Trinidad and Tobago's National U-20 footballers drew 1-1 with El Salvador U-20 yesterday at the Plymouth ground in Tobago. El Salvador took the lead from the penalty spot through Lester Blanco in the 21st minute before T&T midfielder Sean De Silva got the equaliser for the host in the 27th minute to deny El Salvador a victory.
As reported by Soca Warriors Online forum member "Doc" who attended the game.
Doc stated: "The team is playing poorly. "This is the second game I've seen them play and they are playing what another forum member (Palos) describes as "aero-plane football".
"The quality of the surface doesn't help but to hinder their performance also".
Doc reported. Robert Primus who was recently called up to go on a training camp in Argentina with the senior team was rested from the team that started against Honduras on Thursday. El Salvador were commanding in the first half with excellent movement, simple passing, incisive penetrating runs and great passes.
They were also very well organized defensively. T&T were playing very direct - dump and rebound or clear and bomb rush. They played it with reasonable effect. The young Warriors didn't have the physical stature up front with that type of play would demand from them.
El Salvador was first to strike when a left sided corner was dummied by an Salvadorian attacker and was handled by a T&T defender as the ball was bouncing past him, the referee pointed to the penalty spot and the #12 striker Lester Blanco slotted the resulting penalty past Samuel in the 21st minute.
Six minutes later it was all even though. Bateau picked up the ball just to the right of the centre circle in El Salvador's half, won 4, 50-50 challenges leaving the Salvadorians in his wake. He then had the simple task of finding De Silva who had beaten his man to the spot at the far post for a fine finish back across the keeper into the bottom of the net.
The game ebbed and flowed, very few clear cut chances were created and the challenges became a bit more physical as the game wore on. Mikel Williams was replaced at the half hour mark after suffering an injury. He was replaced by Uriah Bentick ? At the half the score was 1-1. T&T was playing out of what appeared to be 5-3-2 formation with El Salvador playing a simple 4-4-2.
At the start of the second half, Curtis Gonzales came in at centre back with Cyrus pushing into central midfield. Manswell made way and Bateau moved out wide right. Grosvenor was replaced by Bradley Welch ? up front. During the second half, the keeper Samuel went down dramatically and was replaced. He later explained that it was the curry. The game petered out into a tame draw, a fair result. An uninspiring performance by the locals. The team is still training, so maybe the best is yet to come.
Head coach Zoran Vranes got four international warm-ups, Honduras and El Salvador twice in the build-up to the CONCACAF U-20 qualifiers which take place here from March 6-15. Following last night’s match against El Salvador, T&T will also face the Central Americans again tomorrow at the same venue from 4pm, before the Yugloslav-born coach Zrona Vranes names his 20-man squad.
In related news. National striker Jamal Gay of German Second Division club, SC Rot-Weiss Oberhausen is expected to return home on Wednesday to join the T&T Under-20 team for the Concacaf Final Round Under-20 Championship here in T&T. However, another European-based player Khaleem Hyland attached to Belgian First Division club, SV Zulte Waregem will not be making the trip home for the tournament. team manager Chris Da Silva said that after considerable thought the decision was taken by the team management and those of the T&T Football Federation not to ask for the 19-year-old Hyland, also a senior team player to join the team.
T&T Line-Up - 1.Glenroy Samuel, 18.Nicholas Walker, 19.Daneil Cyrus, 15.Mikel Williams, 5.Akeem Adams, 7.Marvin Manswell, 4.Sheldon Bateau, 6.Leston Paul (capt), 8.Sean De Silva, 9.Quian Grosvenor, 11.Trent Lougheed.
Subs Used: - 2.Aubrey David, 3.Kevin Molino, 10.Juma Jamal Clarence, 12.Bradley Welch, 13.Curtis Gonzales, 14,Jean-Luc Rochford, 16.Marcus Joseph, 20.Uriah Bentick, 21.Andre Marchan.
Unused Subs: - Jevon Morris, Keron Doldron, Robert Priums, Daniel Joseph, Jesse Fullerton.
El Salvador Line-Up - Diego Cuéllar, Álex Mendoza, Xavier García, Nelson Rivera, Andrés Menéndez, William Maldonado, Gilberto Baires, Diego Chavarría, Jaime Alas, Léster Blanco, Andrés Flores.
2009 Results/Schedule For Friendly Games.
T&T 0 v Brasilis FC 2, January 21, Sao Paolo
T&T 1 (Andel Noray 44th) v Palmeiras FC 4, January 24, Sao Paolo
T&T 2 (Sean De Silva 61st, 71st own-goal) v CRD Libolo 1, January 27, Sao Paolo
T&T 1 (Leston Paul 50th) v Honduras 3, February 24, Dwight Yorke Stadium
T&T 1 (Robert Primus 51st) v Honduras 0, February 26, Plymouth Grounds
T&T 1 (Sean De Silva 27th) v El Salvador 1 (Lester Blanco 21st-Pen), February 28, Plymouth Grounds
T&T v El Salvador, March 2, Plymouth Grounds
T&T U-20s draw with El Salvador.
By Lasana Liburd (Express).
"We are playing harder and harder," said Trinidad and Tobago national under-20 coach Zoran Vranes, "but we are still fighting to get to where we are supposed to be."
