Cuba get early three on T&T.
By: Shaun Fuentes (TTFF).[/size]
Trinidad and Tobago’s National Under 23 footballers put up a brave second half display. But the game is of two halves and yesterday Cuba came up trumps in the opening half and played out the second one to come away with a 3-0 victory in the opening CFU Final round Olympic qualifying fixture at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya.
T&T, getting the best look at goal before the visitors, also lost Aklie Edwards for an uncalled tackle near the corner flag directly in front the assistant referee in the 27th minute and found it hard to challenge the Cubans for the remainder of the game. Mexican Marcona Moreno didn’t hesitate to show the red.
Added to that, US-born striker Kevon Neaves was suffering from a viral infection and could only be tried for the closing moments of the match and by then Cuba were already counting their three points. The T&T fans, about 1500 of them, while obviously disappointed by the first half struggle did acknowledge some moments of fight from the T&T boys.
Roberto Balnaseda opened Cuba’s account in the 15th minute with a sliding effort to connect to a left side cross after the T&T backline failed to close down a play and T&T’s Marcelle Francois’ effort to stop the incoming ball was all in vain.
As the half progressed T&T struggled to build much going forward with Belgium-based striker Matthew Bartholomew seeing little of the ball while Elton John and company found things difficult in the middle against the quicker and more organized Cubans. Leonel Pla Duarte gave Cuba a 2-0 cushion in the 42nd minute with another timely effort past stranded goalie Andre Charles and on the stroke of half time Balnaseda punished T&T for ball watching with a third item.
Before that Christopher Sam had the best chance for T&T when being set up on the left of the six yard box but he couldn’t control his effort, directing it over bar. Captain Keon Daniel also had a close free kick from 25 yard out whizzing past the upright. At the start of the second half Cuba endured that T&T didn’t get the early goal even though the hosts upped its approach somewhat. Kendall Jagdeosingh, more known for his attacking abilities was put on to play a defensive role on the left in an attempt the match the pace of the Cubans.
Midfielder Hayden Tinto was T&T’s hardest worker on the pitch and also managed a couple good tries on goal. On one occasion he hit straight to the Cuban goalie from the six yard area in the 75th minute and then substitute Carlyle Mitchell saw his one time volley saved. Cuba held on without conceding and will now seek to finish off with a point against Grenada on Thursday to seal the top spot in the Group.
U-23 footballers go under to Cuba.
By: Nigel Simon (Guardian).Much to the dismay of their supporters, the T&T Under-23 Olympic football team put up a spineless display and went under to Cuba 3-0, in their opening match of the three-team Caribbean Football Union Final Round Concacaf Olympic Games Qualifiers at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya, yesterday.
The visitors dominated the match and at the end of the first half, the game was already in the bag. They opened the scoring as early as the 15th minute through Roberto Balnaseda and ran the locals ragged from that point.
The Cubans kept their 1-0 lead for the majority of the first half and after 27 minutes, things got worse for T&T as they were down to 10-men after Aklie Edwards was sent off by Mexican referee Marcona Moreno for what seemed a straightforward tackle.
Three minutes before the interval, Cuba doubled their lead through Leonel Pla Duarte and two minutes later, they sealed the issue with another strike by Balnaseda. T&T came out fighting in the second half and their best period of play came between the 59th minute and 75th minute when two shots at goal were saved.
First Hayden Tinto hit straight to the goal keeper from six yards out and in the 75th minute, substitute Carlyle Mitchell struck a right footed volley also straight at the goal keeper. Cuba, however, maintained the pressure throughout the half and ended up as deserving winners.
Grenada the other team in the group plays Cuba tomorrow, while T&T and Grenada end group play on Saturday at the same venue. At stake for the three teams is a spot in the Concacaf Final Round scheduled to take place in March in the USA en route to the Beijing Olympics.
Teams
Trinidad & Tobago: - Andre Charles, Corneal Thomas (Kendall Jagdeosingh 46th), Aklie Edwards, Elton John, Keon Daniel (capt), Hayden Tinto, Matthew Bartholomew, Larry Bacchus, Simeon Augustus (Kevon Neaves 78th), Marcelle Francois, Christopher Sam (Carlyle Mitchell 46th).
Cuba: - Jose Boudy Miranda, Yenier Bermudez (capt) (Raicel Mesquia 60th), Yendri Diaz, Alianni Urgelles, Livan Vasconcelo, Roberto Linares Yalmacida, Enrique Villaurrutia, Adonis Ramos (Yordanis Oropesa 29th), Juan Martinez, Loanny Prieto, Leonel Duarte (Yasnier Rosales 59th).
Up close report with SW member Triniwings, click here.
Mc Comie: Nerves got the better of us.
