If Trinidad and Tobago wanted to be known as the best football-playing team in the Caribbean, incumbents Haiti made sure they worked hard to prove it last night at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya.
The "Soca Warriors" had real opponents on their hands: quick, rough Haitians who tested them before the home team secured a 2-0 victory in the first of a two-match series.
If anyone expected fluid, beautiful Soca Warriors football, they were soon disappointed. Haiti disrupted the play, allowing T&T to play in their own half, but pressured them when they came forward.
T&T suffered a setback before the first whistle, losing designated captain Aurtis Whitley, who injured his leg during the warming-up on the artificial surface. French-based player Kevaughn Connell replaced him.
Meanwhile, Haiti's squad contained eight players from the 2007 Caribbean Cup championship winning team, including scorers Alexander Boucicat (midfield playmaker) and Fucien Brunel (midfielder).
Only missing from Haiti's World Cup qualifying squad were starting strikers Eliphene Cadet and Fabrice Noel (Puerto Rico Islanders), and captain Pierre Bruny.
Meanwhile, T&T had four survivors from last year's Caribbean Cup squad in the then captain Densill Theobald, young central defender Makan Hislop, Kerry Baptiste and keeper Marvin Phillip. More important T&T started five of their 2006 World Cup starters in Chris Birchall, Avery John, Theobald, Cornell Glen and Cyd Gray, with a sixth, Anthony Wolfe on the bench.
Despite a goalless first half, there was still enough action to keep fans attentive. Haiti signaled their intentions early, with a direct attack in the very first minute. T&T goalkeeper Marvin Phillip was quickly pressed into action. But although failing to cut out a through ball, Phillip still gathered the rebound before Haitian striker Leonel St Preux.
And St Preux had another chance in the 28th when heading away a wide cross from Jean Sony Alcenat. Connell's pace set up T&T's best first half chance in the 10th. Racing a full 40 metres out of defence up the left, Connell centred the ball to lone striker Glen, who shrugged off his marker but only just failed to slip the ball under the dive of goalkeeper Fenelon Gabart.
And on the half hour, Glen had another half chance, but turned the ball into the side-netting under pressure. T&T finally broke the deadlock in the 62nd, taking a 1-0 lead when Birchall hit a pin-point free-kick to central defender Keyeno Thomas, who nailed a downward header at the back post.
And just seven minutes later, Birchall and Thomas combined with another free-kick. This time Thomas reached the ball at the back post, and headed it across goal, where Glen scored in the 69th to make the score 2-0. T&T are now halfway towards proving they are the Caribbean's best, but, let's see how they do when the teams meet again in Haiti on August 10.