Vranes' confessed that his midfield still lacks organisation and fluidity and spectators at their 1-1 draw against El Salvador at Plymouth, Tobago on Saturday evening did not get a lesson in football's finer skills.
But this national bunch, who play El Salvador again today from 5 p.m. at the same venue, are not shy when it comes to the darker arts.
The El Salvadorian visitors spent much of the evening screaming at perceived injustices and pleading with the match officials for protection as the hosts imposed themselves physically. Trinidad and Tobago utility player Sheldon Bateau, who started as a holding midfielder before switching to right wing back, was especially combative.
Bateau, a Fatima College student, was one of three Trinidad and Tobago players ejected in their 1-0 win over Honduras on Thursday-the Hondurans also collected two red cards-and, on Saturday's evidence, he and his teammates will not be bowling over opponents with kindness anytime soon.
Mind you, it was rarely nasty stuff. There were no elbows or sly kicks off the ball. Just a healthy serving of shoulder barges and old fashioned-and virtually outlawed-lunging tackles.
Yet, there seemed to be too little of the other stuff-the subtleties, the tricks and the clever passes.
The national under-20s played fast and direct with a 3-5-2 system that employed four man-markers and seemed built more for bruising than brilliance.
Captain Leston Paul and his midfield partner Sean de Silva are decent passers but, when they were able to coax the ball from their backline, lacked the bodies wide or ahead of them to show off their range.
But Vranes suggested that his approach would reap dividends when his players have the tall, powerful Germany-based striker Jamal Gay as an outlet. Gay, who joined German second division club Rott-Weiss Oberhausen in January, should join the squad three days before they start their CONCACAF qualifying campaign for the 2009 FIFA Under-20 World Cup on home soil.
"We are missing Jamal Gay and I hope he will be in good shape when he comes," said Vranes. "He can shield the ball (for teammates to advance) and play in the air."
El Salvador opened the scoring in the 27th minute when Lester Blanco converted a penalty kick after a handled ball that only the referee seemed to spot.
Five minutes later, Trinidad and Tobago pulled level as de Silva bombed forward and diverted a Bateau cross past El Salvador goalkeeper Diego Cuellar.
There were a few long-range efforts by either team while Blanco missed a free header from close quarters. Otherwise, the match was a battle zone and the tourists did not like it one bit. The more El Salvador players dived, moaned and complained, the fiercer the tackles were from the Trinidad and Tobago outfit.
"It was a very dirty game but we will have (to deal with a) similar game against Costa Rica and maybe Mexico," said Vranes, referring to the qualifying tournament which kicks off on Friday. "Costa Rica worries me more than even Mexico. We will have to be smarter and harder."
It should be a testing meeting for team medics and match officials.
Another draw with El Salvador.
By: Shaun Fuentes (TTFF).
A 27th minute goal by US-College based midfielder Sean De Silva helped Trinidad and Tobago’s National Under 20 team to a 1-1 draw with El Salvador’s Under 20s in Saturday’s warm up encounter at the Plymouth Ground, Tobago.
De Silva’s goal came after the visitors had gone ahead via the penalty mark in the 21st minute through Lester Blanco after Nicholas Walker was guilty of a hand ball offense.
Both teams are preparing for the CONCACAF Final Round of Qualification towards the FIFA World Youth Championship, scheduled to be played in T&T from March 6-15.
With the 2-2 result between the two senior teams in last month’s 2010 World Cup Qualifier still fresh on the minds of all, it was evident from the get go on Saturday that neither team wanted to go down in defeat whether friendly or not. T&T, led by midfielder Leston Paul didn’t settle quickly but they also didn’t allow the Central Americans to get into early stride.
It was only after the visitors went ahead did the 600 or so fans at the venue begin seeing some goalmouth action as T&T picked up the pace in search of an equalizer.
It came six minutes after the opener when Sheldon Bateau powered himself into the heart of the penalty box, regained possession after miss-hitting an initial effort and instead of trying again, he slipped to a free De Silva on his left and he in turn clinically drilled a low right footer into the right corner of the net. A well taken effort which set the stage for a competitive remaining twenty minutes or so in the half.
On 38 minutes Andres Flores had a right footed crack go over bar from a good central position just inside the area and three minutes later Jaime Allas sent a powerful effort a few inches over.
The second half was dominated by more physical play and stoppages for various rash tackles. The closing fifteen minutes saw El Salvador spend much of the time in and around the T&T goal but stubborn defending ensured that nothing got through to break the deadlock.
Both teams will meet again on Monday at the same venue.
T&T head coach Zoran Vranes was visually pleased with the fact that his team has gone two matches unbeaten, after defeating Honduras 1-0 on Thursday, but added that there was still a fair bit of fine tuning to do before their opening qualifier against Canada on March 7 at the Marvin Lee Stadium from 6pm.
“Physically we are ready but we still have to settle on a few things,” Vranes told TTFF Media.
“I am satisfied with the defense which was my major problem. I hope that we can score the goals and if we do then I think we can win some matches. When Jamal Gay comes I am confident that we will be good in that department.
“We have to play smart and play to qualify. We will have to change tactics from game to game. We will try to win the tournament and if not then second place. We have Mexico but I am more concerned about Costa Rica and then of course Canada can also be tough opponents. Unfortunately we have very tough group but that may be better for us,” Vranes added.