My prediction.. Cuba 0-2 Trinidad.
On another note, this is probably the most competitive Caribbean cup in years. No teams got their a$$ kicked. And the previous champions never won a game. This tells us that the playing ground is becoming more leveled in the Caribbean. This is good for the region.
Some assessments about the state of play in the region need to be tempered. Several of them on this forum have been too exuberant or generalized.
Jamaica's situation is the product of transition, experimentation and having used a cadre of players that - under any sensible assessment - could never constitute its best XI. Here's a squad that featured Bibi Gardner and Alvas Powell ... two absolute extremes. The players have taken responsibility, but a tactical issue is evident. I would be surprised if Burrell doesn't correct it upon the fndings by MacIntosh (Chair, JFF Technical and Development Comm.) being presented to him.
I don't share the sentiment that French Guiana is a squad to be feared. I find them fairly rudimentary. Similarly Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles. Guadeloupe fuh me is "better" than Martinique generally. While les martiniquais have a couple players who could hang, a foreign-based or local-based Martinique is way in the wilderness for a place that is French soil. We romanticize their level more than is reasonable.
Cuba is arguably slightly more cohesive than I saw of them in '07, '08 and '09. As I said before, although affected by defections, its improvement has been steady. Frankly, I feel with a philosophical change (playing and politically) Cuba could be deadly. They have improved, but it hasn't been overnight like folks with short memories seem to be insinuating.
The Dominican Republic played fluid ball this tourney, yet their national football development project is not sophisticated. It's left to be seen how this eventually translates to the junior national teams there. I think the key for them will be expanding linkages with Panamanian and Costa Rican clubs. another thing would be to improve their scouting locally because there are youths in the outer bands not getting too tough of a look.
Unquestionably, Antigua has narrowed the gap. We all know why. But, the question that also has to be resolved with any proper assessment of Antigua is what happens after the elders retire (Byers isn't the only ole foot on that squad ... reminds me of the Bajans leaning on Norman Forde and the cohort of Notre Dame players late in the day, although maybe not that extreme.
Haiti underperformed during this tournament ... of the Creole and Francophone speaking competitors, there is more going on here than in FG or Guadeloupe or Martinique ... the issue is harnessing that rawness.
Collectively, as a region, we have many football miles to trod. Right now we're a half-assed feeder for MLS teams.
Trinidad & Tobago could have created an institutional gap post 2006 that would have REALLY created distance between us and the region, but we did not. Sadly, we were better positioned to do so than Jamaica was post-1998.
We'll make a tangible breakthrough when we start placing players in the Mexican league consistently as their "jump" professional experience prior to moving to Europe.