Soca Warriors Online Discussion Forum
Sports => Football => Topic started by: Tallman on February 25, 2018, 06:20:24 PM
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Super League launches education programme
TTSL Media
The Trinidad and Tobago Super League inaugurated its Education Programme yesterday (Saturday 24 March) with a course in first aid and CPR. The course was intended to ensure clubs have trained first responders, particularly at youth level. Sixteen persons from TTSL clubs, as well as five regional association members, participated in the event, which was delivered by the TT Red Cross Society.
Course instructor Sabrina Xavier stressed the importance of paying attention to details as they "could be the difference between life and death". All participants were successful in the course examination, and will be certified by both the TT and American Red Cross.
TTSL's Education Programme continues on 17 March with a workshop on Financial Management and Control, which is intended to improve members' financial management. In April, TTSL will stage a three part seminar/workshop on Sports Nutrition, Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation, and Strength and Physical Conditioning, with the support of the University of Trinidad and Tobago.
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:thumbsup: :applause: :applause:
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CFTL fails to honour TT$.5m Cup contract; Look Loy confident about 2018 TTSL prospects.
By Roneil Walcott (Wired868).
Despite being the all-conquering team in the Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) in 2017 when they walked away with both the League and League Cup competitions, Guaya United are still to receive their prize money.
The TTSL membership had agreed to play without monetary rewards for the 2017 League competition so the southerners haven’t got any money for their League victory. But the Caribbean Football Trust Limited (CFTL) had committed to sponsoring the League Cup to the tune of TT$100,000 so there really is no reason why the champions should still be without their cash prize.
“No, we have not received our money [from CFTL],” TTSL president Keith Look Loy told Wired868. “They have not honoured our contract up to now and we are taking it very seriously.”
On 5 June, 2017, Look Loy—then in an interim role—signed off on an agreement with CFTL chairman Chris Anderson to the tune of TT$550,000. The sponsorship was due to cover two tournaments, with TT$200,000 going to the League Cup and a further TT$350,000 going to a “Winner takes all” Power Eight tournament, which never materialized.
In an enthralling League Cup final at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Guaya defeated Prisons FC to cop the top prize. Second-placed Prisons were supposed to pocket $50,000 while losing semi-finalists Cunupia FC and UTT were to receive $25,000 each. But CFTL are yet to hold up their end of the bargain.
“We have written to them several times and they keep saying they will pay, they will pay,” Look Loy went on. “That money should have been paid since November.”
Look Loy, who is also the founder of 2016 TTSL champions FC Santa Rosa, indicated that his club was one of eight TTSL teams which have not received their full winnings for their exploits in the 2016 TTSL season. Quite clearly distressed that the man who has so far failed to make good on his contractual commitment is a former Trinidad and Tobago international footballer, Look Loy stressed that it was part of a bigger problem of sport in the country which sees contracts not being treated with the respect they deserve.
“There is a trend in sport, where people sign contracts,” Look Loy said, “and if people feel to walk away from it, they walk away from it. In Trinidad and Tobago football, people don’t take contracts seriously.”
Like Look Loy, Guaya manager Jameson Rigues is hopeful that Anderson will keep his promise. And he implies that he expects the president to follow through and push the sponsor to make good on his promise.
“Mr [Keith] Look Loy was the direct connect to Anderson and his associates in Trinidad and Tobago,” Rigues told Wired868. “Anderson has made a commitment to pay the amount but he has not given a timeframe.”
Because he also sits on the TTSL Board as first vice-president, Rigues is between a rock and a hard place, feeling the heat from his own players as well.
“There is a lot of discontent where the prize money is concerned,” Rigues said. “Our plan was to reward players with those earnings. […] All fingers are pointing to me at this point.”
Last June when they signed on the dotted line at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, all eyes were on Anderson and Look Loy. And all ears were tuned to Anderson who had some pretty fine words to share with those present.
“As a former Trinidad and Tobago youth, senior and international player,” he told the media, “my passion has always been for Trinidad and Tobago football. For the past 15-20 years I’ve seen our football decline in a way where it is totally dilapidated if you ask me.”
“When I spoke to my board of directors, they said ‘It’s your choice.’ They said, ‘It’s your country and your passion,’ and I got the full support from all my board members to do this. This is the beginning. I anticipate that we will venture into greater things as we go along…”
Rigues tried to see the positive side.
“All we have is his word,” he said. “And to me a man’s word is his bond.”
Less disposed to be generous or optimistic, Look Loy assured Wired868 that the TTSL will no longer be dealing with CFTL.
“No, we will not be working with them [going forward],” the TTSL president said, suggesting that CFTL have their work cut out for them to get back in his good books. “They have not proven to be trustworthy at all. […] They started making excuses when it was time to pay.”
Look Loy was happy to note that Guaya, Prisons, Cunupia and UTT have all declared their intention to participate in the 2018 TTSL season which is currently carded to start on 10 June.
Rigues simply cannot envisage a TTSL without Guaya United, otherwise known as the “Green Army,” and gave the assurance that, even if the CFTL does not meet its contractual obligation, the club and the community will do all in their power to ensure that the players are well looked after financially.
“We are a community team so we always try to get people in and around the Mayaro area to come on board,” Rigues said. “It would be difficult not to get the prize money but it would be hard to see a TTSL without Guaya United.”
According to Rigues, the TTSL Board does not at the moment have any plans to take legal action to force CFTL’s hand. Look Loy, however, pointed out that, should CFTL attempt to venture into any similar sponsorship deals in the coming months without first honouring its contract with the local league, the TTSL would be forced to act.
Defence Force football team manager Ryan Ottley, who held the position of interim vice-president when the CFTL deal was struck, believes the current situation could have been avoided. He said he raised an alarm shortly after the June 2017 signing.
“We can’t take this contract to task now,” said Ottley, who last August lost out to Look Loy in the race to become TTSL president. “As vice-president at the time, I warned [Look Loy] about the contract. Due diligence was not followed. […] When I saw that contract, I knew it was problems.”
Ottley suggested that Look Loy’s handling if the CFTL matter is flawed as indeed is his handling of sponsorship matters in general.
“Writing the man is good, but when it was time to bring the sponsor on, you travelled to the States and sat and talked with the guy,” said Ottley. “If somebody owes me money, I’m making sure and get that money. We had a contract and I held up my end of the bargain. […] That could never be business.
“Every contract Mr Look Loy has brought to the TTSL has been an emergency contract. It had to be signed today for today because sponsors weren’t waiting. And every one failed.”
Look Loy conceded that the season had not gone entirely swimmingly, the Power Eight competition not coming off and the much ballyhooed TTSL / CFTL “All-Star” game not going ahead as planned. However, he explained, neither he nor anyone within the TTSL could reasonably be blamed for CFTL’s slowness in meeting its obligations. And it was the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) which was at fault for the cancellation of the “All Star” event because it had simply never given the green light for it to be staged.
All of that, Look Loy assures, is now history; there are brighter days on the horizon and, come what may, there will be monetary incentives for teams in the upcoming League campaign.
“We are not lamenting on what happened last season. We are not going to let that sour the football,” he declared. “Whether we have external sponsorship or not, we will have prize money for the different competitions this season.”
Look Loy indicated, that on 3 March, the membership agreed that part of the money clubs pay for registration will be going towards the payment of prizes come the end of the season. The TTSL president said that the League is still in talks with sponsors and a prize structure will be made public when the season gets under way in June.
The registration fee for clubs in TTSL League One is TT$45,000 while the League Two fee is TT$35,000. The deadline for payment of these fees is 30 April and clubs failing to meet the deadline run the risk of being kicked out of the League.
Even before the 30 April deadline, there is a 31 March date by which clubs must prove to the League that they are functional by producing financial audited statements, minutes of their last AGM and other pertinent documents.
According to Look Loy, Club Sando, Moruga, Marabella Family Crisis Centre and FC Santa Rosa have already met the functional club requirement and he is confident that other clubs will soon follow suit.
Ottley is of the view that the League should not be too quick to sideline its member clubs. And he reckons that no final decision on prize monies should be made before the membership is in possession of official information on the League’s operational costs.
“We are trying to develop clubs which can be a monarch in society,” he reasoned. “The clubs make up the League; if you have no clubs, then you have no League. When we lose one club, we lose a community. And clubs are being told if you can’t pay, you don’t play?”
Look Loy, however, argued in favour of a tough stance.
“Everybody has to run the last mile for themselves and you have to show that you want to pay,” the TTSL president told Wired868. “The clubs who are prepared to do that will get stronger. […] We have to lend a helping hand but clubs who don’t want to help themselves will fall by the wayside.”
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Doesn't this situation mirror what happened in the Pro League? My recommendation, for such future transactions, would be to have the sponsor deposit the funds into a trust account with disbursement occuring at the time of satisfaction/ occurrence of X, Y, Z ...
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Doesn't this situation mirror what happened in the Pro League? My recommendation, for such future transactions, would be to have the sponsor deposit the funds into a trust account with disbursement occuring at the time of satisfaction/ occurrence of X, Y, Z ...
According to Look Loy, sponsors never pay up front.
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This making Kieth look bad.
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You can't play for promise money. You have to secure the money first and then play for it, I guess that how is should be.
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Guaya United disappointed over lack of prize money.
T&T Newsday Reports.
GUAYA UNITED, winners of League One and the League Cup contests, in the 2017 Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) season, are disappointed over the fact that they are yet to receive their prize monies.
Last June, the TTSL president Keith Look Loy and Caribbean Football Trust Limited (CFTL) chairman Chris Anderson signed an agreement whereby CFTL will offer a sum of $550,000 towards the running of the 2017 season.
But CFTL allegedly reneged on their deal and the TTSL has been unable to present any cash rewards to the 2017 league winners.
According to a representative of Guaya United Randy Hagley, “(This news) wasn’t received well because everybody was in high spirits. But I live in an environment where expect the unexpected.
“You can’t blame Keith and Super League for not handing out prize money,” he added, in a recent interview. Hagley is not taking on a confrontational role as far as this issue is concerned.
“If the people reneged on their promise, there is nothing we could do,” he said. “This is not the first time we win (a competition) and we didn’t get any money. We still have an outstanding balance from All Sports (Promotions, the previous organisers of the TT Super League).” Asked what would be his next step, Hagley replied, “We’re not taking legal action for that. We’re a member of the Super League and we know the Super League is strapped for cash.”
He added, “In the Super League’s case, they might be able to take legal action against (the CFTL). From where I stand, there is nothing we can do about it.”
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Super League Two champs, Petit Valley Diego Martin United, cry victimisation
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)
Gordon Pierre, coach of T&T Super League team Petit Valley Diego Martin United is crying victimisation by Keith Look Loy, the TTSL president for his reluctance to accept the team in the TTSL this season on the basis that it is non compliant.
The team won League Two of the TTSL last season, but is one of 14 clubs on a list to have received provisional suspensions due to it being non compliant by the T&T Football Association at an April 7 meeting held at the office of the TTFA in Couva.
Pierre said his club has been unable to provide audited financial statements for 2016 because it was not legally registered with the Ministry of Legal Affairs. Clubs can have audited financial statements only when they are officially registered with government.
The Petit Valley Diego Martin United combination team has since been incorporated, but its entry into this year's super league still depends on the willingness of Look Loy as the TTSL representative on the Board of the TTFA, to argue its case for special consideration.
Look Loy's argument will be based on documentation detailing the club's financial affairs which have already been submitted to the TTFA on March 20.
If Look Loy is unable to convince the Board that the club's is worthy of special consideration, it will be suspended for a year.
Yesterday, Pierre said Look Loy has already made it clear he will not support thev West-based club's cause for entry, having already said so at the March 7 meeting. Pierre also accused the TTSL president of infringing on the constitutional rights of members of the suspended clubs to put forward their arguments why their clubs were non compliant at the March meeting.
At an Emergency General Meeting set for April 21, a two-thirds majority vote will be required to confirme the provisional suspension and if the vote goes through, the The Petit Valley Diego Martin United team will be suspended officially.
Apart from the Petit Valley Diego Martin United outfit, the 13 other clubs that will have their fate also decided at the meeting are - Central FC, Police FC's Pro League and super league teams, WASA FC, Point Fortin Civic, Guaya United, 1976 Phoenix, UTT, Siparia Spurs, Central 500 Spartans, Perseverance Ball Runners, Harlem Strikers and Youth Stars. Pierre told Guardian Media Sports his team's entry into the super league is a matter of life and death due to the spiralling crime rate on the north-west peninsula, and called on Look Loy to be considerate about it.
Contacted Look Loy said his decision will be based purely on the documents he will be provided by the TTFA on the club.
He noted nobody likes to see a club kicked out of football, and particularly with the impact that Petit Valley Diego Martin United has on the north-west peninsula, he will definitely support the club. However, he believes that he must be given a leg to stand on, noting he will not support any team breaking the law either.
Look Loy referenced a number of individual situations by clubs in the TTSL he believes are deserving of his support, such as Guaya United which claimed all documents were submitted; Police which explained that an audit is being done on the TTPS Sports Club which include other team; and Harlem Strikers which join the league in 2017 and had no financial documents for 2016.
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WATCH: Just when it looked like the T&T Super League was the only stable force in local football, there seem to be problems there too. Guardian Media Sports reporter Ryan Bachoo explores the changing nature of the league and how it could be watered down for the 2018 season, set to kick off in just over a month.
https://www.youtube.com/v/xFmxL4B0TQI
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Super League blanks U-20s entry.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).
The national Under-20 team is one of ten teams that were blanked from participating in this year’s T&T Super League (TTSL) competition.
The team which is coached by former national standout Russell Latapy failed to pay the registration fee of $45,000 as part of the entry requirement.
Keith Look Loy, the TTSL president said on Sunday that it was initially decided to have the team in the league as a guest team, but after its TTSL parent body, the T&T Football Association failed to pay the fee on two occasions, its members decided against having them in the league.
Look Loy said his members also found the team to be an unstable one after it was discovered that staff members had not been paid for six months.
Look Loy believes the league can be at risk of accepting such a team, fearing its members can decide to pull out if they continue to not be paid for their work.
The TTSL boss further explained that upon investigation, the TTSL also discovered that the team had not trained in a long time.
The under the 20 team is one of nine clubs that were refused the opportunity to play football in the TTSL this year, for either being non-compliant or failure to pay the required registration fee.
Guardian Media Sports also learnt that the country’s Under-17 team was also blanked entry into the FLOW Youth Pro League because of a late request.
Yesterday, General Secretary of the TTFA Justin Latapy-George said they came to an agreement with the TTSL for the U-20s to play, but we just could not make the payment.
“That is all I am going to say on that” Latapy-George said. One of the more popular teams that were also blanked is Defence Force, which was deemed compliant, but it did not pay the required $45, 000 for entry.
The others are Siparia Spurs, Central 500, Youth Stars, Marabella Family Crisis, Real Maracas United, Harlem Strikers, WASA and Palo Seco.
At a meeting of the TTSL on Sunday, officials of the Army Coast-Guard Combination team pleaded for a third deadline to pay. Due to the omission of the 10 clubs, this year’s TTSL season has been drawn down to 13 teams in a League One division only, compared to 24 teams in two divisions last year.
Look Loy said there is still a possibility that the composition of the tournament can be increased to 15 teams, after newcomers Erin FC paid half the fee Sunday and gave a promise that the SFA will pay the remaining amount, as part of their prize monies for last season.
The other team 1976 Phoenix assured it has already transferred monies to the account of the TTSL from its sponsors in the United States.
Look Loy said gave the Tobago team a deadline of yesterday to complete payment, while in the case of Erin FC, it will not accept the team into the league if all the funds are not received before the season starts.
According to Look Loy, they are changing the old culture of making deals and taking shortcuts, which has led to the death of the sport in the past. The TTSL’s stance was taken on the basis of a number of solid principles, one of which was the urgent demand for the fixtures by Caribbean Airline to secure travel for the teams on Sunday.
Look Loy, a former coach at FC Santa Rosa said: “We are treating our League as a commercial enterprise and those who don’t want to treat it as such will have to step aside. At some point in time, we have to get serious.”
Video - Super League set to be downsized (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFmxL4B0TQI)
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Super League must be fair to all clubs.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).
Army going the distance
“We are not out the T&T Super League as yet,” Defence Force manager Ryan Ottley said on Monday, a day after his team was one of 10, including the T&T Under- 20 team, to be dumped out of this season’s super league action.
Ottley has already written to the T&T Football Association (TTFA) demanding fair treatment to his team and all other teams blocked from participating in the TTSL, on the basis that the TTSL granted an extension to new club Erin FC and 1976 Phoenix to pay a $45, 000 registration fee which is a requirement for gaining entry and which the 10 clubs did not pay on Sunday.
Ottley said if the TTFA does not address his issue he will then take it to the CONCACAF and then the FIFA, the world governing body for football. Erin FC paid half the amount and gave the assurance that its prize monies for winning the Southern Football Association (SFA) League competition, will be given by the parent SFA.
The SFA itself appeared to have given the TTSL a commitment it will pay.
The super league is set to kick off on June 10 and Ottley, whose team won the Premier Division title back in 2015/2016, believes his team will be ready to compete again, saying in any system where justice is sought, fairness to all is paramount.
“Once a team was given an extension on Sunday then every team ought to be treated as fairly,” he said, before slamming Look Loy for disregarding the League’s mandate of developing its members.
Ottley said while he supports the idea of commercialising the TTSL and making it more professional, the League itself has to ensure that all clubs are up to that level first before taking such a stance.
“Football in T&T has been changing and it would take some time before change is complete, as clubs face many challenges.
For instance, in the case of the Defence Force and other State agencies, we face excruciating circumstances where slow government processes have prevented us from paying the registration fee,” Ottley explained.
He added: “The current economic climate must also be taken into account, bearing in mind clubs are grappling to become compliant, yet they have to look for funding. We are already not playing for any prize monies, so what is the incentive?” Guardian Media Sports learnt that clubs only had to pay the registration fee on Sunday as no club was deemed non-compliant.
And even so, Ottley said there were teams such as Harlem Strikers and Marabella Family Crisis Centre (MFCC) that allegedly showed up with cheques to pay, but were refused.
Yesterday, Terrence Boissiere, manager of MFCC had to deal with the death of one of his players -Noah Simmons, who was also a player for Shiva Boys Hindu College, gunned down on the Trainline in Marabella. Boissiere said he was contacted by 16-year-old Simmons early yesterday morning that he was on his way to the centre, but soon after Boissiere received another call relating the sad news.
In tears, he said: “This is what happens when we are denied entry into the Super League and refused support from corporate T&T. On Sunday I told Look Loy and the membership that our entry into the league is not just to play football, but rather to save lives. We are losing our young men in this area and it’s why we have been running this centre for 26 years.”
RELATED NEWS
T&T U-20s, Harlem, Marabella among nine teams blanked from TTSL; Look Loy explains decision
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).
The Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Under-20 Team will not have the benefit of using the Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) competition to warm up for their Poland 2019 World Youth Cup campaign.
Yesterday, the TTSL’s member clubs voted to reject the national team’s application for a place in its 2018 season, after the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) failed to meet the deadline for payment of a TT$50,000 registration fee.
The young Russell Latapy-coached Soca Warriors, who begin their Caribbean qualifying phase in November, were one of nine outfits blocked from participating this season owing to either non-payment of fees or non-compliance.
The other teams who will not suit up for the second-tier competition in 2018 are Defence Force, Harlem Strikers, WASA FC, Siparia Spurs, Central 500 Spartans, Perseverance Ball Runners, Youth Stars and the Marabella Family Crisis Centre.
Tobago 1976 Phoenix FC and Erin FC received a stay of execution. Phoenix claimed their payment had been wired to the TTSL before the deadline of Friday 4 May and must now prove it.
And Erin, who are newly promoted from the Southern Football Association (SFA), paid half of their fee with the SFA standing as guarantor for the remainder. The SFA must come good on that promise before the start of the season or Erin will not play either.
It means that, for the 2018 season, the TTSL has 13 clubs which will play in one division—as distinct from the 19 teams split into two divisions as was the case in 2017.
The accepted clubs are Guaya United, FC Santa Rosa, University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT), Prisons FC, QPCC, Petit Valley/Diego Martin United, Cunupia FC, Club Sando, Bethel United, Police FC, Matura Reunited and the newly promoted duo of RSSR and San Fernando Giants.
TTSL president Keith Look Loy explained his body’s decision to rescind its invitation to the National Under-20 Team.
“The meeting felt that, since they had not paid the registration fee by the required time, we could hardly suspend our members from the competition and allow an invited team—even if it is the national team—to play,” Look Loy told Wired868. “That is at one level. At the second level, the meeting felt that the team is unstable, the staff is unpaid—that’s the report—and they haven’t trained for weeks…
“We felt, given the whole matrix of factors, it would be a risky business to include them because [their internal issues] could disrupt our league and we don’t want that.”
National Under-20 Team manager Alexandrine Elliot-Procope declined the chance to discuss the team’s problems. However, the TTFA Media confirmed that the youth team began training this weekend after a lay-off of “two to three weeks.”
The Under-20 Team leaves for Guadeloupe on 15 May for an invitational tournament which should also include Costa Rica and Martinique.
The Under-20s’ failure to get into the TTSL competition follows on the heels of a similarly unsuccessful bid by the Under-17 Team to play in the 2018 Youth Pro League (YPL) competition, their proposed participation vetoed after the TTFA missed the application deadline.
Latapy also coaches the Under-17’s.
The national youth team’s problems hardly commanded centre-stage yesterday, though, as the decision to sideline nearly half of the TTSL’s 2017 participants led to heated exchanges.
“The deadline [to pay the TTSL’s registration fee] was moved from [April] the 13th to 30th and then Friday 4th [of May],” said Matura Reunited general manager Maurice Eligon. “Anybody who was late but paid by then was accepted in the best interest of football.”
