Trinidad's W Connection upsets Mexico's Chivas.
By: AP/Concacaf.[/size]
Late goals from Jose Luis Seabra and Earl Jean gave 10-man W Connection a surprising 2-1 win over Mexico's Chivas in a CONCACAF Champions Cup first-leg quarterfinal on Tuesday.
Caribbean champion Connection was expected to struggle against the 11-time Mexican champ. After 19 minutes it seemed doomed when Trinidad and Tobago international goalkeeper Jan Michael Williams saved a shot from striker Sergio Santana outside the area, earning him an automatic red card.
But Chivas didn't score until the 60th when Mexico international Omar Bravo headed in a left cross at Manny Ramjohn Stadium.
Connection skipper Jean replied with a looping header in the 78th to equalize, then the inexperienced Trinidadian side stunned Chivas eight minutes later when Seabra was found in space on the left edge of the box and he thumped an unstoppable low drive past Chivas keeper Ernesto Michel. Connection will take its advantage into the return leg at Jalisco Stadium in Guadalajara on Feb. 28. W Connection FC becomes the first Caribbean team to win a Champions’ Cup game since CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh (TRI) defeated the Chicago Fire (USA) by a score of 5:2 in the Quarterfinal Series on 17 March 2004.
This is the first victory by a Caribbean side over a Mexican team since Defence Force (TRI) topped Pachuca CF (MEX) 1:0 in the Champions’ Cup ‘Round-of-16’ on 13 March 2002.
The inaugural CONCACAF tournament winners (in 1962), CD Guadalajara lose their first Champions’ Cup match against a Caribbean team since the 1963 final against Racing Club Haiten (HAI).
The second-leg of the 2007 CONCACAF Champions’ Cup™ Quarterfinal Series 3 will have W Connection FC traveling to face CD Guadalajara on 28 February.
The Champions’ Cup Quarterfinals continue next week with Pachuca CF of Mexico meeting Guatemala’s Deportivo Marquense in the opening opening-leg of the Series 1 at the Hidalgo Stadium in Pachuca on 22 February, while the second-leg is scheduled for six days later at the Marquesa de la Ensenada Stadium in San Marcos.
The Series 2 has the Puntarenas FC of Costa Rica as the home team in the first match on 21 February, against the USA’s Houston Dynamo at Puntarenas’ Miguel Lito Perez Stadium, while the second-leg is set for Aggie Soccer Complex in College Station, Texas on 1 March.
D.C. United of USA will travel to face CD Olimpia of Honduras in the opening match of Series 4 at the Tiburcio Carias Andino Stadium in Tegucigalpa on 21 February, while the second encounter is set for RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. on 1 March.
The quarterfinal winners will advance to the Champions’ Cup Semifinal Series scheduled for 13-15 March and 3-5 April.
The Semifinal Series victors will play for the 2007 CONCACAF Champions’ Cup™ on 17-19 & 24-26 April, with the winner also qualifying to the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2007. The Champions’ Cup Runner-up will be one of the three CONCACAF invitees to the 2007 Copa Nissan Sudamericana.
The 2007 CONCACAF Champions’ Cup™ will be broadcast on television by the FoxSports International regional programming channels (Fox Soccer Channel – USA; FoxSports en Espańol – USA; Fox Sports Latin America Northern Cone – Caribbean, Central America & Mexico).
The CONCACAF Champions’ Cup™ is the longest running international club competition in the region and has crowned the champion club of the Confederation since its inception in 1962.
Seabra rescues 10-man Connection on return.
...to draw first blood against Mexicans.
By: Randy Bando (ttproleague.com).[/size]
Vibe CT 105 W Connection’s Brazilian midfielder Jose Luis Seabra returned to the playing field with a bang, as he created a goal and scored another to help his team to a nail-biting 2-1 win against Mexican Club Chivas in the first leg quarter final match of the CONCACAF Club Championship at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium on Tuesday night.
Seabra who spent the entire 2006 season off the field due to a knee injury proved to be a masterstroke by Coach Stuart Charles Fervier who introduced the player as a second half substitute as the ‘Savonnetta Boys’ trailed a goal down with ten men.
In the early stages of the well contested encounter W Connection lost 2006 Pro League Player of the Year, goalkeeper Jan Michael Williams to a direct red card when he was forced to scramble the ball outside his area after a poor back pass by defender Devon Drayton.
But it was the home team that had the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium in high spirits when in the 3rd minute Andrei Pacheco converted Christian Viveros’ pass into the net but to the dismay of the W Connection fans it was disallowed for an offside.
Connection continued to apply the pressure and had another promising build-up in the 11th minute on the right side but Hughton Hector’s service into the Chivas area was too long and proved to be harmless for goalkeeper Ernesto Michel.
