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The Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team endured a humbling night in Utah yesterday as they were trounced 5-0 by the Republic of Korea in an international friendly.
The Asian outfit failed to score in their two earlier outings this year, after losses to Ivory Coast (4-0) and Austria (1-0) respectively in March. Against the Soca Warriors, though, goals looked a matter of not if but how many.
(via TTFA Media.)
South Korea’s opening item, scored by iconic captain Son Heung-min, should not have counted as winger Kim Moon-hwan made the decisive cross from an offside position. But it probably made little difference in the end.
“Our first 20 or 25 minutes, our team did well against a very good South Korea team,” said King, in the post-match press conference. “We defended disciplined (sic) for that period. It is something we have to continue working on…
“The first goal that Korea scored was a very soft goal and the second was a silly error.”
The statistics told the story of an eye-raising mismatch, though: 583 passes to 238; 34 touches in the opposition box to 3; and 11 shots on target to 1.
(via TTFA Media.)
The World Cup-bound team might have enjoyed the confidence booster, to snap a poor run of late. But it is hard to tell what coach Derek King’s troops could take away from the outing.
The Soca Warriors made almost no impact on the offensive end of the field and, although they never stopped running and trying to close opponents down, they seemed incapable of restricting the Asian team either. Certainly not in the second half, at any rate.
King, of course, did not have his full complement of players available, since the game falls outside the Fifa international match window.
The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) accepted the contest anyway, presumably in the belief that such a high-profile invitation should not be spurned.
King already had a tough time following the dismissed Dwight Yorke at the helm. At present, his tenure reads three regulation time defeats to Bolivia, Venezuela and South Korea, with 12 goals conceded and one scored—along with a penalty shootout loss to Gabon, following a 2-2 draw.
(via TTFA Media.)
Worse than the results, the Warriors have been so overwhelmed as to make it difficult to see what King is trying to implement on and off the ball. And it is unlikely to get much easier away to Russia on 9 June.
How do you convince your players—or the general public—of the merit of your football ideas, when your opponent barely lets you touch the ball?
King said, on the eve of the contest, that Trinidad and Tobago would get scoring opportunities if they defended well enough. With the score still goalless, midfielder Molik Khan stole the ball off opposing central defender Cho Yu-min, near the halfline, and sent a well-weighted ball for forward Roald Mitchell to chase in the 32nd minute.
Photo: TTFA Media.
Mitchell broke clear but could not squeeze his shot past a desperate lunge from South Korean defender Lee Han-beom.
Seven minutes later, South Korea were ahead. American referee Victor Rivas failed to spot that Kim MH was in offside position, as he ran on to a lofted pass from midfielder Kim Jin-gyu and squared for Son to convert.
It was the 55th international goal for the former Tottenham star on the occasion of his 143rd cap.
(via TTFA Media.)
Goal number 56 for Son came in the 43rd minute, as he converted from the spot after Trinidad and Tobago winger Dante Sealy mistimed a tackle on opposing attacker Bae Jun-ho.
South Korea, incidentally, were not at full strength either. Son apart, coach Hong Myung-bo opted to use what is likely to be his substitutes against Trinidad and Tobago, which included five of his six home-based players.
By the hour mark, Hong made nine changes—and it was a horse of a different colour for the Warriors.
(via TTFA Media.)
South Korea had 275 completed passes to 142 from Trinidad and Tobago in the first half. After the interval, the tally was 308 to 96. But most of the damage came in the final half hour.
Warriors goalkeeper Jabari Brice made a fine double save from Kim MH and Son in the 55th minute, and Son struck an upright in the 57th minute. But he could not keep out a close-range header from substitute Cho Gue-sung in the 65th minute off a trivela cross by Lee Dong-gyeong.
King replaced Brice with Club Sando custodian Teshorne Ragoo soon after, in the 65th minute. And Ragoo, on his international debut, would not want to remember his first contribution, as he was caught in possession by opposing attacker Eom Ji-sung and promptly upended the player for the game’s second penalty.
(via TTFA Media.)
Hwang Hee-Chan, who plays for Wolves in the England Premier Division, blasted home from the spot for South Korea’s fourth goal.
Ragoo did not cover himself in glory for the fifth item either, as he flapped at a header from Eom and Seol Young-woo squared the loose ball for Cho’s second, in the 78th minute.
Ragoo did atone, slightly, with a save from Hwang In-beom in the 86th minute. And thankfully the Asians did not add to the score.
(via TTFA Media.)
Trinidad and Tobago have suffered more lopsided defeats than this one—and coach Terry Fenwick’s nightmarish 7-0 debut loss away to USA comes to mind. But the Soca Warriors were swatted away far too easily, even catering for the undeniable pedigree of South Korea.
“We came up against a very good, experienced team,” said King. “It is a building process for us as well.”
King must return to the drawing board and find a way to make his squad more competitive against Russia.
Photo: TTFA Media.
He will be judged on Trinidad and Tobago’s campaign in the 2026/27 Concacaf Nations League, and not on these exhibition affairs. However, the job would certainly be easier in September if he can convince his charges of his ability to conjure up a reasonable tactical plan for when things get tough.
“We had some positives in the game as well,” said King. “[…] Once we continue getting opponents like this, we have to try and raise our level. Because simple mistakes will cost you the game.”
King did not share the positives he will take from Utah. It was probably just as well—it would be a hard sell.
(via TTFA Media.)
(Teams)
Trinidad and Tobago (4-2-3-1): 1.Jabari Brice (GK) (21.Teshorne Ragoo GK 68); 2.Déron Payne (5.Jaylen Yearwood 68), 3.Kobi Henry (captain), 4.Kieran Ngwenya, 23.Noah Powder (20.Kaihim Thomas 83); 17.Michel Poon-Angeron (12.Ali Kazim Nakhid 68), 8.Daniel Phillips; 15.Dante Sealy (10.Isaiah Lee 60), 18.Molik Khan (14.John-Paul Rochford 60), 11.Judah Garcia (16.Jacob Greene 60); 19.Roald Mitchell (13.Jaheim Faustin 68).
Unused substitutes: 6.Anthony Herbert, 7.Shervohnez Hamilton, 9.Daniel David.
Coach: Derek King.
Republic of Korea (3-4-3): 21.Jo Hyeon-woo (GK) (12.Kim Seung-gyu GK 46); 5.Lee Han-beom (19.Hwang In-beom 60), 10.Cho Yu-min (4.Park Jin-seob 53), 9.Lee Ki-hyuk; 15.Kim Moon-hwan (3.Cho Gue-sung 60), 22.Paik Seung-ho (23.Eom Ji-sung 60), 6.Kim Jin-gyu (14.Lee Jae-sung 46), 17.Jens Castrop (26.Hwang Hee-Chan 60); 20.Lee Dong-gyeong, 13.Son Heung-min (captain) (8.Seol Young-woo 60), 25.Bae Jun-ho (16.Kim Min-jae 60).
Unused substitutes: 1.Song Bum-keun (GK), 2.Kim Tae-hyeon, 7.Lee Tae-seok, 18.Cho Wi-je, 24.Kang Sang-yoon.
Coach: Hong Myung-bo.
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Lasana Liburd is the managing director and chief editor at Wired868.com and a journalist with over 20 years experience at several Trinidad and Tobago and international publications including Play the Game, World Soccer, UK Guardian and the Trinidad Express.
