Trinidad and Tobago's national senior football team will today take the field with one thing on their minds and that is win or go home.
But that is not all they will be hoping for as T&T also need Haiti to defeat the host Antigua & Barbuda in the second match of the day which is schedule to kick-off two hours after the T&T plays the Dominican Republic at 16:00.
T&T does however have a mathematical chance even if the match between the Haitians and Antiguans end in a draw. They would have to beat the Dominican Republic team handsomely where goal difference would come into play and would take them through to the semi-finals of the Caribbean Cup and a guaranteed place in next year's CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Trinidad and Tobago has never lost to the Dominican Republic. In eight outings T&T has convincingly won them all, scoring a whopping 38 goals and conceding just one.
Their biggest win over the Spanish speaking Caribbean nation was a 9-0 victory in 2008 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium under then coach Francisco Maturana with both Jason Scotland and Cornell Glen netting hat-tricks. In that game T&T fielded many experienced stars including Dwight Yorke, Russell Latapy, Christopher Birchall, Carlos Edwards, Avery John, Khaleem Hyland, Keon Daniel and Dennis Lawrence to name a few.
This time around however, the Dominican Republic will be no pushovers and despite going down 2-1 to Haiti they opened their campaign with a shocking 2-1 victory over Antigua & Barbuda. And now that both teams are on 3 points each and a chance to progress to the semi-finals, the game against Dominican Republic will be no walk in the park for the T&T. Haiti is in first place with 4 points and T&T are propping the table up with a solitary point.
Former W Connection striker Jonathan Faña Frías played a key role for them and will no doubt be gunning for the Warriors. Let's not forget what he did against the NY Red Bulls while playing for T&T's Pro League team W Connection in the CONCACAF Champion League where he was instrumental in helping them eliminate the MLS team from competition. Frías is a very tricky striker who sneaks behind defences and score goals with ease. T&T will surely have to pay close attention to the diminutive striker.
In my opinion, T&T can surely pull off a victory today provided they make the right adjustments and go out there and play their hearts out as if it was a World Cup final.
Unfortunately two of T&T's better players (Hughtun Hector and Lester Peltier) are ruled out by injuries.
And with a questionable selection of players one would have to be creative with this bunch, so here is a formula the T&T coaches Hutson Charles and Jamal Shabazz could consider?
In a 4-3-1-2 formation, Jan-Michael Williams would of course get the nod between the sticks. His supporting defenders could be as follow, Aubrey David (left-back), Carlyle Mitchell (center back), Seon Power (center back) and Curtis Gonzales (right-back). The midfield could feature Kevon Carter (right wing), Keyon Edwards (center), Ataullah Guerra (center) and Joevin Jones (left-wing). Up front we can be hopeful that the experienced Devorn Jorsling and Kevin Molino can provide the goals.
Three off T&T’s strikers are off similar styles, therefore, the contrasting styles of Molino and Jorsling could possibly complement each other. T&T is yet to score a single goal in this tournament and our coaches will really need to consider mixing things up a little.
Daneil Cyrus proved he is no wingback and he should be replaced by the hard working Curtis Gonzales. Workhorse midfielder Keyon Edwards should replace the tired legs of Densill Theobald in the center and should be utilized as the bridge between defence and midfield, while Ataullah Guerra will do the same from midfield to the attacking third.
Ataullah Guerra's style of play is the key to opening defences and he could lay just behind the strikers to add more fire power if needed. And when up to it he can also pass the ball effectively.
Willis Plaza, Jamal Gay and Densill Theobald would make suitable substitutes as needed.
I have no doubt in my mind that T&T could pull off a win, however the problem with team T&T is that the players seem to have no fight in them and they give up so easily. The coaches also continue to experiment during important games which give the team an unsettled appearance.
As fans, all we want to see is a well organised national team that can go out there and live up to their name - Warriors. Beating the Dominican Republic is only a third of T&T's problem, however at this juncture let’s not delve into the political aspect of the game.
Making it to the 2013 Gold Cup is definitely a priority and would provide the TTFF with an opportunity to plug the holes in our senior men’s program and hopefully get our football back on track.
Remember, the top two teams will advance to the semifinals and book tickets to the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Let's go T&T!