Yesterday, Club Sando passed a motion that only clubs who met the TTSL’s registration deadline would be accepted to participate in the upcoming season. San Fernando Giants seconded the motion and, in the subsequent vote, nine clubs voted in favour, five against and four abstained. It sealed the fate of the clubs for the 2018 season.
Harlem Strikers manager and vice-president Gregory McSween was livid. He showed up at the TTSL’s meeting on Saturday with a cheque for the full registration fee. But it was not accepted since he had missed the deadline.
“We got the cheque from our sponsor [Cengem Construction Company from Chase Village] on Saturday morning and [Look Loy] said they’re not accepting that,” McSween told Wired868. “You don’t get people to put this kind of money into football now… For us to get back in the Super League, we went through a set of things to get compliance; we went to Legal Affairs to get Harlem Strikers registered and so on.
“We done buy uniforms, spectator tee-shirts printing, we have our coach [former national youth player and Defence Force defender Devin Jordan] training the team and getting ready. And, after all that, we didn’t get in?
“I don’t even know how to face my players to tell them this.”
Yet, bizarrely, McSween appeared to have voted in favour of yesterday’s motion, which essentially sealed Harlem’s fate. Although the administrator did not answer conclusively when asked about his vote, TTSL records show that Harlem said ‘yes’ to starting the 2019 season with only the clubs who met Friday’s deadline.
Defence Force (TTSL) manager Ryan Ottley, who was a defeated presidential candidate in the TTSL’s election last year, suggested that “some” club representatives were not paying attention and did not understand which way they were voting.
“Certain men were talking when the motion was raised and seconded,” said Ottley. “After people voted, some of the men stood up and said they didn’t understand [what they voted for] and asked for it to be ratified. But [the TTSL executive] said ‘no’ and they were not accepting any counter motion.”
Ottley and McSween have since announced their intention to start a lobby group, which will petition the TTFA for assistance in getting into the TTSL’s 2018 competition. Ottley accused Look Loy of favouritism and claimed that the TTSL extended its deadline to 4 May—without informing other clubs—so that Erin could make a partial payment.
“There was no message to anybody that they had until Friday [4 May] to pay the registration fee,” said Ottley. “They told everyone else the 30th [of April]. Nobody knew they had extra time, especially Defence Force.
“If you are giving an extension to one club, you have to give an extension to all. I will be writing the TTFA on the matter, as it is clearly a breach of the process and we have more than enough evidence to say the chair [Look Loy] is acting inappropriately.”
However, both Eligon and the TTSL President disputed Ottley’s claim that member clubs had no prior warning of the registration extension.
“The decision to extend the deadline was taken at a [TTSL] board meeting on 1 May,” said Eligon.
McSween and Ottley were also aggrieved at the TTSL’s decision to allow Erin to participate with only a part-payment, which they felt was inconsistent with the demands made of other teams.
“[Yesterday] Marabella asked for two additional days to make payment and they said no,” said McSween. “Perseverance won TT$25,000 from the Central Zone and they had a cheque for TT$5,000 and [Look Loy] said he’s not accepting part-money.
“But Erin paid TT$25,000 with an agreement from their zone to send the remaining money to the Super League. So how are they getting time to pay? Isn’t that part-payment too?
“Certain teams he doesn’t want in the Super League… This man is humbugging football in Trinidad.”
Responding, Look Loy pointed to a precedent for accepting a promissory note in lieu of payment by a club. He said the TTSL membership voted to accept the same thing last year, when the Central Football Association (CFA) offered a letter of comfort for Perseverance—based on prize money owed to the club.
And he insisted that there was no comparison between the circumstances of Erin, Harlem and Marabella.
“Erin paid TT$15,000 before the expiry of the first deadline on 30th of April,” said Look Loy, “and then we said we would allow a new deadline and anyone who made the payment by then, we would accept. San Fernando Giants paid TT$19,250 before [30 April], then they completed their payment on the 4th of May.
“Erin came up with a further TT$7,700 by the 4th of May. However, in addition to that, they produced a letter from the Southern FA […] which would cover the balance of their payment to the Super League.
“That is a far cry from Harlem and Marabella who paid nothing—not one red cent—by the first deadline and nothing by the second deadline.”
Look Loy stressed that all teams got to present their case at Saturday’s meeting. And, in the end, it was the TTSL’s membership that voted to proceed without the non-paying clubs.
“Clubs like Army somehow find it impossible to make a payment and didn’t even offer a defence for their failure to pay,” said the TTSL president. “But they are demanding an extension, when brand new clubs come in and within three months are able to do all that is required of them—they are compliant and paid up.
“This is not a matter of personalities, it is a matter of progressing football.”
Look Loy said some teams pointed to the social good done by community clubs as further grounds for leeway. His retort was that such teams could continue to impact positively on their neighbourhoods by playing zonal football.
It is, according to the TTSL President, time to stop paying lip service to the “business of football.”
“We cannot continue with the same decadent, lackadaisical culture that has persisted in our football for decades,” said Look Loy. “We have to introduce a respect for regulations [and] people have to understand that protocol and procedure is important to improve our football. Some teams will kick against it, some will fall by the wayside but the rest will improve.
“[We know] this is a paradigm shift. People here like to talk about treating football like a business; but when the business of football starts to squeeze their toe, they start to kick and scream.
“[…] I am in the fortunate position of not wanting to be Super League president again, so I am not looking for future votes—unlike politicians who are always looking for future votes. I have been charged with running the league properly as a commercial enterprise and that is what I am trying to do. And the majority of teams yesterday supported that and said we should go ahead.”
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Please save our beautiful game.
By Colin Murray (Guardian).
On Tuesday evening I arrived home early and sat down to look at the news and enjoy a relatively quiet night; maybe look at a movie, or better yet just relax. As the news started the murders and accidental crashes filled the headlines but what saddened me even further was the shooting death of a young footballer — Noah Simmons — who was allegedly shot dead by a friend.
Not only was another life lost to gun violence but from all reports, young Simmons was a very promising player with a bright future. Imagine police shooting at police and so many lives being snuffed out to gun violence, we must admit as a society that we have reached the depths of hell.
The lead sports story then had me really thinking: No one in this country involved in sport wants to follow rules and decisions taken — unless of course — it is in their favour. Players and administrators alike just want to do their own thing and then huff and puff to blow down anything that stands in their way.
I am referring here to the story I heard regarding Defence Force and their perceived unfairness to them at not gaining entry into the upcoming Super League season 2018. Now let us examine some facts as people tend to leave out those tiny but important details, which can be relevant to an issue. The Board of the Super League had recommended that the middle of March — the deadline for payment of subscriptions to the League, be on April 13.
However, at a general meeting, the clubs decided to extend the deadline date to April 30 and this was unanimously adopted. On April 30, 2018, only 12 clubs had paid up fully and a further two clubs — Erin FC and San Fernando Giants — had made part payments.
At a board meeting on May 1 2018, it was agreed to extend the deadline to May 4 2018, at which time San Fernando Giants paid off their subscription fully while Erin FC made a further part payment and a letter from their association — the Southern Football Association (SFA) indicating that they had prize money for them and committed to paying the outstanding amount.
If the league was unfair in their dealings they could have given both clubs back their money and said quite categorically that the deadline was not met and you can’t play. However, both these clubs had extenuating circumstances so this “unfair and biased” league showed some compassion by giving all clubs a further deadline of May 4, 2018 to complete the subscription fees.
In the case of Phoenix FC from Tobago, they claimed part payment was made directly into the Super League’s bank account, however, no evidence was given to support this claim and consequently they were given until Monday 7 May 2018 to provide this evidence.
April 30, 2018 was the date which coincided with the deadline given by the TTFA to all clubs to become compliant. In other words, the TTFA board, with ratification from the general meeting suspended all non-compliant members by the said April 30, 2018 in which they would lose all rights within football. The deadline was extended three times.
It really amazes me the thinking of some administrators. There was absolutely no correspondence from the Defence Force indicating at no time that they could not meet the deadline.
If this league has to be professional and organised, then clubs have to become a professional and step up their organisation to meet the demands of the League. The Defence Force representative claims they faced excruciating circumstances where slow Government processes have prevented them from paying the registration fee and quite frankly I could understand this.
However, why was this not communicated to the secretariat of the league?
I completely agree that we are losing our young men in areas to crime, drugs etc. and football is certainly a way out for them but we must have some order and rules to abide by in sport. We as administrators must ensure we stick to the rules and do not break them ourselves as what type of example would we be setting for our youngsters?
We as administrators need to come together and do good for the sport. Look at what is happening to all our major sports in the country. Instead, we spend 95 per cent of the time fighting one another for power when in fact we are wrong and strong.
Come on, let’s all put our heads together and work for the beautiful game!
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Streete joins TTSL newcomers, RSSR, as coach; Matura unveil three-year ambitions.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).
Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) rookies RSSR will not be short of tactical know-how on their bench this season, after the North Zone champions snagged veteran Pro League coach Anthony “Prowler” Streete for their 2019 season.
Streete, a former St Ann’s Rangers and Club Sando head coach, will lead the RSSR Football Academy into their debut season at TTSL level.
RSSR chairman Ruthvin “Spanner” Charles described the capture of Streete as a real coup for the club, which does not have a sponsor and paid their registration fee through a combination of their Northern Football Association (NFA) winnings, fund-raising and contributions from Charles and club co-founder Dexter Harris.
RSSR consists of players from the Port-of-Spain South and Laventille districts—including John John and Beetham Gardens—and gets its name from the first name initials of four former Trinidad and Tobago international players from those communities: Reynold George, Sammy Llewellyn, Selris Figaro and Russell Tesheira.
Charles described their promotion to the TTSL as a “tremendous step” for the club, which finished second in the 2017 Republic Bank National Youth League (RBNYL) Under-15 competition but is a relatively new force at senior level.
“We are still fully amateur and hope that we can convince someone to come onboard and assist us through our standard of football and discipline,” said Charles. “The Super League is a kind of semi-pro league and we are funding what we can from our own pocket. Sometimes [NFA president] Anthony Harford would assist us by helping us to get access to the [Hasely Crawford] Stadium to train.”
Streete, who hails from Chinapoo in Morvant, has opted to skip the Pro League in the upcoming season and will be aiming to help stabilise RSSR in the second-tier competition in the months ahead.
Last year, the wily coach served as back-up to head coach Adrian Romain at Rangers as part of a merger between the football team and sponsor, MIC-IT.
Romain, who was instrumental in bringing MIC-IT on board, allegedly insisted on being head coach.
“When Adrain came, he said he wanted me to not be around for two weeks so he could set up his team,” Streete told Wired868. “You don’t want your assistant coach to be around? I could smell the coffee. So I decided to give him the freedom to coach the team.”
Streete is the second former Pro League coach to join the TTSL this season, after two-time champion Derek King left North East Stars for FC Santa Rosa. The circumstances are vastly different, though.
“I didn’t take this job knowing what the players could do,” said Streete. “I took the job because this is my community and I wanted to give back.”
Streete pointed to striker Jevaughn Vincent and defender Keron Lawrence—who were top goal-scorer and Most Valuable Player respectively in the NFA’s 2017 season—as bright talents. However, he said there is a lot of work to be done before the players are ready to assert themselves at a higher level.
“Because there are no stipends for players, today you get a few in training and tomorrow you get another set,” said Streete. “I am not accustomed to that. The hardest point is the discipline of the players because they are not accustomed to that kind of thing.
“They are accustomed to going on to the field and doing what they want and I have to be telling them not to talk while I am talking during training and so on. I am trying to get them to understand these things that they lack. But I am willing to work with them to make them a force.”
For Matura ReUnited, it is a matter of returning to their rightful place—after they last year’s enforced hiatus due to the failure to meet the TTSL’s registration deadline.
Former North East Stars club official Maurice Eligon has taken up the position as Matura’s general manager and the club is clearly shooting for the stars. In an unusual move for a local outfit, before their first training session, Matura already had their administrative staff and business plan in place.
Stephanie Guevara, whose area of expertise is marketing, is the club’s president with Dwain Henry as team manager and US-based former national youth player Dr Carlos Lee as special advisor.
Matura are searching for a coach at present and have already interviewed Valencia Secondary coach Roland Clarke, former Trinity College (Moka) coach Marlon Minguel and Arima North Secondary and ex-national midfielder Travis Mulraine for the position.
According to the club, interested coaches must be excellent communicators with a minimum of two years’ coaching experience at SSFL, club or national team level. Email applications should be addressed to dwainhenry35@gmail.com.
“Our objective is to see if we can consolidate this season, play some proper football and start to put our business together,” said Eligon. “Our brand must be attractive to encourage supporters to come out and invest in the football… We have a three-year business plan and, by the third year, we should have the finances to go [to the Pro League].”
Former Under-20 World Cup goalkeeper Glenroy Samuel is expected to rejoin the club as well as ex-Naparima College attacker Isaiah Lee. And the Secondary Schools Football League’s decision to allow school boys to represent their clubs up until their first game of the SSFL season is a boost for Matura, who plan to use a fresh-faced squad, including St Benedict’s College and National Under-17 midfielder Keon Boney.
“We are trying to go very young and will be focusing on development,” said Eligon. “The north-east region has a lot of young, talented players who have to leave to go elsewhere to play their football. We want to give them a place to showcase themselves right here.
“So we expect to have players from Valencia High School and the Valencia area, for instance, involved.”
The TTSL competition will consist of between 13 to 15 clubs this season with just one division. So Matura and RSSR can anticipate a baptism of fire from the likes of Guaya United, FC Santa Rosa and Cunupia FC.
They are looking forward to it.
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.Good Luck. I will be rooting for RSSR. One of the few entities tying to put a positive light on the areas East of the Dry River.
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Defence Force hopeful of Super League entry.
T&T Newsday Reports.
Ottley queries outstanding $$ owed from 2016
RYAN OTTLEY, manager of Defence Force’s Super League team, is hopeful his squad would be allowed to participate in the 2018 TT Super League (TTSL) season.
Defence Force were one of eight teams from the 2017 season who were not permitted to feature this year due to either non-compliance or non-payment of fees.
Ottley, in an interview, on Wednesday, complained that Defence Force have yet to receive the $100,000 jackpot from winning the Premiership Division of the 2015/2016 season, but have to fork out $50,000 to play in this year’s edition.
“The Super League owes the Defence Force $100,000 from the 2016 season and we still have not received it yet,” said Ottley. “The argument in that regard is this – you’re owing me some money, you can’t pay me but you’re asking me to pay you. It’s a little bit of tit-for-tat.”
He added, “It’s a bit of an uncomfortable position where you can’t even pay money that is owing but you’re asking men to pay money to run a competition again.”
Ottley, who failed in his bid to unseat Keith Look Loy as TTSL president last year, pointed out that the current economic woes afflicting the twin-island republic have also been a factor in Defence Force’s inability to pay the registration fee.
“However, we did ask for an extension and it was totally disregarded by the executive at the general meeting at the TTSL,” Ottley said. “In that same meeting, an extension was granted for two clubs, Erin FC and Phoenix. From my take, that’s a kind of bias because we asked for one and it wasn’t granted, but you granted it for two others. You’re being unfair to the Defence Force in that regard.
“It’s not a good thing at all for football, especially as Defence Force has been a part of (the Super League) from the inception,” he added.
Asked what would be the team’s next step, Ottley replied, “I’ve written to the TTFA, indicating the circumstances under which Defence Force is being debarred from playing in the 2018 season. I’ve also identified the clear biasness by what was enforced by the Super League executive.”
Ottley, who is a flying officer in the TT Defence Force, ended, “I’m still awaiting their response on the matter. I’m hopeful that good sense will prevail, just like how it would have prevailed in the TTFA compliance meeting, and that the team will be allowed to play in the 2018 season. If not, we’ll make a decision moving forward.”
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Former Rosa youths lead influx of new players.
FC Santa Rosa Release.
With the 2018 Super League season set to begin on Saturday 9 June, FC Santa Rosa has recruited several new players, some of whom began their football career as Santa Rosa youths. New coach Derek King's squad has been strengthened with the arrival of:
1. Kishun Seecharan (forward, from Northeast Stars FC)
2. Akeil Guevara (midfielder, ditto)
3. Jesse Peters (goalkeeper, ditto)
4. Giovanni Abraham (forward, ditto)
5. Shane Hospedales (midfielder, UTT)
6. Gorean Highley (forward, Cunupia)
7. Hayden Tinto (forward, San Juan Jabloteh FC)
8. Noel Williams (defender, 1976 Phoenix FC)
9. J'deem Parris (midfielder, UTT)
10. Dakeil Ferreira (defender/midfielder, Sangre Grande Dream Team)
11. Carlon Nicholas (midfielder/defender, Damarie Hill FC)
Seecharan and Guevara are former Rosa youth players. Goran Ratty Highley joins his son Mikaeel (Rosa Under-12s) at the club.
The Rosa newbies bring tremendous attacking force to add to the Big Cannons well known defending ability - Santa Rosa has conceded the least goals in the league over the past three seasons).
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Cudjoe pledges support for TTSL.
T&T Guardian Reports.
A two-man delegation from the T&T Super League (TTSL), led by president Keith Look Loy and Board member Clayton Morris, met with new Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Shamfa Cudjoe yesterday morning at her St Clair office.
The Minister was accompanied by her administrative team, which included Permanent Secretary Nicolette Duke and Director of Sport Patrice Charles for what was said to be a very cordial meeting that focused on the formation of the league in 2018, the upcoming season due to begin on June 9 and the TTSL's request for the Ministry's support for annual expenditure on inter-island travel for its members.
A release yesterday said the minister expressed her appreciation for TTSL's effort to introduce professional standards and protocols into football, as well as the League's effort to maintain its national character by paying for member clubs to travel between the two islands.
Minister Cudjoe also pledged her support for a Ministry subsidy for TTSL inter-island travel, which would await the release of funds to the ministry by the central government.
The availability of government funding for such travel would allow TTSL to commit funds now allocated to inter-island travel to the League's development projects.
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Super League signs TV deal.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).
Live TTSL matches for fans
T&T Super League (TTSL) president Keith Look Loy is making good on his promise to have the super league on television for local and international audiences.
Yesterday, the TTSL boss signed a two-year gentleman’s agreement with Peter C Lewis, the T&T Entertainment Network owner at the Hutt Shutts Sports and Entertainment Centre, Tacarigua with the intentions of improving the quality of the super league, as well as provide an opportunity for clubs to become self-sustainable.
The arrangement will see each club receiving live television coverage on FLOW, while a half-hour packaged programme will be put together for airing every Wednesday night from 9 pm.
Fans can catch a glimpse of matches via ttentv.com or tten on any google device. Broadcasted matches will also be picked up all the way up to the Caribbean in Barbados, Curacao, St Vincent, St Lucia, Bahamas, St Thomas, Grand Cayman and St Maarten, where potential markets exist.
Look Loy yesterday said, however, that clubs will have a responsibility to sell themselves and the league through advertising, based on the stage they put before the public.
While the new deal will provide a chance for some teams to receive gate receipts, other clubs that do not have a closed or fenced facility as its home can capitalise on increased spectator support that can lead to the sale of jerseys and other memorabilia. Look Loy believes a criteria for clubs to maximise on the new partnership deal is by structuring itself internally or being prepared to deal with coming opportunities.
The league is set for kick-off on Saturday with a mouth-watering clash between FC Santa Rosa and Tobago campaigners Bethel FC at the Arima Velodrome, Arima.
Look Loy said a treat awaits fans and supporters through live entertainment from soca artistes Olatunji, Rome and others, as well as a popular Arima rhythm section and other entertainment. He also did not rule out an after match lime.
Look Loy, whose team finished runner-up to Hydro Tech Guaya United last season, told the media that invitations for his opening match have already been sent out to Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Shamfa Cudjoe, who will be a supporter of the Tobago team, and Arima Major Lisa Morris Julian, who has supported Santa Rosa for many years.
Lewis said the super league appealed to him because of its organised structure which features promotion and demotion.
He called on corporate T&T to follow in their footsteps to help local sports, saying: “Charity begins at home.”
The partnership, Lewis explained, is aimed at helping clubs to help themselves so that they will not have to go begging for handouts.
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The league is set for kick-off on Saturday with a mouth-watering clash between FC Santa Rosa and Tobago campaigners Bethel FC at the Arima Velodrome, Arima.
Maaaaaaaaaaaaan! Walter, you is the best!!!! a mouth-watering clash.
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Great work by TTSL. Organizational operations very professional so far, along the lines of any pro-league. I'm sure this will bode well for future professional aspirations and endeavors.Besides the fact of setting examples and giving the young footballers and their clubs some sense of worth.
T&T football will rise again, due to this building from below, in spite of the association charged with the job of the country's management and development. Possibly TTSL and supporters will eventually inherit that program as well.
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New look Guaya faces PVDM in TTSL Sunday.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).
Guaya United, the T&T Super League champions will begin the defence of their titles (League and CFTL League Cup) on Sunday against Petit Valley Diego Martin United.
The new-look Guaya outfit will be without its sponsor Hydro Tech and influential coach Ron La Forrest, both parting ways with the club due to differences in the direction it ought to go. La Forrest’s position has been taken by understudy coach Calvin Hughes, while four other key players have moved on to other T&T Pro League teams.
Guaya won the Caribbean Football Trust Limited (CFTL) League Cup and League titles after losing just twice for the entire season, but this time they may lack the fire power it had last year.
Guaya faces a Diego Martin team that won League Two of the TTSL last year and squeezed into this year’s tournament after being among a list of teams to have received provisional bans for being non-compliant.
Sunday’s encounter will be played at the St Anthony’s College Ground, Westmoorings from 4 pm and will be crucial for both teams sending a warning to their opponents.