By: Nigel Simon (Guardian).Michael McComie assistant coach of the national Under-23 Olympic squad said that nerves got the better of the local players, who were outclassed 3-0 by visiting Cuba in their opening Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Final Round Group G qualifier to the Concacaf Final Round at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya on Tuesday night.
T&T had to play almost 60 minutes with 10 players after left back Aklie Edwards was given a straight red card by Mexican referee Marco Morena.
With the defeat, Mc Comie and his players must now hope, Grenada, the other team in the group can pull off a shock win over the Cubans, who will progress to the Concacaf Final Round, should they win again today at the same venue from 5 pm.
At the start of the match, before a near packed house at the Macoya-venue, Mc Comie and the rest of the technical staff headed by Dutch-man Jan Van Deisnen, decided against starting the more attacking players in Kevon Neaves, Shane Calderon and Kendall Jagdeosingh. The pint-sized Hayden Tinto was preferred in a striker role instead of the in-form Carlyle Mitchell.
But responding to questions about the team selection following the match, a visibly disappointed Mc Comie said, “The team selection was not the problem. It was basically the same core of players we took to Suriname for the first round which we won.”
Mc Comie was in charge of the team for the first round of CFU qualification when Van Deisnen was recuperating from a back injury.
He added, “We also don’t think that it was a failure by the players to carry out instructions.
“What happened in the beginning was that I felt that nerves got the better of the team early on.”
Reflecting on his interviews given prior to the match, Mc Comie pointed out that he did say the Cuban team was one of the better prepared teams he had come across.
“We scouted the Cubans very extensively and I said before that they were by far one of the best prepared teams in the region, having won their matches by 7-0, 8-0 and 9-0 margins.”
With regards to the match, the former T&T goalkeeper said, “In the beginning for us it was not bad. Everybody had their particular roles, but I think what really took a toll on us is the red card (Aklie Edwards).
“I don’t think it was a wise move by him (Edwards) to put in a tackle like down at the corner flag, but all that could be put down to having some anxiety and nerves. These things happen with young players and we can’t fault them. It was unfortunate we got the early sending off and when they scored early on it caused some panic among our players.”
While Mc Comie was not too happy with the team’s performance in the first 45 minutes but commended their second-half showing.
“We tried to calm them down in the dressing room at the half and in the end, the players can tap themselves on the back for the effort they put out with only 10 players on the field. On a scale of one to 10, I will give them a 12,” he added.
“In the second-half we were also able to create a few chances and had they gone in, maybe we would have gone on an all-out attack to try and salvage a draw.
“But that’s how it is. Sometimes the ball rolls in your favour and sometimes it doesn’t.”
Questioned about his approach for the next match against Grenada on Saturday, which will become irrelevant should the Cubans win today, Mc Comie said, “We always play to win and will to come out an play that way against Grenada.”
McComie bemoans lack of support.
T&T Newsday Reports.[/size]
Michael McComie, assistant coach of the Trinidad and Tobago Under-23 football team, has bemoaned the lack of support he got from the Pro League clubs. He was speaking about the squad currently involved in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Second Round Under-23 Championship Group “G” round-robin contest at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Tunapuna.
The national team fell 3-0 to the Cubans on Tuesday and will need to beat Grenada - the other team in the group - on Saturday and hope that the Grenadians defeat Cuba today in order to progress to the CONCACAF Final Round.
“We had meetings with the Pro League clubs to let them understand the seriousness of this game because we saw (the Cubans) play already,” said McComie.
“We know it would have been a much difficult task not having our players playing with a little extra time.
“We were refused by the clubs (who) made it clear they wanted their players (for matches on October 2 and 5),” revealed the former national goalkeeper. “We take that in stride and we’ll just try to progress with this team.
McComie, who is also the coach of the 2006 Pro League champs Joe Public praise the efforts of the players. “They did their best and that’s all that we’re asking for.”
On the topic of team selection, he affirmed, “The team selection was well planned and this was sorted (in advance). Nothing in terms of (the) team selection was a mistake.”
The Cubans scored all their goals in the first half, but McComie noted, “What happened in the beginning of the game is that nerves took a better part of the players.
“We (the technical staff) scouted this Cuban team very extensively and we knew it was a good team,” he added.
“What really took a toll in the first half was the red card (to defender Akile Edwards in the 27th minute).”
Noting that the TT players will have to understand the value of the possession game, as well as the speed of international matches, McComie said, “The pace of the Pro League is way too slow for the international pace.
“Some people are upset when we say that but I think games like (this) show you that one, the players can adapt to the pace of the game and two, this is the pace that is required internationally.
“If we want to judge ourselves in terms of the local leagues, this is the standard we have to strive at,” he added.
US-based midfielder Kevon Neaves played the last 11 minutes of the game because, according to McComie, he was suffering with a throat infection. “We took the risk of not starting him (but) bringing him on,” said McComie.
