When will the dream become reality? Will survivors of the generation that started the challenge in 1974 live to be part of the celebrations when T&T finally qualifies for a World Cup?
Many have said that T&T’s best chance was in 1973 when we scored five goals against home team Haiti and four were disallowed.
T&T eventually finished second in that tournament and Haiti qualified for the Germany finals as the lone representative from the region.
Others believe 1989 was even better. We went into the final game of the tournament in front of our home crowd needing a draw, but lost to the United States 1-0. We finished third behind Costa Rica and the USA, who both represented the region in Italy 1990.
Now, the dream of being in Germany has returned for a third time.
Already three teams have qualified from the region—the USA, Costa Rica and Mexico. This time, thanks to Fifa vice-president Austin Jack Warner, the region can have four representatives if T&T beats Bahrain in the upcoming matches on Saturday and next Wednesday.
Can T&T be lucky this third time around—48 years since its bid to reach the World Cup finals kicked-off?
It was in 1973, in Haiti, we created history!
Not only did T&T defeat the mighty Mexicans team 4-0 and forced supporters of the Mexicans to stone them with tomatoes at the airport on their return home, but T&T also scored five goals against the host country, Haiti, four of which were disallowed by the Canadian referee. He was later banned from the sport for life.
The records show that we eventually lost to Haiti 1-2 and thus did not qualify for the finals in (West) Germany.
Haiti was the Caribbean representative on that occasion.
For the record, during that qualifying campaign in Port-au-Prince, T&T defeated Mexico 4-0 under the guidance of English coach Kevin Verity and his assistant, T&T’s Edgar Vidale.
The main Mexican midfielder back then was Manuel Lapuente who coached the team here in 2001 when they defeated T&T during the 2002 campaign.
Another Mexican who was a member of that team was Enrique Borja, who became the president of the Mexican Football Federation also in 2001.
Sixteen years later, on Sunday, November 19, 1989, the USA was our target, our ticket to Italia 1990.
Needing just one point, to start making preparations to be the first English-speaking country to play on the biggest sporting stage in the world, T&T lost 1-0 in front of approximately 30,000 red-clad and very silent fans.
And the dream was again put on hold.
Sixteen years later, its a different scenario after Fifa decided against increasing the number of qualifying teams from both Asia and Concacaf by one each, the governing body for the sport decided that both confederations will get a half-spot in which its fourth place teams after the final qualifying round will meet in a play-off and the winner will go to Germany as one of the 32 finalists.
T&T finished fourth in Concacaf with 13 points and Bahrain was fourth in Asia after edging past Uzbekistan in the Asian play-off on an away goal.
Bahrain will visit the Caribbean for the first leg on Saturday before welcoming T&T to Manama four days later for a match that, for one team or the other, will see the realisation of a dream for the first time.
In a sense, Bahrain have already achieved the improbable. The sight of their coach, Luka Peruzovic, shedding tears in the post-match celebrations after their goalless draw in Manama had secured victory on away goals told its own story.
For T&T, the return to national duty for two sons, Dwight Yorke, the captain, and Russell Latapy; as well as Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker, have so far helped revived a nation’s dream of qualifying for its first World Cup.
Can it be third time lucky? In one week’s time, the answer will be known.