The 14-team competition gets going tomorrow with last year’s runner-up in the League FC Santa Rosa hosting Tobagonians Bethel FC at the Arima Velodrome from 6 pm. New Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Shamfa Cudjoe is expected to be on hand to support the Tobagonians, while Arima Mayor Lisa Morris Julian is set to don the yellow and blue shirt of the Big Cannons.
Keith Look Loy, the FC Santa Rosa president has said to expect an entertaining atmosphere with performances from soca artistes Olatunji, Rome as well as other rhythm sections, that will add to an expectedly high-quality match by the teams. The game will also be televised live by the T&T Entertainment Network.
Saturday’s opening day will also comprise a match-up between newcomers Matura ReUnited FC and Queen’s Park at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar Arima from 4 pm, while UTT will be up against another debutant club RSSR FA, the Northern Football Association (NFA) campaigners from 7 pm at the O’Meara Campus Ground in Arima.
Another newcomer to the league, Metal X Erin FC will take the field on Sunday in a match-up against Club Sando at its Erin Recreation Ground from 6 pm. Metal X, an engineering company from central Trinidad, agreed to sponsor the team for the season to the tune of $51,000.
The team’s triumph at the Southern FA has brought much fame to its community and has led to the support of Member of Parliament for the La Brea area Nicole Olivierre, as well as LNG, TGU and R Lalla & Company.
Team president and owner Jason Gordon said his charges are excited to play their first match in the super league after eight years of trying to qualify. For the match, there will be live entertainment as well as food and drinks on sale.
Matches
Tomorrow:
FC Santa Rosa vs Bethel United,Arima Velodrome, 6 pm
Matura ReUnited FC vs QPCC, Larry Gomes Stadium, 4 pm
UTT vs RSSR FA UTT, O’Meara Campus 7 pm
San Fernando Giants vs Cunupia FC, St Margaret’s Recreation Grd, 4 pm
Sunday:
Prisons FC vs Police FC, YTC, Arouca, 3.30 pm
Petit Valley/Diego Martin Utd vs Guaya United, St Anthony’s College, 4 pm
Erin FC vs Club Sando, Erin Recreation Ground, 6 pm
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WATCH LIVE: FC Santa Rosa vs Bethel United in the 2018 Trinidad and Tobago Super League.
https://www.youtube.com/v/VDsTmjNjqmU
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Doesn't this situation mirror what happened in the Pro League? My recommendation, for such future transactions, would be to have the sponsor deposit the funds into a trust account with disbursement occuring at the time of satisfaction/ occurrence of X, Y, Z ...
According to Look Loy, sponsors never pay up front.
You avoid this situtation by signing a contract, thus both parties are legally obligated to meet their duties.
If the sponsor could overs just so and not pay then in the middle of the competition the league could turn their back on the sponsors.
In this day and age if we taking ppl word for it for a national league it shows what an unappealing entity it is to the corporate TT.
VB
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Guaya held in Super League opener.
T&T Newsday Reports.
Despite no shortage of firepower, defending champions Guaya United and Petit Valley/Diego Martin United opened their 2018 TT National Super League accounts with a goalless stalemate on Sunday. The match was played at St Anthony’s College Ground, Westmoorings.
Both teams are expected to put in a strong challenge for the season but will have to play catch up from match day two.
Erin FC, who recorded a 2-0 win over former champions and southern neighbours Club Sando, took an early lead on goal-difference in the 14-team standings. Keyon Alexander and Israel Williams scored one each in the second half. FC Santa Rosa and UTT were the only other winning teams over the weekend, both securing 2-1 results over Bethel United and RSSR FC, respectively.
For FC Santa Rosa, former national youth player Gorean “Ratty” Highley scored the winner in the 77th minute. Rashad Griffith has fired FC Santa Rosa in front from the penalty spot in the 24th, and Bethel got a penalty of their own which was scored by Akeilon Murphy in the 48th minute.
The match, held at the Arima Velodrome, was attended by Arima Mayor, Lisa Morris-Julian, and the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, Shamfa Cudjoe, a Bethel native.
Saturday’s results:
FC Santa Rosa 2 (Rashad Griffith 24th pen, Gorean Highley 77th) vs Bethel United 1 (Akeilon Murphy 48th pen)
Matura Reunited FC 2 (Isaiah Lee 58th, Patrick Parris 90th+4) vs QPCC 2 (Sean de Silva 7th, Elton John 53rd)
UTT 2 (Shaquille Smith 25th, Shaquille Nesbitt 45th+2 pen) vs RSSR FC 1 (Jevon Vincent 43rd)
San Fernando Giants FC 1 (Ken Bhola 81st) v Cunupia 1 (Theon James 16th)
Sunday results:
Prison Service FC 1 (Anthony Parris 54th) v Police FC 1 (Jason Boodram 43rd)
Petit Valley/Diego Martin United 0 v Guaya United FC 0
Erin FC 2 (Keyon Alexander 49th, Israel Williams 63rd) v Club Sando 0
Match Day Two
Saturday’s fixtures:
Guaya United v Prison Service FC, Guaya Recreation Ground, 5 pm
Club Sando v Matura Reunited FC, Dibe Rec Ground, Long Circular Rd, 6 pm
Sunday’s fixtures:
Police FC v FC Santa Rosa, Police Barracks, St James, 4 pm
RSSR FC v Petit Valley/ Diego Martin United, Trinity College, Moka, 4 pm
Cunupia FC v Erin FC, Larry Gomes Stadium, Arima, 4 pm
QPCC v UTT, St Mary’s College Ground, St Clair, 4 pm
Bethel United v San Fernando Giants, Montgomery Recreation Ground, Tobago, 6 pm
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FC Santa Rosa thrashes Guaya 3-0.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).
FC Santa Rosa rebounded from a 1-0 loss against Police FC last week by thrashing arch-rivals Guaya United FC 3-0 at the Arima Velodrome on Friday night.
Playing at its home ground for a second time this season, the Big Cannons, as they are called by their fans, the host got a double strike from Kevon Cornwall, who also had a hand in the third item.
He opened the scoring in the 18th minute and then gave the Big Cannons a two-goal cushion when he climbed unchallenged to head home in the 57th minute, which followed a neat build-up down the right flank.
Kheelon Mitchell then drove the nail in Guaya’s coffin with his goal in the 60th minute to lift the Arimians following the disappointing result in their last match.
Afterwards, team president Keith Look Loy said the win was a statement of intent for his team.
“We have a hardcore of players who played last year and for the last few years for Santa Rosa. In fact, seven of them started, these are returnees, but we have added strategically.
“We have brought in new players and it is a statement of intent,” Look Loy said.
He noted “We slipped a little last week because the boys underrated Police, but we had a team talk and everything is as it should be, we showed that last night.
We have to work hard because we know in this league there are no easy matches.
“Every team in this league is going to give you a hard run, and we take that for what it is, we go one match at a time,” the Santa Rosa boss said.
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Matura ReUnited wins thriller to go top.
By Nigel Simon (Guardian).
Nick Guy netted a double as Matura ReUnited won a seven-goal thriller over Metal X Erin FC, 4-3 at Erin Recreation Ground, Erin to go top of the 2018 T&T Super League on Saturday.
However, it was the hosts who looked well set for all three points earlier in the contest after strikes from Jardel Sinclair and Keyon Alexander, two and three minutes into time added on at the end of the first-half resulted in a 2-0 advantage at the break.
But it all unravelled quickly on the restart for Erin FC as Guy banged in a quick double in the 49th and 52nd minute to get Matura ReUnited back on level terms and silence the home crowd.
Isaiah Lee then fired Matura ReUnited ahead for the first time in the contest in the 72nd minute and six minutes from full-time Irvin Reyes made it 4-2 to the visitors and well set for all three points.
There was still a late twist to the match as Keyon Alexander handed Erin FC a lifeline with his 91st minute goal, but in the end Matura ReUnited held on for the win, its second in three matches to go to seven points, one ahead of FC Santa Rosa and University of T&T (UTT) while Police is next with five points.
This after UTT earned a 1-0 win over Club Sando at its O’Meara Road, Campus courtesy a 35th minute Shaquille Smith strike while San Fernando Giants and Police FC battled to a goalless draw at Mannie Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella. Matches continued yesterday.
SATURDAY’S RESULTS
Matura ReUnited 4 (Nick Guy 49th, 52nd, Isaiah Lee 72nd, Irvin Reyes 84th) vs Erin FC 3 (Jardel Sinclair 45th, Keyon Alexander 45th, 90th)
San Fernando Giants FC 0 vs Police FC 0
UTT 1 (Shaquille Smith 35th) vs Club Sando FC 0
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Mike Grayson, former 'Gustine coach told he went the Arima Velo to see Santa Rosa the other night. He said the crowd attendance was big. The pro league don't have nothing like that. Yes, the standard of play is not as good as the pro league. He said that Lookloy has done a very good promotion of the league.
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Mike Grayson, former 'Gustine coach told he went the Arima Velo to see Santa Rosa the other night. He said the crowd attendance was big. The pro league don't have nothing like that. Yes, the standard of play is not as good as the pro league. He said that Lookloy has done a very good promotion of the league.
Rosa played Guaya which is 2nd vs 1st from last season. Guaya also has the largest support base of any club in the country so that's not too surprising either.
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Woodley’s double sends Cunupia to the top.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).
A double strike by Kevon Woodley for Cunupia FC brought an end to Matura ReUnited’s short stint at the top of the T&T Super League 13-team standings and installed his team as the new leaders.
ReUnited led the standing for just one day, following its hard-fought 4-3 triumph over Metal X Erin FC on Saturday night at the Erin Recreation Ground, sending them to seven points in three matches. A day later, Cunupia surged to the top by virtue of a superior goal difference after thrashing Bethel United FC 4-0 at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Malabar, Arima.
Woodley, the prolific Cunupia striker who led his team’s scoring last season, was on point Sunday when he scored in the 27th and 37th minute, before Michael Darko gave the Central unit its third goal in the 43rd, and Keron Clarke, the former FC Santa Rosa forward, rounded off the scoring with a 69th minute item.
The win pushed Cunupia to the top where it shares that position jointly with Queen’s Park CC on seven points.
Both Cunupia and the Parkites, which Queen’s Park is commonly called, are inseparable with the same amount of points and a similar goal difference of five.
Matura ReUnited is on seven points also but has a goal difference of two.
The Parkites’ climb to the summit came from a 2-0 victory over Petit Valley Diego Martin United at St Anthony’s College Ground, West moorings. The Parkites got the opener from Yohance Marshall in the 51st minute before Kern Gardiner sealed the win in the 60th minute.
In another match, Sunday, Prisons FC, runners-up in the Caribbean Football Trust Limited (CFTL) League Cup last year, was held to a goalless draw by RSSR at the Youth Training Centre (YTC) in Arouca. FC Santa Rosa, on the other hand, is in the third position in the standings with six points after Friday’s impressive 3-0 victory over defending League One champs Guaya United FC at the Arima Velodrome.
Since the departure of former national coach Ron La Forrest and sponsors Hydro-Tech Limited from the Guayaguayare outfit, the team has struggled this season to date, still hoping to receive its first win as the League enters its fourth round of matches.
STANDINGS
TEAMS P W D L F A GD PTS
1 Cunupia FC 3 2 1 0 7 2 5 7
1 QPCC 3 2 1 0 7 2 5 7
2 Matura ReUnited 3 2 1 0 8 6 2 7
3 FC Santa Rosa 3 2 0 1 5 2 3 6
4 UTT 3 2 0 1 3 4 -1 6
5 Police 3 1 2 0 2 1 1 5
6 RSSR FC 3 1 1 1 4 2 2 4
7 Metal X Erin FC 3 1 0 2 6 6 0 3
8 San Fernando Giants 3 0 3 0 2 2 0 3
8 Prisons FC 3 0 3 0 2 2 0 3
9 Guaya United FC 3 0 2 1 1 4 -3 2
10 Bethel United 3 0 1 2 2 7 -5 1
10 Petit Valley Diego Martin Utd 3 0 1 2 0 5 -5 1
11 Club Sando FC 3 0 0 3 1 5 -4 0
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SUPER LEAGUE COLLABORATES WITH DATA SPORTS GROUP
ttsuperleague.com
The Trinidad and Tobago Super League is pleased to announce its collaboration with Data Sports Group (DSG) to provide statistical data on the League, its clubs and players on a global platform.
Based in Berlin, Germany, Data Sports Group is a one stop provider for sports data feeds with a comprehensive blend of live & historical data. Its coverage team follows thousands of events each year across over a dozen sports, with equal attention to the world’s biggest and smallest leagues. DSG provides all of the same coverage of the world’s most popular sports leagues that fans are accustomed to, but also strives to excel where other data companies tend to falter.
By employing experts with local knowledge, the company has made a commitment to providing comprehensive coverage of leagues that have historically not received the attention from companies more focused on financial gains. To make this coverage possible, DSG now has employees in cities and countries spread across four continents with collaborators in just about every corner of the globe.
DSG is already including TTSL scores on their website (Global Sports Archive) alongside coverage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and major global leagues, such as the EPL, La Liga, etc. DSG’s coverage of TTSL may be seen by copying and pasting the following link into your browser):
http://www.globalsportsarchive.com/competition/soccer/super-league-2018/regular-season/22496/
Thereafter, click on any match to access the relevant match data. You can also access club data and/or data on any individual player by clicking on a club’s icon.
This new development provides TTSL with global visibility and is a major step forward in the global marketing of the Super League.
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No one cares, all that for a mostly amateur league ???
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Matura take Super League lead
By Andrew Gioannetti (T&T)
A FIRST half strike from Isaiah Lee on Sunday saw Matura Reunited to a 1-0 win over UTT and three points clear in the TT Super League on a day when three matches were abandoned due to waterlogged pitches.
Lee’s goal in the 38th minute on Sunday was his fourth in as many matches, and one which saw the former Eastern Counties Football Union champions remain unbeaten in the 13-team standings.
Cunupia FC and QPCC both entered Match Day Four on seven points and level with Matura.
However, both teams were forced to abandon their matches due to heavy rainfall and unplayable grounds.
RSSR FC’s fixture with FC Santa Rosa was also abandoned. Santa Rosa led 1-0 through a Kheelon Mitchell goal in the 17th minute, before the fixture was cut short in the 57th minute. In QPCC’s clash with Prison Services, the “Parkites” were en route to another victory and joint top spot in the standings when the match at St Mary’s College Ground, St Clair, was called off in the 71st minute. National midfielder Sean de Silva had a brace and Devon Modeste scored one for a 3-0 lead.
At St James Barracks, the match between Police FC and Cunupia FC was called off at half time with the score at 0-0.
On Saturday, Guaya United, the defending league and knockout champions, finally got their first win of the season, and in style, when they dropped San Fernando Giants 5-0. Carlan Hughes scored a hat-trick, which included two goals in under a minute late in the match. Jody Allsop opened in the 16th minute before Leroy Jones made it 2-0 in the 63rd minute.
Club Sando, previously sitting bottom of the standings, also got its first points of the season with a 1-0 win over winless Petit Valley/Diego Martin United.
The remaining minutes of the abandoned matches will be played on August 30.
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Matura ReUnited takes Super League lead.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).
Almost halfway through the first round of the T&T Super League and new club Matura ReUnited has taken a two-point lead on the 14-team standings.
Its stroll to the top was cemented with a 2-1 win over Petit Valley Diego Martin United on Sunday at St Anthony’s College Ground in West Moorings. The team got an own goal which came in the ninth minute, followed by an insurance item in the 23rd minute from Irvin Reyes. The Diego Martin men pulled a goal back in the 84th minute but it did not prevent them from surrendering maximum points that put the Matura men on 13 points in five matches, that includes no losses.
Last year’s impressive Cunupia FC is second on 11 points in-spite of dropping two valuable points at the weekend in a 2-2 tie with defending champions Guaya United at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Malabar, Arima.
Kevon Woodley, Cunupia’s leading scorer was again on target in the 55th minute after which Kevon Clarke, the club’s new signing from FC Santa Rosa, got the other in the 70th. The Central giants twice had to come from behind in the match, after Beville Joseph put the Guayaguayare men in front in the 29th minute and again in the 66th.
The University of T&T (UTT) moved to fourth behind QPCC from a 1-1 draw with Metal X Erin FC on Saturday at Its O’Meara Campus in Arima. But they were made to come from behind after Sylvester Teesdale opened the scoring for the Erin outfit in the 62nd minute, and held out until the second minute in time added-on when Janeke Danzelle got the equalised.
RESULTS
Friday
• FC Santa Rosa- 1 (Kishun Seecharan 71st) vs QPCC- 2 (Yohance Marshall 21st, 85th)
Saturday
• UTT- 1 (Janeke Danzelle 92nd) vs Metal X Erin FC- 1 (Sylvester Teesdale 62nd)
• San Fernando Giants- 0 vs RSSR- 0
Sunday
• Bethel United FC- 1 (Tee Jay Cadiz 43rd) vs Police FC- 1 (Jason Boodram 49th)
• Petit Valley Diego Martin Utd- 1 (Abbion Phillip 84th) vs Matura ReUnited- 2 (own goal 9th, Irvin Reyes 23)
• Cunupia FC- 2 (Kevon Woodley 55th, Keron Clarke 70th) vs Guaya United- 2 (Beville Joseph 29th, 66th)
• Prisons FC- 1 (Andre Mohammed) vs Club Sando FC- 1 (Stephon Jack 43rd)
STANDINGS
P W D L F A GD PTS
1. Matura ReUnited 5 4 1 0 11 7 4 13
2. Cunupia FC 5 3 2 0 12 4 8 11
3. QPCC 4 3 1 0 9 3 6 10
4. UTT 5 2 1 2 4 6 -2 7
5. Guaya United 5 1 3 1 8 6 2 6
6. FC Santa Rosa 4 2 0 2 6 4 2 6
7. Police FC 5 1 3 1 3 5 -2 6
8. RSSR 4 1 2 1 4 2 2 5
9. Metal X Erin FC 5 1 2 2 8 8 0 5
10. Prisons FC 4 0 4 0 3 3 0 4
11. Club Sando 5 1 1 3 3 6 -3 4
12. San F’do Giants 5 0 4 1 2 7 -5 4
13. Bethel United 5 0 3 2 4 9 -5 3
14. P.Valley/ 5 0 1 4 1 8 -7 1
D’go Martin Utd
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Queen’s Park complete victory over Prisons.
By Andrew Gioannetti (Newsday).
QUEEN’S Park Cricket Club (QPCC) reclaimed a joint position at the helm of the 2018 TT Super League (TTSL) standings on Wednesday evening, after playing the remaining minutes of an abandoned match against Prisons earlier this month, and sealing a 3-1 win.
The Match Day Four fixture was abandoned on July 1 with only 19 minutes left in regulation time, at which point QPCC held a 3-0 lead.
The fixture resumed at the same venue on Wednesday with only one goal scored from Nathan Julien in the 87th minute.
In the earlier encounter which was called off due to an unplayable waterlogged pitch, Devon Modeste opened in the 26th minute, before Sean De Silva added a pair of goals – one in either half – to take his tally to a league-leading five goals since the start of the campaign.
With the result, QPCC and Matura Reunited go level once again on 13 points each, with the “Parkites” taking the slight advantage with a superior goal difference.
The result would also confirm Prisons’ first loss of the campaign with four draws in their other matches.
There was one other match abandoned on July 1. RSSR FC will meet FC Santa Rosa at St Mary’s College Ground, Serpentine Road, next Wednesday, from 5.30 pm.
Action resumed last evening with a RSSR meeting Cunupia FC, a team also flirting with the top of the standings. While RSSR have had an indifferent start to the campaign, Cunupia were also seeking a return to the top, and would have done so with a victory. The match concluded after press time.
The remaining Match Day Six fixtures will be played on Saturday.
Fixtures:
Saturday
Club Sando v FC Santa Rosa, Dibe Recreation Ground, Long Circular Road, 6 pm
Prison Service v Matura Reunited FC, YTC Arouca, 3.30 pm
Guaya United v Bethel United, Guaya Recreation Ground, 5 pm
Metal X Erin FC v Police FC, Erin Recreation Ground, 6 pm
UTT v Petit Valley/Diego Martin United, UTT Ground, O’Meara, 7 pm
QPCC v San Fernando Giants, St Mary’s College Ground, Serpentine Road, 4 pm
Wednesday
RSSR FC v FC Santa Rosa, St Mary’s College Ground, Serpentine Road, 5.30 pm.
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QPCC whips Giants to open lead.
By Nigel Simon (Guardian).
Four different players were on target as Queen’s Park Cricket Club whipped San Fernando Giants 4-2 to open a two points lead at the top of the T&T Super League standings on Saturday.
Starting the day as joint leaders with Matura ReUnited, the Parkites took the lead as early as the third minute through Keston George at St Mary’s College Ground, Serpentine Road, St Clair.
However, Tristan Khan drew the visitors level in the 14th minute only for Glen Walker and Elton John to score in the 30th and 34th minute to give the Parkites a 3-1 advantage at the half-time interval.
Sean De Silva then made it 4-1 in the 74th minute with his sixth strike of the campaign to put the result beyond doubt, before Andrei Pacheco netted a late second item for Giants, in the 84th.
With the win, the Parkites remained one of two unbeaten teams this season, and improved to 16 points after six matches, two more than Cunupia FC, the other unbeaten team, which swept past RSSR FC 3-1 on Thursday led by a hat-trick from Kevon Woodley, the top scorer to date with seven goals.
Up at the Youth Training Centre, Arouca, Matura ReUnited failed to keep pace at the top after it was beaten 2-1 by host Prison Service FC.
Nathan Julien and Ricardo Alleyne scored in the tenth and 58th minute respectively for Prison Service before Brendan Figuera got a 91st-minute consolation for Matura.
