within 90 minutes of the showcase South America tournament—only to lose 1-0 to Haiti, after their build-up was hampered by strike action by players against the David John-Williams-led TTFA.
Eve appears to have a settled dressing room these days while he had five days to prepare with his full squad.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868
The big question was: how would the self-declared pragmatic coach approach such a high stakes affair against a higher ranked team?
In Trinidad and Tobago’s last competitive game against the United States, Eve started with three genuine attacking players (Real Gill, Reon Moore and Nathaniel James) and won 2-1 in Port of Spain.
Days prior, Eve played nine defensive-minded players behind Ryan Telfer and Malcolm Shaw and lost 3-0 in Austin, Texas.
Today, Eve reverted to his factory settings, with three workman-like midfielders and five defenders behind playmaker Ajani Fortune and Levi Garcia. And, of course, the final result did not go his way.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868
Maybe that is an overly simplistic view of things. Away to USA, Trinidad and Tobago played much of the game with 10 players and still had a point within their grasp after 80 minutes—only to be undone by three late goals
Eve clearly did not view his last trip to Texas as a failure, as he returned to a back five. And, after 45 minutes, he could point to having the best scoring chance of the first half.
Fortune released Garcia with an exquisite through pass in the 18th minute, only for the Greece-based forward to drag his shot wide of the far post.
Canada had close to 80 percent ball possession at one point with flanker Alphonso Davies looking very lively. But they were unable to create clear scoring chances.
And, ironically, it was after Eve made an attacking change that his players got into trouble.
In the 56th minute, Eve introduced mercurial attacker Reon Moore for bustling midfielder Andre Rampersad—surely a signal of the technical staff’s shifting ambitions.
Yet, six minutes later, the Warriors were behind. Canada attacker Tajon Buchanan cut in off the right flank and Trinidad and Tobago defenders Justin Garcia and Aubrey David seemed to confuse their marking assignments, which left Larin with a free shot from just inside the area.
The Real Mallorca striker does not have 29 international goals from 66 outings for nothing, and Canada’s record goal scorer obliged with a measured left footed finish into the far corner—past the otherwise unflappable Denzil Smith.
Levi was able to beat the first Canada defender to confront him for the entire affair today. Sometimes, he dribbled the second tackler too.
But even as Eve sent his full backs higher up the pitch, there never looked to be an organized method of maximizing Levi’s trickery on the ball.
(Copyright Daniel Prentice/ Wired868)
As a final throw of the dice, Eve inserted attackers Real Gill and Kaïlé Auvray for Shannon Gomez and Fortune for the last 15 minutes.
An unorthodox dribbler, Gill looks about as likely to lose the ball as he is to beat his opponent. Yet, his twists and bursts threatened to bring Trinidad and Tobago back into the game with Canada—who were double-teaming Levi by then—suddenly appearing harassed.
In the 85th minute, Levi exchanged passes with Gill before forcing a fine low save from Canada custodian Maxime Crepeau.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868
Still, even as Trinidad and Tobago football fans perked up at the late bolt of electricity, it is worth noting that Canada actually created their best scoring chances during the same period.
A brilliant late tackle from Justin thwarted Davies in the 85th minute, while Shaffelburg—left in oceans of space—thumped a left footed effort from 22 yards off the upright in the 87th minute.
Then, in second half stoppage time, Shaffelburg put the game to bed after fellow substitute Jacen Russell-Rowe rolled Justin in a sweeping move that found the 24-year-old attacker free in the Trinidad and Tobago box.
“For a team ranked 96th in the world (Trinidad and Tobago) playing against a team ranked 50th in the world (Canada), I thought we acquitted ourselves well,” said Eve, in the post-game press conference.
Eve’s favourite pastime is making snarky comments at anyone who references Fifa rankings, which he insists are meaningless—except for when he is the one making a meal of them.
“For the most part, the game plan went really well,” said Eve. “We created really good chances […] and we should have scored first. That might have settled us down.”
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868
He went on to credit his scouting—“we thought Canada were slow at the back”—and praised his boys for supposedly matching up to players who represent the likes of Bayern Munich, FC Porto, and Inter Milan.
Trinidad and Tobago gave Canada a testing afternoon for sure. But it is worth noting too that the Warriors faced a football nation in free-fall—functionally bankrupt, paddling water with an interim coach, and paralyzed by infighting between administrators and players.
Could Trinidad and Tobago have benefited by being more assertive and proactive?
(Copyright Daniel Prentice/ Wired868)
Eve, after leading the Warriors into the Nations League quarterfinals, has earned the right to try things his way. And his method is to make the game dour and sterile, before trying to nick a result in the closing stages.
Trinidad and Tobago under Eve is not the Big Truck-version of Machel Montano, it is the “pam-pan-am-pan-am” calypsonian-remake of the soca star.
Soca Warriors? Or Soak-up-pressure Warriors?
Bring on the 2026 World Cup qualifying series then.
(Teams)
Trinidad and Tobago (5-3-1-1): 23.Denzil Smith (GK); 14.Shannon Gomez (20.Kaïlé Auvray 80), 16.Alvin Jones, 17.Justin Garcia, 2.Aubrey David (captain), 6.Andre Raymond; 15.Neveal Hackshaw (7.Noah Powder 70), 18.Andre Rampersad (13.Reon Moore 56), 8.Daniel Phillips; 19.Ajani Fortune (10.Real Gill 80); 11.Levi Garcia.