Chivas then turned things around as they controlled the pace of the game. Coach Jose Manuel De La Torre utilized the experience of key players such as Captain Ramon Morales, Omar Bravo and Sergio Santana.
In the 15th minute Chivas’ Roberto Rivera saw his 23 yards effort sail over as they tried for the early advantage.
With the persistent determination to get the early goal Chivas recorded the first yellow card of the encounter when Bravo received the booking by Jamaican Referee Courtney Campbell for a harsh challenge on Christian Viveros in the 18th minute.
Two minutes later the Mexicans had an even better effort when Bravo played Santana neatly inside the Connection area but his low attempt flashed past goal keeper Jan Michael Williams’ far post to the relief of the home supporters.
On the 20th minute mark the horror arrived as W Connection lost inspirational player and goalkeeper Jan Michael Williams. Williams received a straight red card when he scrambled a great save outside his area to deny Sergio Santana a goal after defender Devon Drayton played a wayward back pass forcing Coach Fervier to make an early change.
Second choice goalkeeper Kerwin Beckles was then introduced at the expense of striker Dwight Scott in the 21st minute.
Beckles was called to action immediately with a low block to reject Chivas’ Morales 19-yard free kick.
Morales continued to be a trouble maker in the Connection area when he relaxed a neat pass outside the area for defender Diego Martinez to have a go on goal but the defender’s effort sailed over bar.
With W Connection down to ten men, Chivas did most of the attacking, but the W Connection defence was doing enough with defender Elijah Joseph marshalling his teammates well to deny the Mexicans any close range shots on goal.
However the more experienced Mexicans were having trouble to penetrate Connection’s defence and Coach Jose Manuel De La Torre decided it was time to introduce another national player, Alberto Medina came on for Antonio Patlan in the 42nd minute.
Less than a minute on the field, substitute Medina squandered a great opportunity just on top of the six-yard area created by teammate Bravo but he fumbled wide.
W Connection on the other end had their first legal shot on goal when Brazilian William Da Silva Oliviera had a 23 yard attempt easily parried by goal keeper Michel in the closing stages of the first period and the Savonetta Boys held on for a goalless score at the half.
Chivas returned even more aggressive in the second period as they took the game into the Connection half of the field.
In the 52nd minute Morales managed a 24 yard attempt but saw it flash harmlessly over goal keeper Beckles’ crossbar.
One minute later Beckles was in action again when he easily collected a tame close range header by Roberto Rivera after a neat cross was played inside by Manoel Sol from the right side.
Goal keeper Beckles also had to make a couple of other saves just before the 60 minute mark. In the 58th minute he was composed enough to collect after substitute Medina raced into his area and had a low shot and in the 59th he made a spectacular diving save to deny a deflected shot by Diego Martinez.
Soon afterwards W Connection’s Coach Stuart Charles Fervier decided to bring on the experienced Jose Luis Seabra who recently came off rehabilitation on his injured knee at the expense of Andrei Pacheco.
Less than a minute after his appearance, Chivas went ahead with the opening goal. Mexican Omar Bravo unmarked headed past goal keeper Beckles in the 61st minute at far post when he met a Martinez crossball for the 1-0 lead.
In quick reaction the W Connection coach boosted his teams front line and made a technical change replacing midfielder Hughton Huctor with striker Andre Toussaint in the 65th minute.
In the 72nd minute W Connection’s captain Earl Jean saw his powerful low shot from outside the area deflected for a corner.
Coach Fervier was then rewarded for his great tactical move when W Connection equalized in the 79th minute to send the home fans wild. Substitute Jose Luis Seabra weaved his way past two Chivas players before the ball rebound into the air as striker Earl Jean did well to win the ball ahead of goal keeper Michel to head in for the 1-1 equalizer.
With the match now hanging in the balance, the Mexicans showed more signs of frustrations seeing players Diego Martinez and Alberto Medina both receiving bookings, minutes apart.
On the 86th minute mark Brazilian substitute Seabra rose to glory when he collected a pass on the left side from another substitute Andre Toussaint created room for himself to blast a left footed shot well out of goal keeper Michel’s reach to put the home team ahead 2-1 as the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium broke into a Carnival atmosphere.
The ‘Savonetta Boys’ maintained their advantage until the end against the Mexicans Champions to draw first blood in the first leg of the quarter final round of the CONCACAF Club Championship.
Vibe CT 105 W Connection will now have to travel to Mexico to face Chivas in the second leg on February 28th as they hope to maintain the scores in their favor and look towards moving into the semifinals of the CONCACAF Tournament for the first time in the club’s history.
TeamsW Connection:[/b] — Jan Michael Williams, Earl Jean (capt), William Da Silva Oliveira, Elijah Joseph, Gefferson Goulart, Nicholson Thomas, Hughton Hector (Andre Toussaint 65th), Andrei Pacheco (Jose Luis Seabra 59th), Dwight Scott (Kerwin Beckles 21st), Devon Drayton, Christian Viveros.
