As I write this article the whole nation basks in the reflected glory of the Warriors magnificent victory by two goals to one against the powerhouse of CONCACAF, Mexico.
Before too much euphoria takes over let me remind everybody what is stunningly obvious. We have not won the World Cup or qualified. We have finished fourth in CONCACAF and must now play off against Bahrain, the fifth best side in Asia. While we will be favourites in those games (two legs) "there is many a slip twixt cup and lip".
Just as we overcame the odds against Mexico it would be foolish indeed to underestimate Bahrain and the road to Germany is still a tough one. I repeat the obvious because back in 1989 when on the brink we seemed to get carried away and failed. Hard to believe but someone even declared a public holiday before the vital game against USA. No public holiday this time, please. Could our nation of short memories at least learn some lessons from their past foolishness?
Back to the triumph of spirit. This campaign has been very up and down and Trinidad and Tobago have been clinging on by their very nails. A lacklustre defeat against USA was followed by a comprehensive 5-1 thrashing by Guatemala and a draw at home to Costa Rica. At this lowest ebb where many fans had given up on the team the management and coaching staff were changed. It is also important to note that the Warriors played Costa Rica and then Panama in front of a half full and relatively subdued stadium.
It goes without saying that Leo Beenhakker must take tremendous credit for this significant turnaround. With only one point in three games we then managed to win four of our last seven. There can be no question that the performance against Mexico and that first game against USA were significantly different. Trinidad and Tobago now played more as a team, were far better organised and appeared to know what they were doing. In contrast against USA they were disorganised.
Beenhakker's appointment was an emergency and few teams are able to change coach three matches in and improve so much. However, it must be recognised that we could not have attracted a coach of the experience of Beenhakker were it not for the fact that Jack Warner is a man of great stature in world football. This turnaround then is also a triumph of Jack Warner.
I have called it a triumph of spirit because we started in a depression and finished with an enthusiasm that overcame the mighty Mexicans. All the players showed enthusiasm and great spirit and belief. Our ageing maestros Stern John, Shaka Hislop, Dwight Yorke and Russell Latapy turned the clock back to the glory days we never had. What a twilight to their careers. The calm and maturity shown by Latapy under pressure will surely stand him in good stead as a coach.
It was not an easy path and there were heart stopping ups and down. Improved showings against Mexico and USA still ended in defeat. We seemed dead and buried when 2-1 down to Guatemala with 20 minutes to go. With Guatemala 3-0 up against Costa Rica and T&T 1-0 down to Mexico after 40 minutes the play offs were a long way off. It is because the team overcame all of these difficulties that I believe that whatever the result against Bahrain this has been their finest hour.
The spirit is infectious and feeds on itself. The stadium was full against Mexico, the crowd animated and this helped the players. This has to be contrasted to the earlier games. Dare I say that if our fans were less fickle our success might be more frequent? Spare a thought for the Trinidad and Tobago cricket team in the KFC Cup in Barbados. Dis-spirited away from home ,the reigning champions lost all five games. It is essential that the public shows support for our teams if they wish to share in the glory. Spirit is essential to the success and fans are essential to the spirit.
Congratulations to Leo Beenhakker and the Warriors.