Unused substitutes: 1.Christopher Biggette (GK), 21.Adrian Foncette (GK), 3.Ross Russell Jr, 4.Jesse Williams, 5.Robert Primus, 9.Nathaniel James, 12.Kevon Goddard, 23.Judah Garcia.
Coach: Angus Eve
Canada (3-4-3): 16.Maxime Crepeau (GK); 4.Kamal Miller, 5.Joel Waterman, 2.Alistair Johnston; 12.Ike Ugbo (14.Jacob Shaffelburg 70), 7.Stephen Eustaquio (captain) (6.Samuel Piette 90+2), 8.Ismael Kone (3.Luc de Fougerolles 90+2), 19.Alphonso Davies; 17.Tajon Buchanan (15.Mathieu Choiniere 80), 9.Cyle Larin (22.Jacen Russell-Rowe 80), 10.Jonathan David.
Unused substitutes: 1.Dayne St Clair (GK), 18.Jonathan Sirois (GK), 11.Theo Bair, 13.Derek Cornelius, 20.Moise Bombito, 21.Liam Fraser, 23.Liam Millar.
Coach: Mauro Biello
Referee: Marco Ortiz (Mexico)
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Why are tactics based solely on the other team? I am still not seeing the ball played in a structured, planned organized fashion through the midfield into the attacking third.
Most times when we were in possession there were not enough players around the ball to create periods of prolonged possession from which we could create opportunities.
Too many times players in the midfield and the attacking third were isolated and had to depend on individual play
I was looking to see what was the strategy the Coach would use to get the ball to Garcia in threatening positions in the opponents half of the field.
How were we creating spaces and then utilizing them .
It was all too simple and predictable.
TnT could have upset Canada yesterday if we played a more aggressive game. When you play not to lose you will lose a lot of times. It seems as though Eve is always playing to say “we acquitted ourselves well”.
It is reported that, sometime/some days before the match, Eve sought advice from a few former National Football Coaches, including ‘Gally’ Cummings. If this is indeed so, then were these consultations done merely to enhance preshow public ratings? It seems, Lasana, that in underscoring your statement, that “Eve has earned the right to try things his way” – he continues to randomly exemplify the cliche of the definition of insanity.
On CNC3’s The People’s Say on Friday evening, the people unabashedly and unerringly told us what to expect in this game .
No one, however, pointed out that Big Truck only won the Road March for Machel whereas padampadam earned him the far more prestigious title of Calypso Monarch. I wonder if the end of this report will be taken out of context and send completely the wrong message to Coach Angus Eve…
I’ll throw your analysis sideways…. that pampananada calypso is a big pile of shit. And an embarrassment as a top example of our treasured culture…
Eve is indeed an embarrassment… his behavior to get the job could be described as stink and nasty… kinda like MM, chaulkdust, and the other lowlifes that running carnival .
The only message he should get from this is to go back to ssfl…giants division…. because he is a waste of time
I was not able to see the game. Visiting family in DC. However I followed via updates – no video, no audio. Appeared to be as Lasana (Lali) described. I did not know of all of Canada’s negatives and in-house squabbles and TT’S positive 5-day pregame preparation time. What a descriptive and entertaining account Lali – like listening to the radio while viewing a muted TV version of WI vs Australia Test Cricket match. So, what say Hannibal of the game?
Lali’s account of the game and the game’s stats mirrored each other to the tilt. While I could understand Eve’s tactics especially since he sees this more as an away game encounter for TT than Canada might have for themselves, and because in the past, it proved to keep the scoreline knotted at zeros for Eve, there were some very telling differences – the game stats. Canada’s shots to shots on goal (ssog) 16-6 / 40%; possession 62% with 517 passes and 88% accuracy; to TT’s ssog 6-2 / 33%; possession 38% with 338 passes and 76% accuracy. These were a clear reflection of tactics and surely quality of players and play. But the most telling stat of ALL were the corners. Canada -14 and TT-0. This tells the picture of 1. Who was in control of the attacking part of the game?
2. Who appeared to be at the end of a shot, a piercing dribble, a cut-back pass, a mis-timed defensive clearance all when defending one’s goal while facing their goal and goalkeeper! I still give Eve a fair measure of credit for the resolved approach and effort. Significantly better than our last Gold Cup encounters. The challenging news is that with the World Cup 2026 on the horizon, are we improving in all technical, tactical, strategic, and psychological and emotional ways to bump one of the more established and ever-increasing top six front runners?
The answer now lies on the officers of the two remaining slates and the upcoming General Elections. Remember, the leadership of an organization is the key reason for success and the “rising tide lifts all boats” effect versus that of, “the fish rots at the head” honor.
At some point the Trinidad and Tobago national coach will discover how to approach “MUST-WIN” matches.
I hope the Trinidad and Tobago team stayed to have a look at the second match at the stadium, for which the large crowd came out to see positive, attractive, entertaining, football being played to be successful in a “MUST-WIN” match.
I’m not beating around the bush…. eve is a waste of time. Fire his ass!
…despite fielding your 3rd string keeper.
That Pragmatism doesn’t get you ahead, always gives the initiative to the opponents, and leaves us inavariably having to come from behind, that approach will not be successful for the World Cup qualifiers either.