Goal Scorers—Earl Jean 79’, Jose Luis Seabra 86’.
Coach—Stuart Charles Fervier
Chivas: — Ernesto Michel, Ramon Morales (capt), Roberto Rivera (Gonzalo Pineda 69th), Antonio Patlan (Alberto Medina 42nd), Diego Martinez, Manoel Sol, Hector Reynoso, Arturo Javier Ledezma, Omar Bravo, Sergio Santana, Jonny Magallon.
Goal Scorer—Omar Bravo 61’.
Coach—Jose Manuel De La Torre
Match Referee – Courtney Campbell (Jamaica)
W Connection v Chivas2 Goals 1
3 Shots on Target 7
2 Corners 9
3 Offsides 1
3 Yellow Cards 4
1 Red Cards 0
Chivas Coach blames wasted opportunities for loss.
By: Randy Bando (ttproleague.com).[/size]
Coach Jose Manuel De La Torre of the Mexican League Champions Chivas says his team’s failure to capitalize on both their goal scoring chances and the fact that the Pro League Club Vibe CT 105 W Connection were down to 10 men in their first leg encounter of the CONCACAF Club Championship quarterfinal match accounted for their loss.
Speaking to the media through an interpreter after his team’s 2-1 loss against the TT Pro League Club, De La Torre said, “We had the numerical advantage and we didn’t take advantage of that. We also didn’t take advantage of the opportunities that were presented to us during the game,” said the disappointed Mexican Coach.
W Connection lost their goal keeper Jan Michael Williams on a red card just 20 minutes into the match and came from behind in the thrilling encounter to beat Chivas 2-1.
Chivas fielded four of their Mexican national team players out of the six currently in their squad. National striker Omar Bravo scored the lone item for the Mexican Club.
De La Torre also recognizes the quality of players that are at W Connection, but believes his team should have done much better.
“W Connection has some good players who play at a really good level but I believe we should have performed at a much higher level,” he said.
Chivas and Vibe CT 105 W Connection would meet again in two weeks time on the 28th of February in Guadalajara, Mexico in the second leg of the quarterfinal of the CONCACAF Club Championship and Coach Jose Manuel De La Torre is very confident that his team’s style of play would get them through to the semifinals.
“We have our system of play and this is our style of play so we are not going to change it. We are going to continue to use our best players in the next match and we would see how our opponents can react to it again,” ended the Chivas Head coach.
Fervier: Connection not celebrating yet.
By: James Saunders (ttproleague.com).W Connection coach Stuart Charles Fervier has taken his team’s amazing 2-1 come from behind victory over Mexican Champs Chivas of Guadalajara in stride and with a bit of caution.
The St Lucia born coach described the win by his side who were reduced to ten men as early as the 20th minute after goalkeeper Jan Michael Williams handled the ball outside the area as a massive victory for his team not only because of the result but because of the level at which their Spanish speaking opponents play.
However, at the post match press conference the w connection coach exercised watchfulness and caution saying that the club was not yet ready to celebrate just yet.
“It is just halftime we are only at the 90 minute mark; we take a 2-1 lead to Mexico and of course our main objective is to win, but we still have to keep our feet on the ground because we still have another 90 minutes to play”, Fervier said.
The coach however noted that his side is in no way intimidated by the looming prospect of facing the Mexicans at home in Guadalajara, an area prominently known for its passionate die-hard and vocal football supporters saying instead that they are excited and looking forward to it.
“We are really happy to be going to Mexico to play in that sought of atmosphere because we have worked hard to be here and you grow up seeing this kind of thing on TV and dream of these moments so we are really quite happy”.
Fervier further added that the away goal the Mexicans gained was not really important to him and does not give his club a disadvantage going into the return leg.
“Our main goal was to win at home and take a victory into Guadalajara, if we go there and do the same then I believe that we will have no problems.”
The St Lucian went on to thank the fans who came out to support W Connection and congratulated his players for the win despite the odds stacked up against them, heaping loads of praise on outstanding Brazilian midfielder Jose Luiz Seabra who came off the bench in his first appearance after an eight month injury layoff to create the first goal of the match and score a magnificent second to secure victory for the ‘Savontetta Boys’.
“Jose has always been a quality player, even though I still believe that he is far from his normal form and not in shape to play 90 minutes, because of his quality he was able to decide the game in one moment”, the coach pointed out.
He ended by saying that he was especially proud of his clubs accomplishment because it augurs well for the image of the Pro league which he says has been “cried down” by detractors in recent times.
“We are glad to prove that there is quality here in this league despite what certain individuals have claimed and we are going to represent the league and the country to the best that we can”.