Elsewhere, defending champions Guaya United blanked cellar- placed Bethel United 3-0 to move into a three-way tie with FC Santa Rosa and Police FC for the fourth spot, but ahead on goal-difference.
T&T SUPER LEAGUE RESULTS
THURSDAY, JULY 12:
Cunupia FC 3 (Kevon Woodley 22nd, 26th, 48th) vs RSSR FC 1 (Kerron Cordner 58th)
SATURDAY, JULY 14
FC Santa Rosa 3 (Kevon Cornwall 4th, Noel Williams 11th, Kishun Seecharan 85th) vs Club Sando Cultural United 1 (Christon Freitas 77th)
Prison Service FC 2 (Nathan Julien 10th, Ricardo Alleyne 58th) vs Matura ReUnited 1 (Brendon Figuera 91st)
Guaya United 3 (Akiel Paul 22nd, Garvin Samaroo 52nd, Carlon Hughes 78th) vs Bethel United 0
Police FC 2 (Jason Boodram 35th, 39th) vs Metal X Erin FC 1 (Keyon Alexander 10th) UTT 2 (Kevaughn Connell 52nd, Cyrano Glen 78th) vs Petit Valley/ Diego Martin 2 (Anthony Joseph 2nd, Calvi Grazette 81st)
QPCC 4 (Keston George 3rd, Glen Walker 30th, Elton John 34th, Sean De Silva 79th) vs San Fernando Giants 2 (Tristan Khan 14th, Andrei Pacheco 84th)
STANDINGS
TEAMS P W D L A PTS
1. QPCC 6 5 1 0 16 6 16
2. Cunupia FC 6 4 2 0 15 5 14
3. Matura ReUnited 6 4 1 1 12 9 13
4. Guaya Utd 6 2 3 1 11 6 9
5. FC Santa Rosa 5 3 0 2 9 5 9
6. Police FC 6 2 3 1 5 6 9
7. UTT 6 2 2 2 6 8 8
8. Prisons Service 6 1 4 1 6 7 7
9. RSSR FC 5 1 2 2 5 5 5
10. Erin FC 6 1 2 3 9 10 5
11. Club Sando Cultural 6 1 1 4 4 9 4
12. San F’do Giants 6 0 4 2 4 11 4
13. Bethel Utd 6 0 3 3 4 12 3
14. P.V.D.M Utd 6 0 2 4 3 10 2
UPCOMING MATCHES
RESTARTED MATCH
Wednesday, July 18
RSSR FC vs FC Santa Rosa, St Mary’s College Grd, Serpentine Road, St Clair, 5.30pm
SATURDAY, JULY 21
Club Sando Cultural Roots Utd vs San F’do Giants, Dibe Rec. Ground, Long Circular, St James, 6pm
Matura ReUnited vs FC Santa Rosa, TBC
UTT vs Prison Service FC, UTT Ground, O’Meara Road Campus, 7pm
Petit Valley/Diego Martin Utd vs Erin FC, St Anthony’s College Ground, Westmoorings, 4pm
SUNDAY, JULY 22
Guaya United vs Police FC, Guaya Recreation Ground, 4pm
RSSR FC vs Bethel United, TBC
QPCC vs Cunupia FC, , St Mary’s College Grd, Serpentine Road, St Clair, 4 pm
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Stewart doubles up in Santa Rosa win.
By Nigel Simon (Guardian).
Former national youth player, Ryan Stewart bagged a double to lead FC Santa Rosa to a comfortable 5-0 mauling of Matura ReUnited in the T&T Super League on Saturday.
Kevon Cornwall opened the scoring for FC Santa Rosa as early as the ninth minute at the Guaya Recreation Ground while Stewart, formerly of Guaya United, netted his first in the 24th for a 2-0 lead at the half time interval.
Two minutes after the restart, Kheelon Mitchell made it 3-0 before Stewart completed his double in the 56th followed by a 92nd-minute strike from Giovanni Abraham to complete the one-sided contest to climb to the fourth spot with 12 points from seven matches, four adrift of leaders Queen’s Park Cricket Club who were in action yesterday.
Up at the University of T&T Ground, O’Meara Road, Arima, Andre Mohammed netted two quick second-half items to earn visitors, Prison Service a 3-2 triumph over UTT.
In-form Nathan Julien handed Prison Service a 1-0 lead at the half thanks to his 40th-minute strike. However, two minutes into the second-half, national futsal player Cyrano Glenn drew UTT level, only for Mohammed to hammer home goals in the 61st and 63rd minute to give his team a 3-1 cushion.
With five minutes left, Shaquille Nesbitt converted a penalty for UTT, but Prison managed to hold on for the valuable three points to move to fifth with ten.
In the two other matches played yesterday, Club Sando Cultural Roots United and San Fernando Giants battled to a 1-1 draw at Dibe Recreation Ground, Long Circular while Petit Valley Diego Martin and Metal X Erin FC ended goalless at St Anthony’s College Ground, Morne Coco Road, Westmoorings.
Results
SATURDAY
Club Sando 1 (Jamal Burke 45th) vs San Fernando Giants 1 (Keston Grant 45th)
FC Santa Rosa 5 (Ryan Stewart 24th, 56th, Kevon Cornwall 9th, Kheelon Mitchell 47th, Giovanni Abraham 92nd) vs Matura ReUnited 0
Prison Service 3 (Andre Mohammed 61st, 63rd, Nathan Julien 40th) vs UTT 2 (Cyrano Glenn 47th, Shaquille Nesbitt 85th pen)
Petit Valley Diego Martin Utd 0 vs Erin FC 0
CURRENT T&T SUPER LEAGUE STANDINGS
TEAMS...........................P...W...D....L...GF...GA PTS
1. QPCC.................................6..... 5.... 1.... 0.....16.... 6....16
2. Cunupia FC......................6..... 4.... 2.... 0.....15.... 5....14
3. Matura ReUnited...........7..... 4.... 1.... 2.....12... 14...13
4. FC Santa Rosa.................7..... 4.... 0.... 3.....15.... 7....12
5. Prisons Service...............7..... 2.... 4.... 1...... 9...... 9....10
6. Guaya Utd.......................6..... 2.... 3.... 1.....11.... 6......9
7. Police FC..........................6..... 2.... 3.... 1...... 5...... 6......9
8. UTT....................................7..... 2.... 2.... 3...... 8..... 11.....8
9. RSSR FC............................6..... 2.... 2.... 2...... 7...... 6......8
10. Erin FC............................7..... 1.... 3.... 3...... 9..... 10.....6
11. Club Sando Cultural...7..... 1.... 2.... 4...... 5..... 10.....5
12. San F’do Giants............7..... 0.... 5.... 2...... 5..... 12.....5
13. Bethel Utd.....................6..... 0.... 3.... 3...... 4..... 12.....3
14. P.V.D.M Utd....................7..... 0.... 3.... 4...... 3..... 10.....3
RELATED NEWS
Queen’s Park extend Super League lead.
By Andrew Gioannetti (Newsday).
QUEEN’S Park extended their lead at the top of the 2018 TT Super League standings by five points yesterday after a scrappy 2-1 win over fellow title contenders Cunupia FC, at St Mary’s College Grounds, St Clair.
The top-of-the-table clash saw the two teams maintain their positions, while FC Santa Rosa made up considerable ground in fourth place with a shock 5-0 win over Matura Reunited on Saturday.
Keston George scored QP’s winner in the 61st minute, just moments after Kevaughn John netted their equaliser against the run of play.
Queen’s Park looked lethargic and failed to test Cunupia’s shot-stopper in the first half.
Cunupia meanwhile were unlucky not to take a point from the match as attackers Kevon Woodley, Michael Darko and company had QPCC on the back foot for extended spells.
Queen’s Park struggled in midfield without Sean De Silva, their leading scorer, and Elton John.
The home team took several speculative shots in the first half, while Cunupia looked more cohesive and organised. The second half began with more energy and coach Shawn Cooper’s Queen’s Park finally came close to scoring an opener in the 47th minute when Kern Gardiner made a burst of speed on the right flank and put in an pinpoint cross to George, who patiently controlled the ball and took a clean shot only to be denied by Cunupia goalkeeper Keston Aberdeen.
The match sprung into life but with Cunupia taking first blood in the 56th though Keron Clarke, who only just came off the bench. The “super sub” as the fans called out to him, received a cross from the right which was dummied by two players before he rifled into the left corner with precision.
That lead lasted all of two minutes. Queen’s Park were awarded a free kick in their half, taken by substitute Trevon Mitchell, whose lofted ball connected with Yohance Marshall’s head and back into the path of John right in front of the goal.
After desperate attempts at crawling back into the game, Cunupia were unable to take anything away and Marshall’s defence stood firm.
Cunupia were left delayed while QPCC would celebrate a win, by any means, to take the club closer to the Championship crown.
Reigning champions Guaya, which started the season poorly, continued their upward momentum with a 3-1 win over Police Service.
In the other match, Densyl James scored a massive equaliser in time added on to complete his hat-trick for RSSR FC in a 3-3 draw against winless Bethel United of Tobago. League action will continue on match day eight on Saturday.
Results
Saturday
Club Sando 1 (Jamal Burke 45th+4) v San Fernando Giants 1 (Keston Grant 45th+1)
Matura Reunited 0 v FC Santa Rosa 5 (Kevon Cornwall 9th, Ryan Stewart 24th, 56th, Kheelon Mitchell 47th, Giovanni Abraham 90th+2)
UTT 2 (Cyrano Glen 47th, Shaquille Nesbitt 85th pen) v Police Service FC 3 (Nathan Julien 40th, Andre Mohammed 61st, 63rd)
Petit Valley/Diego Martin United 0 v Metal X Erin FC 0
Yesterday
Guaya United 3 (Justin Fournillier 7th, own goal 87th, Leroy Jones 90th+3) v Police FC 1 (Jason Boodram 24th)
RSSR 3 (Jevon Vincent 10th, Hakim Gulston 31st, Nathan Cadore 52nd) v Bethel United 3 (Densyl James 25th, 57th, 90th+3)
QPCC 2 (Kevaughn John 58th, Keston George 61st) v Cunupia 1 (Keron Clarke 56th)
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Parkites edge Cunupia FC to extend lead.
By Nigel Simon (Guardian).
Kevaughn John and Keston George netted three minutes apart in the second half to lead Queen’s Park Cricket Club to a come-from-behind 2-1 defeat of Cunupia FC in their top-of-the-table T&T Super League clash on Sunday.
The Parkites went into the encounter against their fellow unbeaten opponents with a two points lead at the top of the 14- team table at St Mary’s College Ground, Serpentine Road, St Clair and were eager to get a win to solidify their spot at the table top.
However, after 45 minutes both teams were still locked together at 0-0.
Eleven minutes into the second- half, Keron Clarke broke the deadlock for Cunupia, but within two minutes John got the Parkites back on level terms, and three minutes later, George got the eventual match-winner.
The win lifted the unbeaten Parkites to 19 points from seven matches, five more than Cunupia FC while Matura ReUnited is third with 13 points followed by FC Santa Rosa and defending champions Guaya United.
Playing at home in another match on Sunday, Guaya left it late to earn a 3-1 win over Police.
Justin Fournellier opened the scoring for the host at the Guaya Recreation Ground, only for the talisman, Jason Boodram to reply for the Lawmen in the 24th.
The match looked headed for a draw until Police conceded an own goal in the 87th, while Leroy Jones added, a third item for the hosts, three minutes into time added on.
However, the match of the day took place at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, where RSSR FC and Bethel United battled to a 3-3 draw, with Densyl James scoring a hat-trick for the latter.
CURRENT T&T SUPER LEAGUE STANDINGS
Teams P W D L F A Pts
1. QPCC 7 6 1 0 18 7 19
2. Cunupia FC 7 4 2 1 16 7 14
3. Matura ReUnited 7 4 1 2 12 14 13
4. FC Santa Rosa 7 4 0 3 15 7 12
5. Guaya Utd 7 3 3 1 14 7 12
6. Prisons Service 7 2 4 1 9 9 10
7. RSSR FC 7 2 3 2 10 9 9
8. Police FC 7 2 3 2 6 9 9
9. UTT 7 2 2 3 8 11 8
10. Erin FC 7 1 3 3 9 10 6
11. Club Sando Cultural 7 1 2 4 5 10 5
12. San F’do Giants 7 0 5 2 5 12 5
13. Bethel Utd 7 0 4 3 7 15 4
14. P.V.D.M Utd 7 0 3 4 3 10 3
SUNDAY’S RESULTS
Guaya United 3 (Justin Fournellier 7th, own goal 87th, Leroy Jones 93rd) vs Police FC 1 (Jason Boodram 24th)
RSSR FC 3 (Jovon Vincent 10th, Hakim Gulston 31st, Nathan Cadore 52nd) vs Bethel United 3 (Densyl James 25th, 57th, 93rd)
QPCC 2 (Kevaughn John 58th, Keston George 61st) vs Cunupia FC 1 (Keron Clarke 56th)
ON SATURDAY
Club Sando 1 (Jamal Burke 45th) vs San Fernando Giants 1 (Keston Grant 45th)
FC Santa Rosa 5 (Ryan Stewart 24th, 56th, Kevon Cornwall 9th, Kheelon Mitchell 47th, Giovanni Abraham 92nd) vs Matura ReUnited 0
Prison Service 3 (Andre Mohammed 61st, 63rd, Nathan Julien 40th) vs UTT 2 (Cyrano Glenn 47th, Shaquille Nesbitt 85th pen)
Petit Valley Diego Martin Utd 0 vs Erin FC 0
UPCOMING FIXTURES
On Saturday
Erin FC vs Guaya United, Erin Rec. Ground, 6pm
UTT vs FC Santa Rosa, UTT O’Meara Road, Campus, 7pm
San Fernando Giants vs Matura ReUnited, St Margaret’s Rec. Ground, 4pm
Cunupia FC vs Club Sando Cultural Roots Utd, Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar, 4pm
On Sunday
Prison Service vs Petit Valley/Diego Martin Utd, YTC Ground, Arouca, 3.30pm
Police FC vs RSSR FC, St James Police Barracks, 4pm
Bethel United vs QPCC, Mt Gomery Rec. Ground, 6pm
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WATCH: Highlights of Prisons FC 3-2 win over Petit Valley/Diego Martin United.
https://www.youtube.com/v/HPlWVtfj9bg
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Queen’s Park held 2-2 by Bethel United.
By Stephon Nickolas (Newsday).
Cunupia FC stay within reach as…
AN own goal in the last minute of regulation time saw TT Super League leaders Queen’s Park Cricket Club (QPCC) salvage a 2-2 draw against Bethel United in Tobago, Sunday.
The “Parkites”, still without their leading scorer Sean de Silva who is on a trial abroad, earned the point after pulling two goals back from a 2-0 half-time deficit.
Bethel looked to be headed toward their first win of the season against an unbeaten QPCC, after attacker Tee Jay Cadiz scored a quick-fire double in the third and 18th minutes.
QPCC, still atop the 14-team standings by three points, pulled one back via Trevon Mitchell in the 73rd before Bethel’s Ken Alleyne put the ball into his own net in the 89th minute.
The result benefited second-placed Cunupia FC who made up ground after last weekend’s 2-1 loss to Queen’s Park.
Cunupia’s dynamic forward Kevon Woodley scored a brace on Saturday against Club Sando to see his side to a 2-0 win.
League action will restart with match-day nine tomorrow featuring Petit Valley/Diego Martin United against FC Santa Rosa at St Anthony’s College Ground at 4pm. All remaining matches will be played on Thursday.
Fixtures:
Tomorrow – Petit Valley/Diego Martin United v FC Santa Rosa, St Anthony’s College, 4pm.
Thursday – RSSR FC v Guaya United FC; QPCC v Police FC, St Mary’s College Grounds, 4 pm; UTT v San Fernando Giants, UTT Ground, 7 pm; Club Sando v Bethel United, Dibe Ground, 5 pm; Matura Reunited v Cunupia FC, Valencia Secondary Ground, 4 pm.
Results:
Saturday –
Metal X Erin FC v Guaya United 1 (Carlin Hughes 35th).
UTT 1 (Shaquille Smith 74th)v FC Santa Rosa 4 (Giovanni Abraham 3rd, Kheelon Mitchell 40th, Noel Williams 55th, Kevon Cornwall 75th).
Cunupia FC (Kevon Woodley 37th, 45th) v Club Sando 0.
Sunday –
Prison Service FC 3 (Nathan Julien 14th, 17th, Ricardo Alleyne 89th) v Diego Martin Petit Valley United 2 (own goal 11th, Kazim Donald 39th).
Bethel United 2 (Tee Jay Cadiz 3rd, 18th) v QPCC 2 (Terevon Mitchell 73rd, own goal 89th).
Police FC 3 (Jason Boodram 8th, 59th, Kaaron Forster 68th) v RSSR FC 0.
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Santa Rosa wary of winless Petit Valley/Diego.
By Andrew Gioannetti (Newsday).
DESPITE a disappointing start to the season, Petit Valley/Diego Martin United coach Dale Tavares said his team intends to throw the “kitchen sink” at FC Santa Rosa when they meet today in TT Super League midweek action.
An in-form FC Santa Rosa, now fourth after five wins and three losses, will travel to St Anthony’s College Ground, Westmoorings, for a 4pm clash. All other matches this round will be played tomorrow.
Petit Valley/Diego are confident they can turn their season around and give their communities something to cheer for.
Today, being Emancipation Day, the club has invited families to watch the action with the promise of free ice cream courtesy Creamery Novelties and Blue Bunny Ice Cream.
Winless after eight matches, Tavares acknowledged their fans are disappointed with the results, but said the players – most of whom are home-grown – are “learning, working hard and would be throwing everything, even the proverbial kitchen sink to get points and find a winning formula.”
Tavares said the unavailability of the Northern Recreation Ground to train has hampered their preparation.
According to Tavares: “It’s been a tough ride as an unsponsored club, but more so feeling the effects of not having a full sized field for regular training.”
His opposite number, Derek King, is not taking things for granted despite Petit Valley/Diego Martin’s abysmal record so far.
“Don’t mind Petit Valley haven’t won a game, some reports that we get and from seeing them play, they have a lot of fight and they are a talented bunch,” said the former national defender and coach, who took charge of the “Big Cannons” in April.
“In some of the games, they were unlucky not to get a result. But, they’re playing at home and football is won on the day. As I told my players, take nothing for granted; you have to go out and do your role and function in the individual battles, and when you get your chance, score the goals.
“We are not taking Petit Valley lightly because it wasn’t one of (our) best starts. This is my first year working with the guys. We brought in a couple of young players and I think they now more or less adapting to the style of play; so I think it’s important that tomorrow we don’t take Petit Valley for granted.”
King and FC Santa Rosa are coming off their third straight victory – a 4-1 win over UTT on Saturday. They have built momentum after an ordinary start to the season and are keen on bettering their second place finish last year.
“It’s important we get our points now especially in our away games. We have won plenty away games, and when we analysed, we compete with the top teams in the league and then lost some against the lower teams. But I think it’s important that we’re five points from the leaders (Queen’s Park) and once we get the results, we have the teams to play, we have plenty more games, we can get those points and win it (league).”
Super League fixtures:
Today –
Petit Valley/Diego Martin United v FC Santa Rosa, St Anthony’s College Ground, 4 pm
Tomorrow –
RSSR FC v Guaya United, Hasely Crawford Stadium, 7pm
Prison Service v Metal X Erin FC, YTC Ground, Arouca, 3.30 pm
QPCC FC v Police FC, St Mary’s College Ground, 4 pm
Matura Reunited FC v Cunupia FC, Valencia Secondary Ground, 4 pm
Club Sando v Bethel United, Dibe Ground, Long Circular Road, 5 pm
UTT v San Fernando Giants, UTT Ground, O’Meara, 7 pm
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No one cares, all that for a mostly amateur league ???
Modern teams scout using this type of data, it's pretty important for the players and clubs involved. If a 16/17 year old is playing week-in-week-out for a Super League club they might attract attention. Moreover, it's a type of proof that a player has been playing - in leagues with no data players are less likely to get the benefit of the doubt.
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I read that Sean DeSilva went on an overseas tryout. Anyone knows to which country?
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FC Santa Rosa climbs to second.
By Nigel Simon (Guardian).
Four different players were on target to lead FC Santa Rosa to a come-from-behind win against Petit Valley/Diego Martin United 4-1 in the lone T&T Super League round nine fixture on Wednesday.
Playing at home at St Anthony’s College Ground, Westmoorings, Petit Valley/Diego Martin took a fourth-minute lead through Kazim Daniel.
However, four minutes later, Ryan Stewart got the visiting FC Santa Rosa on level terms before Kheelon Mitchell fired his team into a 2-1 lead, two minutes later.
Alfie James then extended the lead FC Santa Rosa’s advantage in the 29th minute before Noel Williams completed the turn-around in the 74th.
The win lifted FC Santa Rosa to 18 points from nine matches, one behind Queen’s Park Cricket Club while Cunupia FC, Matura ReUnited and defending champions Guaya United are third, fourth and fifth respectively with 17, 16 and 15 points.
Round nine matches continued last night at various venues while around ten matches come off on Saturday and Sunday.
WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS
n FC Santa Rosa 4 (Ryan Stewart 9th, Kheelon Mitchell 11th, Alfie James 29th, Noel Williams 74th) vs Petit Valley/Diego Martin 1 (Kazim Donald 4th)
Tomorrow’s Matches
n Guaya United vs QPCC, Guaya Rec. Ground, Guaya, 5 pm
n San Fernando Giants vs Petit Valley/Diego Martin Utd, 4 pm
On Sunday
n Prison Service vs FC Santa Rosa, YTC Ground, Arouca, 3.30 pm
n Police FC vs Club Sando Cultural Roots Utd, St James Police Barracks, St James, 4 pm
n Cunupia FC vs UTT, Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar, 4 pm
n Bethel Utd vs Matura ReUnited, Mt Gomery Rec. Ground, 6 pm
n Erin FC vs RSSR Utd, Erin Rec. Ground, 6pm
Latest T&T Super League Standings
Teams P W D L GF GA Pts
1. QPCC 8 6 2 0 20 9 20
2. FC Santa Rosa 9 6 0 3 23 9 18
3. Cunupia FC 8 5 2 1 18 7 17
4. Matura ReUnited 8 5 1 2 14 14 16
5. Guaya Utd 8 4 3 1 15 7 15
6. Prisons Service 8 3 4 1 12 11 13
7. Police FC 8 3 3 2 9 9 12
8. RSSR FC 8 2 3 3 10 12 9
9. UTT 8 2 2 4 9 15 8
10. Erin FC 8 1 3 4 9 11 6
11. Club Sando Cultural 8 1 2 5 5 12 5
12. Bethel Utd 8 0 5 3 9 17 5
13. San F’do Giants 8 0 5 3 5 14 5
14. P.V.D.M Utd 9 0 3 6 6 17 3
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Parkites, Police share spoils at St Clair.
By Nigel Simon (Guardian).
Queen’s Park Cricket Club lead at the top of the T&T Super League standings is down to three points, after a second straight drawn result on Thursday.
Coming off a 2-2 away draw with lowly Bethel United, the Parkites were hoping to return to winning ways against neighbours Police FC at St Mary’s College Ground, Serpentine Road, St Clair.
However, both teams failed to trouble the scoresheet in the first half in a tightly contested encounter.
The Parkites then took the lead in the 65th minute through Kevaughn John, but 12 minutes later Dwayne Salazar equalised for Police to earn a share of the points.
With its second drawn result in as many matches, the Parkites now lead the 14-team table with 21 points from nine matches, three ahead of FC Santa Rosa and Cunupia FC while Matura ReUnited and defending champions Guaya United are next with 17 and 16 points respectively.
FC Santa Rosa had a 4-1 win over Petit Valley Diego Martin United on Wednesday, while Cunupia FC and Matura ReUnited fought out an entertaining 3-3 draw in another key fixture on Thursday at Valencia Secondary School Ground.
Cunupia FC would feel hard done by the eventual outcome as they led 2-0 thanks to strikes from Michael Darko in the 21st minute, and Kevon Woodley with his league-leading tenth of the season, in the 49th.
However, Matura ReUnited then turned the match upside down with three goals without reply courtesy Isaiah Lee in the 52nd, Stevon Stoute, seven minutes later and Kerin Vincent, four minutes from the end of regulation time.
But it was not to be for Matura ReUnited as Darko fired in the equaliser for Cunupia, three minutes into time added on to cap off a pulsating encounter.
In other matches, Guaya United needed a Beville Joseph 57th minute goal to cancel out Ishmael Sawyer’s 15th minute opener for RSSR FC at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo; University of T&T (UTT) whipped San Fernando Giants 4-2 led by a double from Tristan Perrotte at UTT Campus, O’Meara Road, and Club Sando Cultural Roots United edged Bethel United 2-1 thanks to a Kearn Noel 85th minute winner at Dibe Recreation Ground, Long Circular, St James.
The match between Prison Service FC and Erin FC scheduled for YTC Ground, Arouca was rained out.
T&T Super League results:
Wednesday:
n FC Santa Rosa 4 (Ryan Stewart 9th, Kheelon Mitchell 11th, Alfie James 29th, Noel Williams 74th) vs Petit Valley/Diego Martin 1 (Kazim Donald 4th)
Thursday:
n RSSR FC 1 (Ishmael Sawyer 15th) vs Guaya United 1 (Beville Joseph 57th)
QPCC 1 (Kevaughn John 65th) vs Police FC 1 (Dwayne Salazar 77th)
n UTT 4 (Tristan Perotte 3rd, 66th, Michael Holder 58th, Shaquille Nesbitt 62nd) vs San Fernando Giants 2 (Tristan Khan 5th, 56th)
n Club Sando Cultural Roots 2 (Keeron Benito 22nd, Kearn Noel 85th) vs Bethel United 1 (Akellon Murphy 11th pen)
n Matura ReUnited 3 (Isaiah Lee 52nd, Stevon Stoute 59th, Kern Vincent 86th) vs Cunupia 3 (Michael Darko 21st, 93rd, Kevon Woodley 49th)
n Prison Service FC vs Erin FC – did not play due to water-logged field
Current T&T Super League standings:
Teams P W D L F A Pts
QPCC 9 6 3 0 21 10 21
FC Santa Rosa 9 6 0 3 23 9 18
Cunupia FC 9 5 3 1 21 10 18
Matura ReUnited 9 5 2 2 17 17 17
Guaya Utd 9 4 4 1 16 8 16
Prisons Service 8 3 4 1 12 11 13
Police FC 9 3 4 2 10 10 13
UTT 9 3 2 4 13 17 11
RSSR FC 9 2 4 3 11 13 10
Club Sando Cultural 9 2 2 5 7 13 8
Erin FC 8 1 3 4 9 11 6
Bethel Utd 9 0 5 4 10 19 5
San F’do Giants 9 0 5 4 7 18 5
PVDM Utd 9 0 3 6 6 17 3
Upcoming matches:
Today:
n Guaya United vs QPCC, Guaya Rec. Ground, Guaya, 5 pm
n San Fernando Giants vs Petit Valley/Diego Martin Utd, 4 pm
Tomorrow:
n Prison Service vs FC Santa Rosa, YTC Ground, Arouca, 3.30 pm
n Police FC vs Club Sando Cultural Roots Utd, St James Police Barracks, St James, 4 pm
n Cunupia FC vs UTT, Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar, 4 pm
n Bethel Utd vs Matura ReUnited, Mt Gomery Rec. Ground, 6 pm
n Erin FC vs RSSR Utd, Erin Rec. Ground, 6pm
RELATED NEWS
Guaya hands Parkites first loss.
T&T Guardian Reports.
Shaquille Ferrier and Keston Jordan were both on target to lead defending champions Guaya United to a 2-1 triumph over table leaders Queen’s Park Cricket Club in the T&T Super League on Saturday.
Ferrier sent the home supporters at the Guaya Recreation Ground into a frenzy when he fired in the opener in the 21st minute, which his team took into the half-time interval.
Jordan then doubled the advantage in the 71st minute before Benedict Barrett netted for the Parkites in the 85th minute to give his team hope of earning a share of the points.
However, it was not to be as the defending champions held on for the win, inflicting a first defeat on the Parkites in the process.
Despite the defeat, QPCC still remained top of the table with 21 points from ten matches, two ahead of Guaya United, while FC Santa Rosa and Cunupia FC are a further point behind, with the latter of having a match in hand.
Also on Saturday, Petit Valley/Diego Martin United got its first win of the season, 3-1 over San Fernando Giants with a goal each from Raychard Alleyne, Eric Charles and Seker Mural.
Andrei Pacheco got the lone reply for Giants who slipped to the bottom of the table.
Results
Guaya United 2 (Shaquille Ferrier 21st, Keston Jordan 71st) vs QPCC 1 (Benedict Barrett 85th)
Petit Valley/Diego Martin 3 (Raychard Alleyne 6th, Eric Charles 26th, Seker Mural 45th) vs San Fernando Giants 1 (Andrei Pacheco 37th)
Standings
Teams P W D L GA GF Pts
1. QPCC 10 6 3 1 22 12 21
2. Guaya Utd 10 5 4 1 18 9 19
3. FC Santa Rosa 9 6 0 3 23 9 18
4. Cunupia FC 9 5 3 1 21 10 18
5. Matura ReUnited 9 5 2 2 17 17 17
6. Prisons Service 8 3 4 1 12 11 13
7. Police FC 9 3 4 2 10 10 13
8. UTT 9 3 2 4 13 17 11
9. RSSR FC 9 2 4 3 11 13 10
10. Club Sando Cultural 9 2 2 5 7 13 8
11. Erin FC 8 1 3 4 9 11 6
12. P.V.D.M Utd 10 1 3 6 9 18 6
13. Bethel Utd 9 0 5 4 10 19 5
14. San F’do Giants 10 0 5 5 8 21 5
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FC Santa Rosa take Super League lead.
By Andrew Gioannetti (Newsday).
THE TT Super League saw an interested turn of events last evening as FC Santa Rosa became the new leaders following a 2-0 away win over Prison Service, at the Youth Training Centre (YTC) Ground, Arouca.
Now on five straight wins, FC Santa Rosa, led by former national men’s team assistant coach Derek King, took advantage of previous leaders’ Queen’s Park latest dropped points.
On Saturday, the “Parkites” suffered their first loss of the season, 2-1, to reigning champions Guaya United. They would move into third spot, with Cunupia FC also overtaking them with a 2-0 win over UTT.
For the new leaders, Kheelon Mitchell bagged his sixth goal of the season in the 61st minute to seal FC Santa Rosa’s win, following the 40th minute opener, a penalty from veteran midfielder Ryan Stewart.
After a slightly slow start to the season, FC Santa Rosa signalled their ambitions with several convincing wins, the last five of which were in away fixtures. During the run, they scored three or more goals in each match.
Their impressive run coincided with a bleak period for the Parkites and Matura ReUnited, both of whom, enjoyed strong starts to the season.
The “Parkites”, who led the standings for most of the campaign recently stumbled with a series of draws, and finally the loss on Saturday, which also allowed Cunupia FC to overtake them.
RESULTS -
Saturday -
GUAYA UNITED 2 (Shaquille Ferrier 21st; Keston Jordan 71st) vs QUEEN’S PARK 1 (Benedict Barrett 85th)
SAN FERNANDO GIANTS 1 (Andei Pacheco 37th) vs PETIT VALLEY/DIEGO MARTIN UNITED 3 (Raychard Alleyne 6th; Eric Charles 26th; Seker Murai 45th)
Sunday -
FC SANTA ROSA 2 (Ryan Stewart 40th; Kheelon Mitchell 61st) vs PRISON SERVICE 0
POLICE FC 3 (Jason Boodram 34th; Dwight Elliott 52nd; Colin Williams 54th) vs CLUB SANDO 0
CUNUPIA FC 2 (Kemron George 40th; Kerri McDonald 90th) vs UTT 0
BETHEL UNITED 4 (Akeilon Murphy 13th, 28th pen, 47th; Ken Alleyne 20th) vs MATURA REUNITED 0
METAL X ERIN FC 1 (Akiel Pope 47th) vs RSSR FC 2 (Hakim Gulston 50th; Corey Isaac 76th)
-
Football reporting in TT is real kicks, oui.
TTSL: Limp Dick fails to save Parkites, as Guaya edge QPCC to ignite title chase
https://wired868.com/2018/08/05/ttsl-limp-dick-fails-to-save-parkites-as-guaya-edge-qpcc-to-ignite-title-chase/
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Seecharan fires FC Santa Rosa out front.
By Nigel Simon (Guardian).
Former national youth player, Kishun Seecharan, scored a pair of second-half goals to seal FC Santa Rosa’s 4-1 defeat of Metal X Erin FC, and with it move to the top of the T&T Super League on Wednesday night.
Starting the night in a three-way tie at the top of the 14-team table with Cunupia FC and Queen’s Park Cricket Club, all with 21 points, Santa Rosa went into the half-time interval 1-0 ahead thanks to Akeem
Garcia’s 28th-minute strike at the Arima Municipal Stadium.
Five minutes into the second-half, Kheelon Mitchell made it 2-0 with his team-leading seventh goal of the season.
However, Erin FC, third from bottom on the table did not throw in the towel and in the 70th minute got a goal back through Akinola Williams.
Any thoughts of the visitors stealing a share of the points in Arima soon faded after Seecharan restored Santa Rosa’s two-goal cushion with his team’s third on the night in the 76th minute before he sealed all three points, with his second of the match, four minutes from the final whistle.
Victory lifted FC Santa Rosa, coached by Derek King, who led North East Stars to the T&T Pro League crown last year, to 24 points from 11 matches, three ahead of Cunupia FC and the ‘Parkites’ who will both have chances to regain the share of the lead on Sunday, while matches resume tomorrow.
On Sunday, QPCC will entertain RSSR FC at St Mary’s College Ground, Serpentine Road, St Clair from 4 pm while Petit Valley/Diego Martin United welcomes Cunupia FC to St Anthony’s College Ground, Westmoorings, also from 4 pm.
Tomorrow in the lone match which can have a bearing on the top four, defending champions, Guaya United with 19 points will have a chance to go second with victory over Club Sando Cultural Roots United at Dibe Recreation, Ground, Long Circular, St James in a 6 pm kickoff.
RESULTS
• FC Santa Rosa 4 (Kishun Seecharan 76th, 86th, Akeem Garcia 28th, Kheelon Mitchell 50th) vs Erin FC 1 (Akinola Williams 70th)
TOMORROW’S MATCHES
• Club Sando Cultural Roots vs Guaya United, Dibe Rec. Ground, Long Circular, 6 pm
• Matura ReUnited vs Police FC, Valencia Sec. School Ground, 4 pm
• UTT vs Bethel United, UTT O’Meara Campus, 7 pm
• Prison Service vs San Fernando Giants, YTC Ground, Arouca, 3.30 pm
ON SUNDAY
• QPCC vs RSSR, St Mary’s College Ground, Serpentine Road, St Clair, 4 pm
• Petit Valley/Diego Martin United vs Cunupia FC, St Anthony’s College Ground, Westmoorings, 4 pm
STANDINGS
Teams P W D L GF GA Pts
1. FC Santa Rosa 11 8 0 3 29 10 24
2. Cunupia FC 10 6 3 1 23 10 21
3. QPCC 10 6 3 1 22 12 21
4. Guaya Utd 10 5 4 1 18 9 19
5. Matura ReUnited 10 5 2 3 20 21 17
6. Police FC 10 4 4 2 13 10 16
7. RSSR FC 10 3 4 3 13 14 13
8. Prisons Service 9 3 4 2 12 13 13
9. UTT 10 3 2 5 13 19 11
10. Bethel Utd 10 1 5 4 14 22 8
11. Club Sando Cultural 10 2 2 6 7 16 8
12. Erin FC 10 1 3 6 11 17 6
13. P.V.D.M Utd 10 1 3 6 9 18 6
14. San F’do Giants 10 0 5 5 8 21 5
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Three-way tie atop Super League table
By Andrew Gioannetti (T&T Newsday)
ANOTHER standout performance from league-leading goal-scorer Kevon Woodley saw Cunupia FC go joint top again in the TT Super League standings on Sunday, with their Match Day 11 4-0 thumping win over Petit Valley/ Diego Martin United.
Woodley bagged two goals within three minutes at around the half-hour mark, before Michael Darko and Kerri McDonald netted one each in the second period to complete the rout.
Woodley’s two goals put him on 12 for the season, three more than the nearest top scorer Jason Boodram of Police FC.
Cunupia’s win, in addition to a 1-0 victory for Queen’s Park over RSSR FC on Sunday, saw both teams go level with FC Santa Rosa on 24 points.
FC Santa Rosa went clear in the standings temporarily, following a 4-1 win over Metal X Erin FC in the Match Day 11 opener on Wednesday.
The “Big Cannons” still hold the league lead, but only with a superior goal-differential of two goals more than Cunupia.
Queen’s Park had another close call on Sunday but bagged all three points courtesy a goal in first half added-on time from former national defender Yohance Marshall.
League action will resume with the start of Match Day 11 on Saturday.
FC Santa Rosa and Queen’s Park are set to play away to Metal X Erin FC and San Fernando Giants respectively.
The other matches are scheduled for Sunday.
Match Day 11 Results:
Wednesday –
FC Santa Rosa 4 (Akeem Garcia 28th, Kheelon Mitchell 50th, Kishun Seecharan 76th, 86th) v Metal X Erin FC 1 (Akinola Williams 70th).
Saturday –
Club Sando 0 v Guaya United 2 (Gary Glasgow 2nd, Keston Frontin 79th)
Matura Reunited FC 3 (Kerin Vincent 20th, 58th, Isaiah Lee 70th) v Police FC 1 (Kadeem Riley 62nd)
UTT 3 (J’Deem Parris 41st, 65th, Shaquille Smith 90th+4) v Bethel United FC 0
Prison Service FC 1 (Nathan Julien 45th+1) v San Fernando Giants 0
Sunday –
Queen’s Park 1 (Yohance Marshall 45th+1) v RSSR FC 0
Petit Valley/Diego Martin United 0 v Cunupia FC 4 (Kevon Woodley 28th, 31st, Michael Darko 59th, Kerri McDonald 86th)
Fixtures:
Saturday –
Metal X Erin FC v Queen’s Park, Erin Recreation Ground, 6 pm
San Fernando Giants v FC Santa Rosa, St Margaret’s Recreation Ground, 4 pm
Sunday –
Guaya United v Matura Reunited, Guaya Recreation Ground, 5 pm
RSSR FC v Club Sando, Venue TBD, Time TBD
Cunupia FC v Prison Service FC, Larry Gomes Stadium, Arima, 4 pm
Bethel United v P/Valley/Diego Martin United, Mt Pleasant Recreation Ground, 6 pm
Police FC v UTT, Police Barracks, St James, 4 pm.
-
WATCH: Highlights of Queen’s Park Cricket Club’s 1-0 win over RSSR Football Academy
https://www.youtube.com/v/P1Mus0dKKqU
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Hughes treble keeps Guaya in the hunt.
By Nigel Simon (Guardian).
Carlon Hughes fired in a hat-trick to leads defending champions Guaya United to a 4-1 spanking of Matura ReUnited when the T&T Super League continued on Sunday at the Guaya Recreation Ground.
Hughes opened the scoring in the 21st minute for his team to lead 1-0 at the half-time interval before former national striker, Gary Glasgow made it 2-0 in the 58th.
Hughes then completed his treble with strikes in the 71st and 86th minutes for a 4-0 advantage before Kerwin Vincent got a consolation item for Matura ReUnited, in the 86th.
With the win, Guaya United improved to 25 points from 12 matches, level with Cunupia FC and two behind joint leaders, FC Santa Rosa and Queen’s Park Cricket Club.
Cunupia FC missed out on a chance to remain in a three-way after playing to a goalless draw with Prison Service at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar.
In other matches on Sunday, Police came from behind to beat the University of T&T 2-1; RSSR FC and Club Sando Cultural United drew 1-1, while the match between Bethel United and Petit Valley/Diego Martin United at Mt Pleasant Recreation Ground, Mt Pleasant.
SUNDAY’S RESULTS
Guaya United 4 (Carlon Hughes 21st, 71s, 82nd, Gary Glasgow 58th) vs Matura ReUnited 1 (Kerin Vincent 86th)
RSSR FC 1 (Kerron Mitchell 45th) vs Club Sando Cultural Roots Utd 1 (Marcus Griffith 79th)
Cunupia FC 0 vs Prison Service 0
Police FC 2 (Joshua Leach 43rd, Kadeem Riley 63rd) vs UTT 1 (Michel Holder 2nd)
Bethel United vs Petit Valley/Diego Martin United - match called off due to power outage after 30 -minutes
ON SATURDAY
QPCC 5 (Keston George 14th, Rashard Griffith 53rd, Sean De Silva 66th, Benedict Barrett 70th, Devon Modeste 88th) vs Erin FC 1 (Sylvester Teesdale 87th)
FC Santa Rosa 6 (Kheelon Mitchell 53rd, 78th, Giovanni Abraham 71st, Kishun Seecharan 74th, 76th, Noel Williams 83rd) vs San Fernando Giants 0
LATEST STANDINGS
Teams P W D L GF GA Pts
1. FC Santa Rosa 12 9 0 3 35 10 27
2. QPCC 12 8 3 1 28 13 27
3. Cunupia FC 12 7 4 1 27 10 25
4. Guaya Utd 12 7 4 1 24 10 25
5. Matura ReUnited 12 6 2 4 24 26 20
6. Police FC 12 5 4 3 16 14 19
7. Prisons Service 11 4 5 2 13 13 17
8. UTT 12 4 2 6 17 21 14
9. RSSR FC 12 3 5 4 14 16 14
10. Club Sando Cultural 12 2 3 7 8 19 9
11. Bethel Utd 11 1 5 5 14 25 8
12. Erin FC 11 1 3 7 12 22 6
13. P.V.D.M Utd 11 1 3 7 9 22 6
14. San F’do Giants 12 0 5 7 8 28 5
Upcoming Games
Friday’s Matches
FC Santa Rosa vs Cunupia FC, Arima Municipal Stadium, Arima, 8pm
UTT vs Guaya United FC, UTT Ground, O’Meara Road Campus, 7 pm
Saturday’s Matches
Club Sando FC vs QPCC, Dibe Recreation Ground, Long Circular, St James, 6pm
Matura ReUnited vs RSSR FC, Valencia Secondary School, 4 pm
Erin FC vs San Fernando Giants, Erin Recreation Ground, Erin, 6pm
Sunday’s Matches
Prison Service FC vs Bethel United, YTC Ground, Arouca, 3.30pm
Petit Valley/Diego Martin Utd vs Police FC, St Anthony’s College Ground, 4 pm
RELATED NEWS
Big Cannons, Parkites record big Super League wins.
By Andrew Gioannetti (Newsday)
NATIONAL midfielder Sean De Silva picked up where he left off on Saturday after missing nearly a month of TT Super League action by scoring a goal and recording two assists in a 5-1 win for joint league leaders’ Queen’s Park over Metal X Erin FC.
