On location: T&T training continues.
MetroStars.com.
Tim Ward endured a brutal travel schedule to join the U.S. U-20s in South Korea. (MetroStars)
The MetroStars followed up their match with Jabloteh with a spirited practice in Trinidad's Hasely Crawford Stadium on Wednesday. Agility and fitness were the focal points, as the team puts the finishing touches on the 2005 preseason.
The club will play one more contest in Trinidad Friday night at 7 p.m. local time (6 p.m. ET) before departing the island Saturday morning. They will remain in the Tri-State Area until Thursday, when they leave for Jackson, Miss., to play the Chicago Fire on March 25.
Trinidad notes:
The undercard in Tuesday's Metros vs. Jabloteh bout was an interesting one, as the Trinidad & Tobago U-19 girls national team took on Jabloteh's U-16 boys team. The boys won the battle of the sexes 8-0 behind six second-half goals.
Metros fans might recall San Juan Jabloteh as the club team of former MetroStar Cornell Glen.
Defender Tim Ward played in the friendly vs. Jabloteh on Tuesday and left Trinidad on Wednesday to join the U.S. U-20 national team in South Korea. He flew from Trinidad to Miami, Miami to Los Angeles and then Los Angeles to South Korea and is expected to train with the U-20's on Friday.
San Juan Jabloteh hosted a reception for the MetroStars Wednesday night that introduced the club to many aspects of Trinidadian culture, complete with a live steel band, various Trinidadian pastries and entrees and a fresh juice bar.
The reception was held in Hasely Crawford Stadium's function hall and on display was a video presentation from Trinidad and Tobago's 'Carnival,' which is the island tradition that falls two days before Ash Wednesday. Similar to Mardis Gras, Carnival has a large parade where participants are adorned in elaborate costumes and headdresses.
W Connection take on MetroStars tonight.
T&T Express Reports.
With their Brazilian big guns Gefferson Goulart and Ronaldo Viana back from a one-year stint in Europe with FC Zelenik of Yugoslavia, Vibe CT 105 W. Connection will be expecting a good showing tonight against the New York/New Jersey MetroStars of United States Major League Soccer(MLS).
The teams meet from 7 p.m. at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella in a friendly game that will cost adults $50 to enter, while children under age ten get in free of charge.
The Metrostars are in Trinidad for a two-match pre-season tour and are coming off a 3-2 victory over CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh on Tuesday night at the Hasely Crawford Stadium. That game was a rough one, with each team picking up several yellow cards and Jabloteh having three players ejected.
W.Connection owner David John Williams said his team intend to counter the physical stuff by keeping the ball and controlling the play.
Also in their line-up tonight are defender David Atiba Charles, who recently had a trial in England with Oldham Athletic, and veteran St Lucian striker Earl Jean, while Brazilian Jose Luis Seabra is on the bench having sustained a fractured nose in training.
W. Connection, winners of the T&T Pro Bowl and FCB Cup last season, have been in training since January 15, during which time they beat Caledonia Fire 2-0, Joe Public 4-0, Caroni by 5-0 and 3-0 margins; and Rotiv Couva Players 7-0.
But the game against the Metrostars represents their toughest assignment for the year and John Williams feels it is an excellent gauge of what they have done in pre-season and will tell them how far along they are in their preparation for the 2005 Trinidad and Tobago Pro League season.
Scott Sealy's Wizards out of Champions Cup.
MLSnet.com Staff.
The Kansas City Wizards were cruelly dumped out of the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Thursday night, Deportivo Saprissa scoring a dramatic late equalizer before getting an extra-time winner for a 2-1 victory in the second leg of their quarterfinal series at Estadio Ricardo Saprissa in San Jose, Costa Rica.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in the first leg in Kansas City a week ago, then Jose Burciaga gave the Wizards a stunning lead in the 79th minute from a free kick.
But some two minutes into second-half stoppage time -- on almost the final kick of the game -- Gerald Drummond turned home a rebound from close range after Kansas City 'keeper Bo Oshoniyi had parried a powerful drive from Pablo Brenes.
Then six minutes into extra time, Ronald Gomez flicked a bouncing ball over his head into the Wizards penalty area where Drummond beat the on-rushing Oshoniyi and looped the ball into goal.
Saprissa dominated the match, the Wizards unable to muster a single attempt at goal in the opening 45 minutes. But their defense held firm as Oshoniyi was really tested only once, able to block a firm angled drive from Gomez.
The breakthrough finally came after Kerry Zavagnin was clipped some 25 yards straight out from goal. Burciaga's powerful swerving drive fooled Saprissa goalkeeper José Francisco Porras and sailed into the back of the net.
Just when it seemed the MLS side would escape Costa Rica with a remarkable result against that country's 23-time champion and the runner-up in last year's Champions Cup, a long ball was played into a crowded Wizards penalty area. Nick Garcia's headed clearance was pounced on by former MetroStars midfielder Brenes, and his fierce blast was barely kept out by Oshoniyi. It fell into the heart of the goal area where Drummond was on hand to give it the final push over the line. After Drummond's second goal put Saprissa ahead on the night and on aggregate, Alonso Solis nearly doubled the lead with a dipping blast that rattled the woodwork.
That left the Wizards alive to pull level and they nearly did. Davy Arnaud was left all alone in front of goal but just headed an Alex Zotinca cross past the post, then Chris Klein hammered a long-range blast that beat Porras, only for it to come down off the underside of the crossbar and bound away to safety.
"It was an awfully good performance for so early in the season. We did pretty much what we felt we needed to do in terms of not sitting back and sucking up the pressure, but going at them as well. I think our guys put on a tremendous performance for so early in the season," said Wizards head coach Bob Gansler. "As I told after the game, they have every right to be proud of the 120 minutes and we will build on this. Saprissa advances to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup where they will face CF Monterrey of Mexico, while D.C. United of MLS and Mexico's Pumas UNAM will play in the other semifinal series.