Queen’s Park made their long journey to Erin in south Trinidad count by securing a convincing win that kept them within reach of FC Santa Rosa, who remain league leaders on goal-difference. Keston Geroge scored the lone first half goal, before Rashard Griffith, Sean De Silva, Benedict Barrett and Devon Modeste all added one each in the second period for Queen’s Park. Sylvester Teesdale scored Erin’s only goal in the dying moments.
The Parkites, however, could not celebrate too much as FC Santa Rosa recorded an even bigger win on the day as they continued their tremendous run.
At the expense of winless San Fernando Giants, FC Santa Rosa smashed six unanswered goals to seal a seventh consecutive league victory. Since losing to Queen’s Park 2-1 on July 7, FC Santa Rosa have won every match since.
Attacker Kheelon Mitchell continued his impressive goal-scoring form with a pair of goals to take his tally to nine this season. Winger Kishun Seecharan also scored a double, while Giovanni and Noel Williams scored the other goals. All six goals were scored in the second half.
Meanwhile, Cunupia FC, which entered Match Day 12 as the third joint leader, dropped two points in a goal-less draw against Prison Service.
Match Day 13 will start on Friday and conclude on Sunday.
The TT Super League has said the knockout competition will start on September 2.
Results
Saturday
Metal X Erin FC 1 (Sylvester Teesdale 87th) v QPCC 5 (Keston George 14th, Rashard Griffith 53rd, Sean De Silva 66th, Benedict Barrett 70th, Devon Modeste 88th)
San Fernando Giants 0 v FC Santa Rosa 6 (Kheelon Mitchell 53rd, 76th, Giovanni Abraham 71st, Kishun Seecharan 74, 76th, Noel Williams 83rd)
Sunday
Guaya United FC 4 (Carlon Hughes 21st, 71st, 82nd, Gary Glasgow 58th) v Matura Reunited 1 (Kerin Vincent 86th)
RSSR FC 1 (Kerron Mitchell 45th+3) v Club Sando FC 1 (Marcus Griffith 79th)
Cunupia FC 0 v Prison Service 0
Bethel United FC v Petit Valley– Match abandoned at 30 minutes due to failure of venue lighting
Police FC 2 (Joshua Leach 43rd, Kadeem Riley 63rd) v UTT 1 (Michel Holder 2nd)
Fixtures–Match day 13
Friday
UTT v Guaya United FC, UTT Ground, O’Meara, 7 pm
FC Santa Rosa v Cunupia FC, Arima Velodrome, 8 pm
Saturday
Matura Reunited v RSSR FC, Valencia Secondary, 4 pm
Club Sando v Queen’s Park, Dibe Recreation Ground, Long Circular Rd, 6 pm
Metal X Erin FC v San Fernando Giants, Erin Recreation Ground, 6 pm
Sunday
Prison Service v Bethel United, YTC Ground, Arouca, 3.30 pm
Petit Valley/Diego Martin Utd v Police FC, St Anthony’s College Ground, Westmoorings, 4 pm
Rescheduled match–Match day 9
August 30
Prison Service FC v Metal X Erin FC, YTC Ground, Arouca, 3.30 pm
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Parkites go clear in Super League again
By Andrew Gioannetti (T&T Newsday)
STAR midfielder Sean de Silva scored his eighth goal of the campaign before Kern Gardiner confirmed the win with a late effort as Queen's Park defeated Club Sando 2-1 Saturday to once again go clear in the TT Super League standings.
The Parkites were helped out by a Friday's 1-1 draw between contenders FC Santa Rosa and Cunupia FC, the two teams that went into the match day as joint leaders.
Alfie James scored the opening goal for Santa Rosa in the 41st minute, before an immediate response from Cunupia FC saw Ricaldo Castellano equalise a minute later.
The win for Queen's Park put them two points clear in the standings at the half-way mark in the 14-team competition.
Last evening, the Match Day 13 closed with Prison Service dropping Tobago's Bethel United 1-0 and Petit Valley/Diego Martin United playing to a 2-2 draw with Police FC.
UTT and Guaya United were scheduled to play on Friday but the match was called off.
The two other matches in the round saw Matura Reunited and RSSR FC play to a 2-2 draw and Metal X Erin FC and San Fernando Giants tie 1-1.
A rescheduled league match between Prison Service and Erin FC is carded for Thursday, before the League Cup playoffs get under way on Sunday.
The TT Super League has announced its decision to deduct three points from UTT, Guaya United and Erin FC for their failure to field a youth team in any competition this season.
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Mulraine resigns as Matura ReUnited coach
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)
Faced with a combination of poor attitude towards preparation by players to an unclear direction by the management of Matura ReUnited, coach Travis Mulraine has resigned.
Mulraine's ReUnited was knocked out of the T&T Super League's League Cup tournament on Sunday after a 2-3 loss to Petit Valley/Diego Martin United on Sunday. Mulraine said he faced a problem where there was always a different crop of players at training sessions as there was just an unwillingness to train. "We had one of the worst defence in the league, in fact I think we conceded the most goals to date, but what kept us from going down was the fact that we scored a lot of goals. I was hoping to do some work on the defence but the players just failed to show," Mulraine said.
"Then there was a situation where the sponsor and the management team could not see eye-to-eye on the direction the team should move, so the sponsor pulled out," Mulraine explained.
The former Queen's Royal College (QRC) midfielder also had to deal with a situation where he reached home well after 10pm every night because of long distances he had to travel to train the team.
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QPCC spanks RSSR for semis spot.
By Nigel Simon (Guardian).
Cunupia FC, Petit Valley/Diego Martin qualify
Benedict Barrett netted a double to lead Queen's Park Cricket Club to a 5-1 demolition of Northern Football Association rivals, RSSR FC in their T&T Super League Cup quarterfinal match played at St Mary's College Ground, Serpentine Road, St Clair on Sunday.
Out-of-favour national midfielder, Sean Division got the 'Parkites' on their way in the 15th minute, but Hakim Gulston drew RSSR FC level nine minutes later before Barrett got his first of the match on the stroke of half-time for a 2-1 lead.
Four minutes after the restart, Barrett extended the Parkites lead to 3-1 while Keston George made certain of victory in the 57th minute followed by a fifth item to cap off a stellar display from Kevaughn John in the 78th minute.
In Sunday's two other matches, Cunupia FC got a goal six minutes into time added on from Isaiah Mejias to slip past Police FC 2-1 at Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva while Petit Valley/Diego Martin United continued its fairy-tale run with a 3-2 penalty-kicks win over high-flying San Fernando Giants after a 0-0 deadlock at St Margaret's Recreation Ground, San Fernando.
On Saturday at the Arima Municipal Stadium, Arima, FC Santa Rosa secured the first semifinal spot at stake with a comfortable 3-0 defeat of T&T Prison Service.
Noel Williams opened the scoring for Santa Rosa in the 29th minute for the Easterners to lead 1-0 at the half-time interval before Akeem Garcia, and Kevon Cornwall added second-half items in the 67th and 71st minute respectively. League action will resume this weekend with defending champions Guaya United, who were knocked out of the Cup competition by Giants hosting Petit Valley/Diego Martin United in one of two matches on Saturday while table leader Queen's Park is in action on Sunday at home Matura ReUnited at St Clair.
RESULTS
On August 9
QPCC 5 (Sean De Silva 15th, Benedict Barrett 45th, 49th, Keston George 57th, Kevaughn John 78th) vs RSSR FC 1 (Hakim Gulston 24th)
Cunupia FC 2 (Michael Darko 66th, Isaiah Mejias 96th) vs Police FC 1 (Colin Williams 63rd)
San Fernando Giants 0 vs Petit Valley/Diego Martin United 0 – Petit Valley/Diego Martin won 3-2 on penalty-kicks
On August 8
FC Santa Rosa 3 (Noel Williams 29th, Akeem Garcia 67th, Kevon Cornwall 79th vs T&T Prison Service 0
Upcoming Super League matches
On Saturday
Club Sando Cultural Roots Utd vs Erin FC, Dibe Recreation Grd, Long Circular, 6 pm
Guaya United vs Petit Valley/Diego Martin United, Guaya Recreation Grd, Guaya, 5pm
On Sunday
Cunupia FC vs San Fernando Giants, Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar, 4pm
QPCC vs Matura ReUnited, St Mary's College Ground, Serpentine Road, St Clair, 4pm
Bethel United vs FC Santa Rosa, Mt Gomery Grd, Mt Gomery, 6pm
RSSR FC vs UTT, Venue to be confirmed
Police FC vs T&T Prison Service, St James Police Training Barracks, St James, 4pm
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WATCH: Highlights of TTSL League Cup Quarterfinals - FC Santa Rosa 3-0 Prisons FC; Cunupia FC 2-1 Police FC
https://www.youtube.com/v/cLN9s1imgTg
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Out-of-favour national midfielder, Sean Division got the 'Parkites' on their way in the 15th minute,
Sean Division!!!
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Shouldn't the Super league always have a developmental National Team in it...Be it the under 20 or under 17 team just to keep that age group active and match ready. Super League shouldn't interfere with any scholarship opportunities or is viewed as a Pro League?
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Shouldn't the Super league always have a developmental National Team in it...Be it the under 20 or under 17 team just to keep that age group active and match ready. Super League shouldn't interfere with any scholarship opportunities or is viewed as a Pro League?
The onus is on the TTFA. If dey want that to be part of the program for the national youth teams then dey need to come up with a proposal.
There are players who played in the early part of the season and have gone on to take up scholarships. There are also some who have played for teams while they are on holidays.
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WATCH: Trinidad and Tobago Super League President and TTFA Board Member, Keith Look Loy, talks about growing the league, and the controversial “Home of Football” project.
https://www.youtube.com/v/nXnVIJjv81s
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Shouldn't the Super league always have a developmental National Team in it...Be it the under 20 or under 17 team just to keep that age group active and match ready. Super League shouldn't interfere with any scholarship opportunities or is viewed as a Pro League?
The onus is on the TTFA. If dey want that to be part of the program for the national youth teams then dey need to come up with a proposal.
There are players who played in the early part of the season and have gone on to take up scholarships. There are also some who have played for teams while they are on holidays.
Yeah I just always thought that it would have been in a built in strategy seeing that it was used with the group that went to the youth world cup etc. If I remember correctly, they won the league as well. Ah mean, if you have a pool of 30 players etc who probably not seeing action with any pro league team on the regular then it should be easy to field an 11 consistently in the super league and then supplement the team with those from College league etc to get a capable under 20 team. Not like we have an under 20 team in camp always raring to go. Super League is 26 games a season, that should keep their legs at least warm and allow for greater chances to improve.
Super League and Pro League should come to an arrangement to allow Pro League reserves to play in that league as well. Or maybe Pro League needs a seperate reserve league just for their reserves. That is if they even have reserves. Reserves should give under 20 players more match time etc.
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Pro-league should have a a reserve league.
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Pro-league should have a a reserve league.
The T&T Pro League used to have a Reserve League. It was started in 2007 and ran for a few years.
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Pro-league should have a a reserve league.
The Pro League struggles to have a Pro League so...lol
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WATCH: Trinidad and Tobago Super League President and TTFA Board Member, Keith Look Loy, talks about growing the league, and the controversial “Home of Football” project.
https://www.youtube.com/v/nXnVIJjv81s
Thank God for men of integrity like Look Loy. May his tribe increase.
I am reminded of the Scripture. . . Proverbs 11:10 "When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,
And when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting."
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Guaya gets back to winning ways.
By Nigel Simon (Guardian).
Three different players were on target as hosts Guaya United rebounded from its shock League Cup last-16 exit with a 3-1 win over Petit Valley Diego Martin United when the T&T Super League resumed on Saturday.
Playing in front of their home crowd at Guaya Recreation Ground, the hosts took the lead on the 15th minute through Ronaldo Mc Intosh and four minutes later Jody Allsop made it 2-0 which the team arried into the half-time break.
With nine minutes left on the clock, Petit Valley Diego Martin sliced the lead in the half to set up an interesting final period.
However, any hopes of stealing a point by the visitors soon faded when Carlon Hughes fired in the third item, his tenth of the campaign, for title-holders Guaya United in the 87th minute to seal all three points, and climb to 28 from 14 matches, level with FC Santa Rosa and two adrift of leaders Queen's Park Cricket Club, who were both in action yesterday.
In Saturday's other match, Marcus Griffith got a second-half double, in the 65th and 93rd to earn Club Sando Cultural Roots United a 2-0 win over Metal X Erin FC at Dibe Recreation Ground, Long Circular.
RESULTS
Club Sando Cultural Roots Utd 2 (Marcus Griffith 65th, 93rd) vs Erin FC 0
Guaya United 3 (Ronaldo Mc Intosh 15th, Jody Allsop 19th, Carlon Hughes 87th) vs Petit Valley/Diego Martin United 1 (Keston Bibby-Cummings 81st)
Latest Standings
Teams*P*W*D*L*GF*GA*Pts
1. QPCC*13*9*3*1*30*14*30
2. FC Santa Rosa*13*9*1*3*36*11*28
3. Guaya Utd*14*8*4*2*27*14*28
4. Cunupia FC*13*7*5*1*28*11*26
5. Prisons Service*13*6*5*2*18*13*23
6. Matura ReUnited*13*6*3*4*26*28*21
7. Police FC*13*5*5*3*18*16*20
8. RSSR FC*13*3*6*4*16*18*15
9. UTT*13*5*2*6*20*21*14
10. Club Sando Cultural Roots*14*3*3*8*11*21*12
11. Bethel Utd*12*1*5*6*14*26*8
12. Erin FC*14*1*4*9*13*29*7
13. P.V.D.M Utd*13*1*4*8*12*27*7
14. San F’do Giants*13*0*6*7*9*29*6
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FC Santa Rosa go top, Parkites, Matura in 10-goal thriller.
By Andrew Gioannetti (Newsday).
THE RACE for the TT Super League crown took another dramatic turn on Sunday as Queen’s Park were left to settle for a draw after a 10-goal thriller against Matura Reunited. FC Santa Rosa, however, returned to the summit yet again, recording a 3-1 away win over Bethel United in Tobago.
After both teams went into the break at 1-1, the Parkites and Matura took turns leading the scoring, but in the end, a goal from Matura’s Stevon Stoute in injury time meant both teams walked away with a share of the spoils. Jason Devonish, who scored a brace for Queen’s Park, and Kitwana Abosi, who bagged a hat-trick for Matura, were among the stand-out performers.
The draw was welcome news for FC Santa Rosa, who made their trip to Tobago count with a comfortable 3-1 win over Bethel United in Mt Pleasant.
Keron Clarke, who spent the first half of the season with Cunupia FC, scored his first goal since his return to FC Santa Rosa in the 42nd minute to give the “Big Cannons” their second lead of the match.
Andre Rampersad opened the scoring in the 11th minute for Santa Rosa, before his item was cancelled out by TeeJay Cadiz of Bethel in the 37th. Santa Rosa, after leading 2-1 at the half, added a third in the 56th minute through a Noel Williams effort.
Bethel had the opportunity to get back into the match following the dismissal of Santa Rosa defender Jesse Reyes in the 65th minute, but a subsequent missed penalty from Bethel dented their spirits.
Sunday’s results meant FC Santa Rosa overtook Queen’s Park as the league leaders with a superior goal-difference. Both sit on 31 points, four ahead of their nearest rivals Cunupia FC, who were held to a goalless draw by San Fernando Giants.
League action will continue this weekend.
Results:
Saturday –
Club Sando FC 2 (Marcus Griffith 65th, 90th+3) vs Metal X Erin FC 0
Guaya United FC 3 (Ronaldo McIntosh 15th, Jody Allsop 19th, Carlon Hughes 87th) vs Petit Valley/Diego Martin United 1 (Keston Bibby-Cummings 81st)
Sunday –
Cunupia FC 0 vs San Fernando Giants 0
Queen’s Park 5 (Jason Devenish 25th, 74th, Leslie Russell 45th, Sean De Silva 76th, Nasyir Rodriguez 78th) vs Matura Reunited 5 (Kitwana Abosi 32nd, 67th, 69th, Zavion Navarro Patron 73rd, Stevon Stoute 90th+1)
Bethel United 1 (TeeJay Cadiz 37th) vs FC Santa Rosa 3 (Andre Rampersad 11th, Kerron Clarke 42nd, Noel Williams 56th)
RSSR FC 2 (Tyrel Wilson 25th pen, Ikechukwu Uhuegbulem 50th) vs UTT 1 (Cyrano Glen 11th)
Police FC 0 vs Prison Service 2 (Tevin Garcia 10th, Nathan Julien 38th)
Saturday’s fixtures
FC Santa Rosa vs Police FC, Arima Velodrome, 6.30 pm
Matura Reunited vs Club Sando FC, Venue TBD, Time TBD
Metal X Erin FC vs Cunupia FC, Erin Recreation Ground, 6 pm
UTT vs Queen’s Park, UTT Ground, O’Meara, 7 pm
San Fernando Giants vs Bethel United, St Margaret’s Recreation Ground, 4 pm
Sunday’s fixtures
Petit Valley/Diego Martin United vs RSSR FC, St Anthony’s College Ground, 4 pm
Prison Service FC vs Guaya United, YTC Ground, Arouca, 3.30 pm
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Santa Rosa, QPCC stay top in Super League.
T&T Guardian Reports.
FC Santa Rosa and Queen's Park Cricket Club remained locked at the top of the T&T Super League after both teams registered 2-1 wins in their respective matches on the weekend.
At the Arima Municipal Stadium, Arima, Keron Clarke handed Santa Rosa 1-0 lead at the interval, two minutes into time added on, but on the resumption, Dwayne Gonzales drew Police FC level, before Kevon Cornwall snatched all three points for the Easterners in the 75th.
FC Santa Rosa now has 34 points from 15 matches, level with the Parkites, but with a superior goal difference.
The Parkites left it very late before Keston George 90th minute strike grabbed all three points, in a come-from-behind defeat of the University of T&T at UTT Ground, O'Meara Road, Campus, Arima.
Cyrano Glen had fired UTT into a 27th-minute advantage, but Rashard Griffith got the Parkites level in the 69th, before George heroics.
RESULTS
QPCC 2 (Rashard Griffith 69th, Keston George 90th) vs UTT 1 (Cyrano Glen 27th)
FC Santa Rosa 2 (Keron Clarke 47th, Kevon Cornwall 75th) vs Police FC 1 (Dwayne Gonzales 61st)
Matura ReUnited 2 (Joel Hoyte 76th, Brendon Figuera 79th) vs Club Sando Cultural Roots United 1 (Andrew Casanova 34th o.g)
Erin FC 2 (Israel Williams 45th, Sylvester Teesdale 88th) vs Cunupia FC 1 (Darieon Bernard 33rd)
QPCC 2 (Rashard Griffith 69th, Keston George 90th) vs UTT 1 (Cyrano Glen 27th)
San Fernando Giants 4 (Juma Clarence 41st, Andrei Pacheco 47th, Isaiah Mc Intosh 81st, Darron Alexis 92nd) vs Bethel United 1 (Densyl James 2nd)
Petit Valley/Diego Martin 2 (Kazim Donald 42nd, Akiel Matooram 52nd) vs RSSR FC 1 (Hakim Gulston 75th)
Prison Service 1 (Brendon Calliste 45th) vs Guaya United 1 (Glenton Wolfe 40th pen)
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WATCH: Highlights of Petit Valley/Diego Martin United’s 2-1 win over RSSR FA
https://www.youtube.com/v/OMtChTo5GUo
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super league may have better management and organization, but is still T&T football, slow and disjointed......sadly
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Guaya, Erin FC deducted three points each.
By Nigel Simon (Guardian).
Already out of contention to retain its knockout title, reigning T&T Super League champions, Guaya United bid for a second straight league crown suffered a blow off the field on Tuesday.
This after the Disciplinary Committee of the Super League took a decision to deduct three points from Guaya United as well as Metal X Erin FC for not fielding a youth team in any competition this season.
Earlier during the campaign, the University of T&T (UTT) suffered the same outcome.
With the three points taken away, Guaya United dropped from third on the table and five points behind joint leaders FC Santa Rosa and Queen's Park Cricket Club to fifth spot and an additional three points back as well.
The points deduction could also prove detrimental to Erin FC at the end of the season as it slipped to second from bottom with seven points, level with cellar-placed Petit Valley/Diego Martin United in the battle to avoid relegation.
Prison Service, meanwhile was also awarded three points for their upcoming clash with RSSR FC after the latter failed to inform league officials at a convenient time, the venue of their match which was carded for Sunday.
However, that decision was then rescinded by President of the T&T Super Keith Look Loy at the match will now take place on Sunday at Dibe Recreation Ground, Long Circular, St James from 4 pm.
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Cornwall keeps Santa Rosa on top.
By Nigel Simon (Guardian).
Kevon Cornwall scored with two minutes left in regulation time to earn FC Santa Rosa a come-from-behind 2-1 win over defending champions Guaya United in the T&T Super League on Saturday.
Joseph Brown had the home crowd at Guaya Recreation Ground in a frenzy when he fired in the go-ahead item in the 25th minute.
However, that joy was short-lived as Kishun Seecharan drew Santa Rosa level three minutes later to send both teams in at the half-time interval levelled at 1-1.
The second-half was just as intense as the first 45 minutes and with the match seemingly heading for a draw, Cornwall conjured up the winner for the visitors to silence the home crowd.
The win lifted Santa Rosa to 37 points from 16 matches, three ahead of Queen's Park Cricket Club which played yesterday while Guaya remained fifth with 26 points.
Also on Saturday, Club Sando Cultural Roots United moved closer to safety with a 3-0 defeat of the University of T&T at Dibe Recreation Ground, Long Circular, St James.
The trio of Duran Felician, Jamal Burke and Kairon Joseph (penalty) were all on target for the winners, now ninth with 15 points, one more than UTT.
Saturday's Results
Club Sando Cultural Roots 3 (Duran Felician 14th, Jamal Burke 27th, Kairon Joseph 35th pen) vs UTT 0
FC Santa Rosa 2 (Kishun Seecharan 28th, Kevon Cornwall 88th) vs Guaya United 1 (Joseph Brown 25th)
Latest League standings
Teams*P*W*D*L*GF*GA*Pts
1. FC Santa Rosa*16*12*1*3*43*14*37
2. QPCC*15*10*4*1*37*20*34
3. Cunupia FC*15*7*6*2*29*13*27
4. Prison Service*15*7*6*2*21*14*27
5. Guaya Utd*16*8*4*4*29*17*26
6. Matura ReUnited*15*7*4*4*33*34*24
7. Police FC*15*5*5*5*19*20*20
8. RSSR FC*15*4*6*5*19*21*18
9. Club Sando Cultural Roots*16*4*3*9*15*23*15
10. UTT*16*5*2*9*22*28*14
11. San Fernando Giants*15*2*7*6*15*27*13
12. Bethel Utd*14*1*5*8*16*33*8
13. Erin FC*15*2*4*9*15*30*7
14. P.V.D.M Utd*14*1*4*9*11*30*7
NB: Guaya United, UTT and Metal X Erin FC have been deducted three points for not fielding a team in any Youth Competition.
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WATCH: Highlights - Guaya United 1-2 FC Santa Rosa; Bethel United 2-1 Cunupia FC; Queen’s Park CC 8-0 Petit Valley/Diego Martin United
https://www.youtube.com/v/ZktNDdYHqyQ
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Modeste keeps Parkites title quest alive.
By Nigel Simon (Guardian).
Devon Modeste helped himself to a hat-trick of goals when Queen's Park Cricket Club routed Petit ValleyDiego Martin United 7-0 to remain in a two-way battle with FC Santa Rosa for the T&T Super League crown on Sunday.
With Santa Rosa winning 2-1 away to defending champions Guaya United on Saturday, the pressure was on the Parkites to respond at that they did in grand style at St Mary's College Ground, Serpentine Road, St Clair with Modeste on target as early as the eighth minute before he added two more items in the 39th and 45th to complete his treble.
National midfielder Sean De Silva (38th) and Keston George (43rd) also netted for Queen's Park in the first half against the league's cellar-placed team while Kern Gardiner got the lone second-half item in the 80th.
The win lifted QPCC to 37 points from 16 matches, the same as Santa Rosa.
However, Santa Rosa has a superior goal difference of plus-29 to QPCC's plus-25 to sit atop the 14-club standings
Prison Service is now in the third spot, seven points adrift of the top two after a come-from-behind 3-1 triumph over RSSR FC at Dibe Recreation Ground, Long Circular, St James.
Hakim Gulston had given RSSR the lead in the eighth minute, but Kylon Gray drew Prison Service level in the 24th from the penalty-spot before Shane Hospedales (64th) and Aaron Peters (85th) added second-half items to snatch all three points for the visitors.
Matura ReUnited is fourth with 28 points thanks to a double from Steven Stoute ina 4-2 beating of Metal X Erin FC.
Stoute found the back of the net in the 24th and 53rd to twice put his team ahead while Brendon Figuera and Joel Hoyte got second-half strikes to help cancel of Dez Jones, double for Erin FC.
In the other matches on Sunday, Bethel United stunned Cunupia FC 2-1 and Police FC held off San Fernando Giants 4-3.
Sunday's Results
Matura ReUnited 4 (Steven Stoute 24th, 53rd, Brendon Figuera 57th, Joel Hoyte 62nd) vs Erin FC 2 (Dez Jones 25th, 75th)
Bethel United 2 (Kemron George 13th o.g, Nkosei Chance 78th) vs Cunupia FC 1 (Hakeem Legall 24th)
Police FC 4 (Joshua Leach 7th, 43rd, Akiel Phillip 30th, Colin Williams 57th) vs San Fernando Giants 3 (Karim Gibson 72nd, 88th, Darron Alexis 88th pen)
QPCC 7 (Devon Modeste 8th, 39th, 45th, Jared Bennett 27th, Sean De Silva 38th, Keston George 43rd, Kern Gardiner 80th) vs Petit Valley/Diego Martin United 0
Prison Service 3 (Kylon Gay 24th pen, Shane Hospedales 64th, Aaron Peters 85th) vs RSSR FC 1 (Hakim Gulston 8th)
Super League Top scorers:
15 - Kevon Woodley (Cunupia FC)
11 - Sean De Silva (QPCC)
10 - Carlon Hughes (Guaya), Nathan Julien (Prison Service)
9 – Kheelon Mitchell (Santa Rosa), Jason Boodram (Police FC)
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Stewart nets treble in Santa Rosa big win.
T&T Guardian Reports.
Ryan Stewart netted a hat-trick, inclusive of two penalties to help FC Santa Rosa to a lopsided 6-0 hammering of RSSR FC in the T&T Super League Premier Division at Arima Municipal Stadium, Arima on Saturday night.
Akeem Garcia opened the scoring for Santa Rosa in the 26th minute and seven minutes before the half-time interval, Keron Clarke made it 2-0 before Stewart got his first from the penalty-spot minute later for a comfortable 3-0 half-time cushion.
Eleven minutes after the restart, Stewart doubled his tally and extended the lead to 4-0 while Kevon Cornwall added his name to the score-sheet in the 68th before Stewart completed his hat-trick with six minutes left in the match.
The win lifted Santa Rosa to 40 points from 17 matches, three more than Queen's Park Cricket Club who faced third-placed Prisons Service yesterday.
Down South, defending champions Guaya United got a double from talisman, Carlon Hughes in a 4-1 whipping of San Fernando Giants.
Hughes fired Guaya into the lead in the 33rd minute, but within ten minutes Darron Alexis put Giants back on even terms at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella.
On the resumption, Shaquille Ferrier fired in a quick double, in the 55th and 59th to take the game away from Giants while Hughes netted his 12th of the season to seal the issue in the 89th to carry Guaya to 29 points, one behind Prisons Service, and one ahead of Matura ReUnited.
At the University of T&T, O'Meara Road, Campus, Arima, the hosts squandered a 4-1 lead before hanging on for a 5-4 thrilling win over Matura ReUnited.
Akil Clarke put UTT in front as early as the eighth minute followed by strikes from Cyrano Glen (12th) and Michael Holder in the 22nd for a 3-0 advantage.
However, Irvin Reyes provided Matura ReUnited with some hope with a 25th item, only for Holder to score again in the 44th for a 4-1 lead at the break.
Two minutes into the second-half, Stevon Soute got a second for Matura ReUnited and less than 60 seconds after, Reyes notched his second for the visitors to trail 4-3.
With six minutes left on the clock, Matura ReUnited stunned the host by drawing level through Kern Diaz.
But all their hard work was undone two minutes into time added-on as UTT forced an own goal from the visitors to snatch all three points in a topsy-turvy battle.
And in the day's other match at Diego Martin North Secondary Ground, Petit Valley/Diego Martin United got a much-needed win, 2-1 over Club Sando Cultural Roots United.
Eric Charles and Keston Bibby-Cumming got a goal each to put Petit Valley/Diego Martin ahead before Christon Freitas netted a late consolation for the visitors.
Saturday's Results
FC Santa Rosa 6 (Ryan Stewart 39th pen, 56th pen, 84th, Akeem Garcia 26th, Keron Clarke 38th, Kevon Cornwall 63rd) vs RSSR FC 0
UTT 5 (Michael Holder 22nd, 44th, Akil Clarke 8th, Cyrano Glen 12th, o.g 92nd) vs Matura ReUnited 4 (Irvin Reyes 25th, 48th, Stevon Stoute 47th, Kern Diaz 84th)
Guaya United 4 (Carlon Hughes 33rd, 89th, Shaquille Ferrier 55th, 59th) vs San Fernando Giants 1 (Darron Alexis 43rd)
Petit Valley/Diego Martin United 2 (Eric Charles 33rd, Keston Bibby-Cummings 55th) vs Club Sando Cultural Roots 1 (Christon Freitas 93rd)
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Julien beaver dents Parkites title hope.
By Nigel Simon (Guardian).
Nathan Julien registered a beaver-trick as Prison Service FC twice came from behind to beat Queen’s Park Cricket Club, 4-2 when competition in the T&T Super League continued at Youth Training Centre, Ground, Arouca on Sunday afternoon.
With FC Santa Rosa winning on Saturday, the onus was on the Parkites to pick up maximum points as well to stay level at the top.
In an effort to keep pace the visitors got the perfect start when Keston George netted in the 18th minute for a 1-0 half-time lead.
Two minutes after the restart Julien drew his team level with his first of his four, only for Benedict Barrett to restore the Parkites advantage in the 63rd.
However, Julien would get his team even once more in the 69th minute and in the 73rd he completed his hat-trick to put the hosts ahead 3-2.
Seven minutes from full-time, Julien banged in a fourth item, his 14th of the season to push the lead to 4-2, but with three minutes left Devon Modeste converted a penalty to give the Parkites hopes of salvaging a point.
In the end, Prison Service held on for the stunning win to climb to 33 points from 17 matches, in third spot, four behind Queen’s Park while its opponent on Sunday, FC Santa Rosa leads with 40 points.
At the Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar, Cunupia Fc got second-half strikes from Mikheil Peters (75th) and Kevon Woodley, his league-leading 16th in the 78th minute to blank Police FC and move up to fourth with 30 points.
And over at Mt Gomery Ground, Tobago, Bethel United got a goal each from Densyl James, Jabari Mc Millan and Kaleb Douglas in a 3-1 defeat of Erin FC in a clash of cellar-placed teams.
The win lifted Bethel three places while Erin stayed rooted at the base of the 14-team standings.
Sunday’s Results
Cunupia 2 ( Mikheil Peters 75th, Kevon Woodley 78th) vs Police FC 0
Prison Service FC 4 (Nathan Julien 47th, 69th, 73rd, 83rd) vs QPCC 3 (Keston George 18th, Benedict Barrett 63rd, Devon Modeste 87th pen)
Bethel United 3 (Densyl James 25th, Jabari Mc Millan 76th, Kaleb Douglas 81st) vs Erin FC 1 (Frae Gervais 42nd)
Upcoming Matches
On Saturday
Club Sando Cultural Roots vs Prison Service, Dibe Recreation Ground, Long Circular, 6pm
Guaya United vs Cunupia FC, Guaya Recreation Ground, 5pm
Erin FC vs UTT, Erin Recreation Ground, 6pm
On Sunday
Matura ReUnited vs Petit Valley/Diego Martin United, Venue to be determined
Police FC vs Bethel United, St James Police Barracks, 4pm
RSSR FC vs San Fernando Giants, Venue to be determined
QPCC vs FC Santa Rosa, St Mary’s College Ground, Serpentine Road, St Clair, 4pm
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Prison Service continues title push
By Nigel Simon (T&T Guardian)
Brandon Calliste and Tevin Garcia netted late second-half goals to lead Prison Service FC to a 2-0 win over Club Sando Cultural Roots United in the T&T Super League at Dibe Recreation Ground, Long Circular, St James on Saturday.
With the hosts Club Sando Cultural Roots desperate to pick up points to ensure its league survival, Prisons Service was kept at bay during the first half as both teams went into 0-0.
However, with 14 minutes left in the clash, Prison Service finally broke the deadlock through Calliste and with the hosts chasing a late equaliser, Garcia added the dagger in the 90th to push his team to 36 points from 18 matches, one behind second-placed Queen's Park Cricket Club and four adrift of leaders FC Santa Rosa, with the top two facing off yesterday.
At Guaya Recreation Ground, Cunupia FC led by a double from Hakeem Legall outplayed last year's double crown champions Guaya United 4-2 to solidify its hold on the fourth spot.
Legall fired Cunupia FC ahead as early as the ninth minute, but six minutes before the half-time whistle Garvin Samaroo drew the hosts level.
A minutes after the restart Leroy Jones had the home supporters in a glee when he got the go-ahead item, but that joy was short-lived as Legall completed his brace to even up the match at 2-2.
Marko Darko then put Cunupia back in front at 3-2 in the 54th before Kevon Woodley, sealed the win for the visitors with his league-leading 17th item of the season in the 87th minute.
In Saturday's other match, University of T&T edged Metal X Erin FC 2-1.
Reinaldo Atwell (53rd) and Liam Burns (69th) had given UTT a 2-0 lead at Erin Recreation Ground, while former national striker, Sylvester Teesdale got the 75th-minute strike for Erin FC to set up an interesting final quarter of the match.
In the end, UTT held on for the win to climb to 20 points and away from the relegation zone.
Saturday’s Results
Club Sando Cultural Roots 0 vs Prison Service 2 (Brandon Calliste 76th, Tevin Garcia 90th)
Guaya United 2 (Garvin Samaroo 39th, Leroy Jones 46th) vs Cunupia FC 4 (Hakeem Legall 9th, 47th, Michael Darko 54th, Kevon Woodley 87th)
Erin FC 1 (Sylvester Teesdale 75th) vs UTT 2 (Reinaldo Atwell 53rd, Liam Burns 69th)
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Leaders Santa Rosa, Queen’s Park share spoils.
By Yohance Simonette (Newsday).
FC SANTA Rosa maintained its three-point advantage atop the TT Super League standings,on Sunday, after being held to a 1-1 draw against title contenders Queen’s Park at St Mary’s College Ground, St Clair.
Kishun Seecharan gave FC Santa Rosa the advantage in the 17th minute, before Queen’s Park went level via a penalty from the team’s leading scorer Sean De Silva in the 54th minute.
The draw was enough to keep FC Santa Rosa, who have by far the best goal-differential among the 16 teams, with a healthy advantage as the end of the league competition draw nearer.
Meanwhile, Prison Service, which has had an exceptional season inched closer to the leaders in with a 2-0 away win over Club Sando in Belle Vue/Debe on Saturday.
Prisons remained third but closed the gap between themselves and FC Santa Rosa to five points with eight matches remaining.
League action will resume on Friday with FC Santa Rosa hoping to extend their lead, at least temporarily when the host Club Sando at the Arima Velodrome, from 8 pm.
The round will continue on Saturday and close on Sunday.
Results
Saturday
Club Sando 0 vs Prison Service 2 (Brandon Calliste 76th, Tevin Garcia 90th+5)
Guaya United 2 (Garvin Samaroo 39th, Leroy Jones 46th) vs Cunupia FC 4 (Hakeem Legall 9th, 47th, Michael Darko 54th, Kevon Woodley 87th)
Metal X Erin FC 1 (Sylvester Teesdale 79th) vs UTT 2 (Reinaldo Atwell 53rd, Liam Burns 69th)
Sunday
Matura Reunited FC 2 (Kitwana Abosi 28th, Brendon Figuera 75th) vs Petit Valley/Diego Martin United 3 (Josiah Alleyne 44th pen, Karamo Samuel 72nd, Akiel Thomas 88th)
Police FC 3 (Joshua Leach 15th, 33rd, 42nd) vs Bethel United 1 (Jabari McMillan 77th)
RSSR FC 2 (Hakim Gulston 74th, Jovon Vincent 90th) vs San Fernando Giants (Jeron Melville own goal 4th, Arvid Applewhite 49th)
QPCC 1 (Sean De Silva pen 54th) vs FC Santa Rosa 1 (Kishun Seecharan 17th)
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WATCH: Highlights of Prison Service FC's 2-0 win over Club Sando
https://www.youtube.com/v/KdAZGNViRPo
WATCH: Highlights of RSSR FA's 2-2 draw with San Fernando Giants
https://www.youtube.com/v/RDxruo3p8r4
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Santa Rosa inch closer to TTSL title.
By Andrew Gioannetti (Newsday).
FC SANTA Rosa inched closer to a first TT Super League title, on Tuesday night, following a 5-2 win over Club Sando in a rescheduled Match Day 19 fixture at the Arima Velodrome.
The fixture was originally carded for last Friday but was postponed because of the flooding.
After the extended break, the “Big Cannons” came out with all guns blazing with former national midfielder Kishun Seecharan scoring a double, one goal in each half, while Akeem Garcia, Kevon Cornwall and Ryan Stewart all added one each to complete the rout.
Stephon Jack and Marcus Griffith both scored second half items for Club Sando.
Seecharan and Cornwall’s goals moved them up to ten a piece for the season.
The win saw Santa Rosa move six points above Queen’s Park, who were back in action last evening against San Fernando Giants. That fixture ended after press time.
Third placed Prisons FC also got back in action against Matura Reunited yesterday.
Action will resume today with the concluding fixtures of Match Day 19.
Petit Valley/Diego Martin United will host UTT at Diego Martin North Secondary School Ground from 3.45 pm, before Police FC and Metal X Erin FC clash at Dibe Ground, Long Circular at 7 pm.
The next round will start tomorrow when FC Santa Rosa take on Matura Reunited again at the Arima Velodrome at 8 pm. All other matches will be played between Saturday and Sunday.
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WATCH: FC Santa Rosa opens up a six-point lead over QPCC with a convincing 5-2 win over Club Sando. Kishun Seecharan led the way with a brace, and was supported by goals from Akeem Garcia, Ryan Stewart, and Kevon Cornwall. Club Sando's goals were scored by Stephon Jack and Marcus Griffith.
https://www.youtube.com/v/MOijK5d-U_A
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WATCH: In the T&T Super League, Police FC thrash Erin FC 6-1. Getting amongst the goals were Isaiah Pryce (2), Joshua Leach, Neil Marcano, Jason Boodram, and Ricardo Peltier. Erin's lone item was scored by Alleric Williams.
https://www.youtube.com/v/7PrDTagQSdM
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Super League race heats up with Parkites victory
By Andrew Gioannetti (T&T Newsday)
THE race for the TT Super League crown flew wide open on Sunday evening following a 2-1 come-from-behind win for title challengers Queen's Park over Cunupia FC.
The Parkites' win saw them move within a point of league leaders FC Santa Rosa which scraped by a 1-1 draw two days prior.
Queen's Park took a trip to Cunupia on Sunday and found themselves trailing by the 20th minute when Gerald Meloney scored the home team's opening goal.
Queen's Park, however, rallied back in the second half and found an equaliser when Benedict Barrett netted his seventh goal of the campaign just after the hour mark.
The Parkites then sealed all three crucial points after Jason Devenish bagged the winning goal in the 81st minute.
With just six matches remaining for the title contenders, FC Santa Rosa and Queen's Park practically enter each with a must-win approach.
Action will continue on Thursday with a rescheduled meeting between Bethel United and Guaya United FC–both of whom are out of the title race–at Montgomery Recreation Ground, Tobago, from 6 pm.
The next round will start on Saturday with the key match-up featuring FC Santa Rosa and UTT at Arima Velodrome from 7.30 pm.
On Sunday, Queen's Park will host second-from-bottom Bethel United at St Mary's College Ground, St Clair from 3.30 pm.
Results
Friday
FC Santa Rosa 1 (Ryan Stewart 90th+5 pen) vs Matura Reunited 1 (Kitwana Abosi 25th)
Saturday
Metal X Erin FC 2 (Sylvester Teesdale 1st, Akinola Williams 85th) vs Petit Valley/Diego Martin United 3 (Kerwin Bonnette 49th, Josiah Alleyne 67th pen, Karamo Samuel90th+2)
San Fernando Giants vs Club Sando–San Fernando Giants won 3-0 by default
Sunday
Police FC vs Guaya United–Match rescheduled to November 15
Prison Service 2 (Nathan Julien 27th, Kylon Gay 44th pen) vs UTT 2 (Dillon Bartholomew 57th, Glen Walker 88th)
Bethel Untied 2 (Tee Jay Cadiz 54th, 69th) vs RSSR FC 3 (goal 45th, Hakim Gulston 83rd, Marvin Oliver 90th+3)
Cunupia FC 1 (Gerald Meloney 20th) vs QPCC 2 (Benedict Barrett 63rd, Jason Devenish 81st)
Standings
Teams*Pld*W*D*L*F*A*Pts
FC Santa Rosa*20*14*3*3*56*18*45
QPCC*20*13*5*2*57*26*44
Prison Service*20*10*8*2*34*22*38
Cunupia FC*19*9*6*4*37*19*33
Matura Reunited*29*8*6*6*46*47*30
+Guaya United*18*9*5*4*35*22*29
Police FC*19*8*5*6*32*27*29
+UTT*20*8*3*9*32*35*24
RSSR FC*19*5*6*6*25*34*22
Petit Val/DM Utd*20*5*4*11*22*46*19
San F'do Giants*20*3*8*9*24*43*17
Club Sando*20*4*3*13*18*35*15
Bethel Utd*19*3*5*11*26*44*14
+Metal X Erin FC*20*2*4*14*22*48*7
+ indicates teams docked three points for not fielding a youth team in any competition this season.
Fixtures
Thursday - Rescheduled from Match Day 19
Bethel United vs Guaya United FC, Montgomery Recreation Ground, 6 pm
Match Day 21
Saturday
Club Sando vs Cunupia FC, Dibe Recreation Ground, Long Circular Road, 6 pm
Guaya United vs Metal X Erin FC, Guaya Recreation Ground, 5 pm
FC Santa Rosa vs UTT, Arima Velodrome, 7.30 pm
Sunday
Matura Reunited vs San Fernando Giants, venue and time to be announced
Petit Valley/Diego Martin United vs Prison Service FC, St Anthony's College, 3.30 pm
RSSR FC vs Police FC, venue and time to be announced
QPCC vs Bethel United, St Mary's College Ground, 3.30 pm
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Santa Rosa FC stays out front.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).
Parkites hammer Bethel 8 zip
FC Santa Rosa maintained its lead in the T&T Super League after a slim but impressive 3-2 win over the University of T&T on Saturday night at the Arima Velodrome.
The 'Big Cannons' jumped to a 2-0 advantage when Osei Sandy fired them into a lead after 17 minutes and Ryan Stewart got another seven minutes later. The home team enjoyed a 2-0 lead at the half-time interval, before the visitors stormed by soon after, by scoring the equalizing goals.
Anselm Jackson first pulled a goal back in the 53rd minute, before Dillon Bartholomew put his team on level terms in the 58th to give the University men hope of a come-from-behind win.
Instead, however, the Big Cannons got a late item in the 90th minute from Andre Rampersad to secure the win and maintain their summit position with 48 points.
A day later Queen's Park Cricket Club men who went into their encounter with Bethel United in the second position, ensured they stay on the heels of the Arima club by hammering Bethel United 8-0 at St Mary's College Ground, St Clair.
The win came courtesy a hat-trick by Benedict Barrett in the 24th, 32nd and 49th minutes, as well as a double from Devon Modeste in the 77th and 80th. The other goals came from Kern Gardiner 45th, Sean De Silva 52nd and Yohance Marshall in the 84th.
WEEKEND'S RESULTS
Saturday
Club Sando F.C. 1 (Damien Pompey) vs Cunupia F.C. 2 (Kevon Woodley 17th, Michael Darko 38th)
Guaya United F.C. 3 vs Metal X Erin F.C. 0 (By Default)
FC Santa Rosa 3 (Osei Sandy 17th, Ryan Stewart 24th, Anselm Jackson 53rd (Pk) vs UTT 2 (Dillon Bartholomew 58th, Andre Rampersad 90th)
Sunday
Matura ReUnited F.C. 2 (Zavion Navarro Patron 38th, Keston Jones 76th) vs San Fernando Giants 5 (Arvid Applewhite 6th & 56th, Jeremy Primus 8th, Keston Grant 42nd , Isaiah Mc Intosh 53rd)
Petit Valley/Diego Martin United 1 (Kerwin Bonnette 90th) vs Prison Service F.C. 3 (Jordan Devonish 32nd & 65th, Antonio Auguste 38th)
RSSR F.C. 2 (Hakim Gulston 30th, Jovon Vincent 53rd) vs Police F.C. 0
QPCC 8 (Benedict Barrett 24th, 32nd & 49th, Kern Gardiner 45th, Sean De Silva 52nd, Devon Modeste 77th & 80th, Yohance Marshall 84th) vs Bethel United F.C. 0
LATEST STANDINGS:
TEAMS P W D L F A GD PTS
1 FC Santa Rosa 21 15 3 3 59 20 39 48
2 QPCC 21 14 5 2 65 26 39 47
3 Prison Service F.C. 21 11 8 2 37 23 14 41
4 Cunupia F.C. 20 10 6 4 39 20 19 36
5 Guaya United F.C. 20 11 5 4 40 23 17 35
6 Matura ReUnited F.C. 21 8 6 7 48 52 -4 30
7 Police F.C. 20 8 5 7 32 29 3 29
8 RSSR F.C. 20 6 7 7 27 34 -7 25
9 UTT 21 8 3 10 34 38 -4 24
10 San Fernando Giants F.C. 21 4 8 9 29 45 -16 20
11 Petit Valley/Diego Martin Utd. 21 5 4 12 23 49 -26 19
12 Club Sando F.C. 21 4 3 14 19 37 -18 15
13 Bethel United F.C. 21 3 5 13 27 54 -27 14
14 Metal X Erin F.C. 21 2 4 15 22 51 -29 7
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WATCH: T&T Super League Highlights - RSSR FA 2-0 Police FC; Club Sando 1-2 Cunupia FC.
https://www.youtube.com/v/CfBtElvy-HY
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WATCH: Highlights of Cunupia FC's 3-3 draw with Matura ReUnited
https://www.youtube.com/v/3jnbJGjzJlc
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WATCH: QPCC 2-2 Guaya United; UTT 2-2 Cunupia FC
https://www.youtube.com/v/0HsMkkFDFIc
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FC Santa Rosa stays on title course.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).
FC Santa Rosa has been closing in on its second T&T Super League title with just two round of matches to be played.
On Saturday, the team nicknamed the 'Big Cannons' opened up a three-point margin on its closest rivals Queen's Park Cricket Club (QPCC) following a convincing 5-1 thrashing of Prison Services FC at the Arima Velodrome, taking it further in the lead to 54 points in 23 matches.
Queen's Park, the only team capable of catching Santa Rosa, gave themselves a shot in the leg the day after (Sunday) by dropping two valid points in a 2-2 tie with the defending champion team Guaya United at St Mary's College Ground in St Clair.
However, at the Velodrome, the home team made sure of maximum points courtesy a double from instrumental striker Keron Clarke in the space of two minutes, 92nd and 93rd.
However, it was the visitors who scored first when Nathan Julien found the nets in the 31st minute. Thereafter, it was all Santa Rosa with Noel Williams finding the equaliser in the 56th minute. Seventeen minutes later the home team took the lead and extended it in the space of a minute. First Andre Rampersad found the back of the net in the 73rd minute to knot the scores up, and before the Prison Service's defence could have regrouped, Ryan Stewart added another for a 3-1 advantage.
With the loss, the Prisons' officers maintained third on the standings with 44 points. At St Clair 'the Parkites' had to come from behind to share the points with Guaya. They got goals from Benedict Barrett in the 74th and Devon Modeste in the 84th.
Guaya, the 2017 champion team is distant fourth on the standings with 39 points, scored through Keston Frontin (39th) and Glenton Wolfe on the stroke of half-time.
Santa Rosa will next face Metal X Erin F.C on Saturday at the Erin Recreation Ground from 6 pm, while the Parkites will jump into action a day later at the Knowles Street Recreation Ground in Curepe against RSSR FC from 3:30 pm.
RESULTS
Club Sando F.C. 0 vs Police F.C 2 (Dwayne Gonzales - 9th & 82nd)
Matura ReUnited F.C. 1 (Brendon Figuera - 40th) vs Bethel United F.C 2 (Akeilon Murphy 43rd, Rohan Sebro 70th)
UTT 2 (J'Deem Parris 21st, Moses Jaikaran 24th) vs Cunupia F.C 2 (Kevon Woodley 6th & 73rd)
FC Santa Rosa 5 (Noel Williams 56th, Andre Rampersad 73rd, Ryan Stewart 73rd, Keron Clarke 92 & 93rd) vs Prison Service F.C 1 (Nathan Julien 31st)
QPCC 2 (Benedict Barrett 74th, Devon Modeste 84th) vs Guaya United F.C 2 (Keston Frontin 39th, Glenton Wolffe 45th)
Petit Valley/Diego Martin United 3 (Own Goal (Keston Grant) 62nd, Akeil Thomas 83rd, Christain Vincent 90th) vs San Fernando Giants 2 (Jeremy Primus 42nd, Cory Cyrus 87th)
RSSR F.C. 0 vs Metal X Erin F.C 0 (RSSR wins by default)
LATEST STANDING
TEAMS*P*W*D*L*F*A*GD*PTS
1*FC Santa Rosa*23*17*3*3*66*22*44*54
2*QPCC*23*15*6*2*69*28*41*51
3*Prison Service F.C.*23*12*8*3*41*29*12*44
4*Guaya United F.C.*22*12*6*4*44*26*18*39
5*Cunupia F.C.*22*10*8*4*44*25*19*38
6*Police F.C.*22*9*5*8*34*31*3*32
7*Matura ReUnited F.C.*23*8*7*8*52*57*-5*31
8*RSSR F.C.*22*7*7*8*31*36*-5*28
9*UTT*23*8*5*10*36*40*-4*26
10*Petit Valley/Diego Martin Utd.*23*6*4*13*27*51*-24*22
11*San Fernando Giants F.C.*23*4*9*10*31*48*-17*21
12*Bethel United F.C.*23*5*5*13*32*57*-25*20
13*Club Sando F.C.*23*4*3*16*21*42*-21*15
14*Metal X Erin F.C.*23*2*4*17*23*57*-34*7
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Guaya back in action today.
By Andrew Gioannetti (Newsday).
A QUICK-FIRE brace from Leroy Jones in the first half was enough to see Guaya through to a 2-1 victory over Police FC in a rescheduled TT Super League fixture on Thursday evening.
Jones scored in the 20th minute and followed up with his second four minutes later, before Police pulled one back through Chris Collins in the 61st minute.
Despite being out of contention for the title at this point, Guaya United, the reigning league champions moved within two points of third place currently occupied by Prisons with two three match days remaining.
Guaya will return to action in today's lone fixture.
They will host Club Sando at Guaya Recreation Ground, from 5 pm.
Five other matches will be played tomorrow.
FC Santa Rosa will pick up an automatic three points, given the recent defaulting and withdrawal of Metal X Erin FC.
Erin FC will not play their remainder of their matches due to apparent internal issues. It means FC Santa Rosa and Queen's Park will secure 3-0 default wins in their upcoming fixtures.
Queen's Park, therefore, will have to win this weekend to stand a serious chance of catching Santa Rosa.
The Parkites will take on an improved RSSR FC away from home at Curepe Recreation Ground from 4.30 pm.
They will be seeking to win by a wide margin as well to close the gap between themselves and FC Santa Rosa on goal-difference, which will determine the league winner if all are tied at the end.
Standings
Teams*Pld*W*D*L*F*A*Pts
FC Santa Rosa*23*17*3*3*66*22*54
Queen's Park*23*15*6*2*69*28*51
Prison Service*23*12*8*3*41*29*44
Guaya United*23*13*6*4*46*27*42
Cunupia FC*22*10*8*4*44*25*38
Police FC*23*9*5*9*35*33*32
Matura*23*8*7*8*52*57*31
RSSR FC*22*7*7*8*31*36*28
UTT*23*8*5*10*36*40*26
PV/DM Utd*23*6*4*13*27*51*22
San F'do Giants*23*4*9*10*31*48*21
Bethel Utd*23*5*5*13*32*57*20
Club Sando*23*4*3*16*21*42*15
Metal X Erin FC*23*2*4*17*23*57*7
Fixtures:
Today:
Guaya United vs Club Sando, Guaya Recreation Ground, 5 pm
Tomorrow:
San Fernando Giants vs Prison Service, Guaracara Park, 4 pm
RSSR FC vs Queen's Park, Curepe Recreation Ground, 4.30 pm
Cunupia FC vs Petit Valley/Diego Martin United, Larry Gomes Stadium, Arima, 3.30 pm
Police FC vs Matura Reunited, Dibe Recreation Ground, 3.30 pm
Bethel United vs UTT, Montgomery Recreation Ground, 6 pm
Thursday (Nov 22):
Cunupia FC vs RSSR FC, Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, 7 pm
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WATCH: Second-placed Queen's Park Cricket Club, stayed in touch with leaders FC Santa Rosa when they hammered RSSR FA 5-0 to climb to 54 points, three adrift of the leaders.
https://www.youtube.com/v/GCC6Ko7u0AU
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Modeste keeps Parkites on FC Santa Rosa heels.
By Rachael Thompson-King (Guardian).
Devon Modeste sizzled on Sunday, striking four goals to see Queen's Park Cricket Club (QPCC) cruised to a 5-0 victory over RSSR FC in the T&T Super League (TTSL).
This was at Curepe recreation ground on Knowles Street and it was all about Modeste, who kept second-place QPCC with 54 points, within range of leader FC Santa Rosa (57 points).
FC Santa Rosa remained in charge of the 14-team competition, getting its 18th win from 24 rounds of matches without taking the field on Saturday after host Metal X Erin forfeited the match which was scheduled at Erin Recreation ground.
Back in Curepe, Modeste opened the scoring the 30th minute and despite a number of chances RSSR did not get the equaliser and trailed 1-0 at half-time.
On the resumption, it didn't take long for QPCC to increase its lead as Modeste again came into play and gave his team a 2-0 lead with a goal in the 53rd minute. His teammate Jared Bennett (58th) joined him on the scoresheet some five minutes later with QPCC's third item.
Modeste continued his rampage and returned in the 68th minute, to put QPCC further ahead, 4-0, and sealed the deal in the lopsided with an 81st-minute item.
At Guaracara Park in Pointe-a-Pierre, Nathan Julien was in good scoring form for fourth-place Prison Service, which was looking to get among the top three teams team in the standings.
He netted a pair of goals but his team was held to a 3-3 draw with San Fernando Giants. Antonio Augusta (38th) scored the other goal for Prison while Philvoughn Jones (63rd), Arkido Joseph (83rd) and Arvid Applewhite (86th) were the goal-scorers for the Giants.
Prison remains behind third-place Guaya United, which led by four goals from Leroy Jones on Saturday, comfortably defeated Club Sando, 7-2 at home.
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Allyuh, try and explain to me why QPCC and RSSR playing a league match in Curepe. This makes no sense.
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T&T Super League arrives on Island Sports Network
T&T Super League Media
The Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) is pleased to announce an agreement with Caribbean sports broadcaster Island Sports Network (ISN) for the live streaming of its League Cup semi-finals and final scheduled for 9 December and 16 December respectively at the Arima Velodrome.
Based in Kingston, Jamaica, Island Sports Network is a pay-per-view service that has a declared policy of "developing under-served leagues and communities, and championing future athletes. As a sports network we focus on streaming broadcasts from the Caribbean markets to our mobile network called the Island Sports Network, available online, android and apple. We want to broadcast every league in the Caribbean. Whether that’s basketball in St. Kitts, baseball in the Dominican, or football in Jamaica, ISN will be the first dedicated sports network focused on promoting and enhancing the level of play in Caribbean leagues. Because of this passion, fifty percent of all subscription revenue go back to the leagues that you watch."
In an international media release today, ISN stated, "We are excited to present to our members what Trinidad and Tobago football is all about and will continue our mission of growing and increasing the exposure of Caribbean sports to the world. This is another milestone for iSN bringing our total league partners to three in under two months:, the others being the top football league of Jamaica and Barbados..
On 9 December, Semi-final 1 is Queen's Park CC v Petit Valley/Diego Martin United FC from 5.00PM, with Semi-final 2 showcasing FC Santa Rosa and Cunupia FC from 7.30PM. These matches will be available to the international public free of charge on ISN.
TTSL is completing its first season of live television broadcasting with local company TTEN. The ISN app may be downloaded on its facebook page or at www.islandsports.net. TTSL and ISN will negotiate a multi-year agreement early in 2019.
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Santa Rosa a point from Super League title.
By Andrew Gioannetti (Newsday).
FC SANTA ROSA are within one point of their second TT Super League title in three years, after the club came from behind to secure a 4-1 win over San Fernando Giants in the penultimate round of competition on Friday night.
San Fernando Giants took an early lead when Jeremy Primus converted a spot kick in the ninth minute. Almost immediately after, however, former national youth midfielder and FC Santa Rosa's leading scorer Kishun Seecharan (12 goals) equalised to start the comeback.
Santa Rosa went ahead in the 19th minute with a goal from Noel Williams, who later scored a second in the 66th minute, taking his season tally to eight goals. The league leaders then sealed the victory through a goal from substitute Akeem Garcia – who has one senior international appearance – in the second minute of injury time.
The win kept put Santa Rosa six points ahead of Queen's Park, the only other contender for the title. However, while Queen's Park will not play this weekend, they will pick up three points with a default 3-0 win, owing to the withdrawal of Metal X Erin FC from the competition. Queen's Park will end the round three points behind Santa Rosa with one round remaining.
Based on form, FC Santa Rosa will have the tougher fixture as they play a dangerous Cunupia FC, who entered this weekend with the second best defensive record among the 14 teams.
A draw will suffice for Santa Rosa but that point will not be easy. Queen's Park will have to pick up all three points to stand a chance of overtaking Santa Rosa. The Parkites take on Club Sando, a team languishing second from bottom with the joint lowest goal-scoring tally.
Three matches were played last night: Club Sando versus RSSR FC; UTT at home to Police and Matura ReUnited against Guaya United.
Two matches will kick off at 3.30 pm today. Prison Service will face Cunupia FC at YTC Ground, Arouca, while Petit Valley/Diego Martin United face off against Bethel United at St Anthony's College Ground, Westmoorings.
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Tten used to have a live stream of Super League games on FB and their website.
For about three weeks now - nothing. In fact their live stream on their site seems down.
I sent a message a few weeks back but in true TT style no one answered me.
Anybody knows where we can live links for the Super League??
VB
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Tten used to have a live stream of Super League games on FB and their website.
For about three weeks now - nothing. In fact their live stream on their site seems down.
I sent a message a few weeks back but in true TT style no one answered me.
Anybody knows where we can live links for the Super League??
VB
The deal was for TTEN to broadcast 1 game per week but its been inconsistent of late. You would have to message TTSL to find out if any game next week will be broadcasted as its the final round.
No other links exist for the TTSL.
For the Cup semis and finals on the 9th and 16th, apparently they are using Island Sports Network.
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King: No blunders like last year.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).
'We are not going to take any team for granted. We are 90 minutes away from winning a title, the guys are aware of this and they are ready for the challenge," said Derek King, the FC Santa Rosa coach, ahead of its crucial clash with Cunupia FC in the T&T Super League from 3:30pm on December 2 at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Malabar, Arima.
King, a resident of Arima who represented Arima North at the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) before moving on to represent the country at different levels, has been impressing upon his players of the need to not lose a title on the final game of the season, as the team did last season.
FC Santa Rosa which is nicknamed "The Big Cannons" are on 60 points, three ahead of its closest rival Queen's Park Cricket Club, which faces second from bottom Club Sando Cultural Roots in its last match.
King sees this as certain three points for the Parkites, which means his team must at least draw against Cunupia FC to capture the title.
The mathematics though is that if the Big Cannons are beaten and the Parkites win by five clear goals, QPCC can wrestle the title from Santa Rosa, in spite of leading the standings for the past months.
King's main concern is the vulnerability of his defence too soft goals, a concern that was evident in the team 4-1 victory over San Fernando Giants on Friday past. "We have a very lethal offence from some quality players which always ensure our goals, but we somehow we always concede soft goals which we are working hard to plug."
He believes Cunupia will attempt to restrict his team's attacking move, come December 2. The last time the teams met at the Arima Velodrome, the teams shared the points from a 1-1 stalemate. But Cunupia, considered one of the better teams in the league this year by King, cannot afford such a result, as it will literally hand the Big Cannons the silverware.
The Central team is fifth on the standings with 44 points but will have a point to prove with a victory which will also take them to fourth.
Santa Rosa last won the coveted Super League title back in 2016, the first Arima team to have had such successes in years. And with their achievement came unbridled support from the Arima community, which includes Mayor Lisa Morris Julian and other corporate entities.
King told Guardian Media Sports he wants to say a big thank you to all who supported his team this season by winning the trophy.
Sunday's Matches
QPCC vs Club Sando Cultural Roots, St Mary’s College Ground, St Clair, 3.30pm
Cunupia FC vs FC Santa Rosa, Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar, 3.30pm
RSSR FC vs Matura ReUnited, Curepe Reccreation Ground,Knowles Street, Curepe, 3.30pm
Bethel United vs Prison Service, Mt Gomery Recreation Ground, Mt Gomery, 3.30 pm
Guaya United vs UTT, Guaya Recreation Ground, 3.30pm
Police FC vs Petit Valley/Diego Martin United, St James Police Barracks, St James, 3.30pm
Sunday's Results
T&T Prison Service 1 (Shane Hospedales 57th) vs Cunupia FC 0
Petit Valley/Diego Martin United 2 (Akeil Thomas 44th, Quincy Charles 62nd) vs Bethel United 1 (Akeilon Murphy 58th)
QPCC 3 vs Erin FC 0 - by default
RELATED NEWS
King: We want to win title for Arima.
By Andrew Gioannetti (Guardian).
TT Super League final day showdown
FC SANTA ROSA head coach Derek King has urged his players to do everything within them to bring glory back to Arima and its surrounding districts when they face Cunupia FC today in the final match of the TT Super League season.
FC Santa Rosa require only a draw at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Arima, in order to secure their second league title in three seasons.
A loss for FC Santa Rosa, however, could mean a dramatic turn of events, which could allow for Queen’s Park to win the league on goal difference if they win their match, as expected, at home to a second-from-bottom Club Sando.
All seven matches are scheduled for a 3.30 pm kick-off.
King, in an interview with Newsday yesterday, said he described the variables to the players and assured them that a loss today could result in a repeat of a disappointing end to last season when the “Big Cannons” were prevented from winning the league after losing 1-0 to UTT on the final match day.
“They are really excited,” King said.
“And, as I told them, to lead the table from day one and then to lose the league in the last game won’t be a good feeling. Last year they experienced that, so I think the guys matured.”
He said community support and sponsorship have been the backbone of FC Santa Rosa and deserve recognition for their support. According to King, some of the supporters even made it to Tobago to support the team in their away matches.
“I think most of all, the players want to do something for Arima because what we did this year is really bring back out the crowd in football. If you watch the support we have in the Arima base, it’s one of the best in the country. I think we owe them that.
King, a former senior national team defender and Under-20 team head coach, however, said their opponents today must be respected.
“I saw them (Cunupia FC) play. They have a solid team. They have the top goal-scorer in the league (Kevon Woodley), who has experience playing at the Pro League level. So, it’s somebody we have to pay close attention to. I think Cunupia is one of the better teams in the Super League. Yes, it will be tough but the guys are eager. They know the task at hand.”
FC Santa Rosa have a three-point and a one goal advantage over Queen’s Park heading into today’s grand finale.
According to league regulations, all matches must kick off at the same time (3.30 pm) and there will be no “grace period”.
If the top teams are tied on points, the team with the greater overall goal difference will win the league. Therefore, since the goal difference between the two teams is down to a single goal, Queen’s Park will only need to win by a single goal, while FC Santa Rosa will also only need to lose by one goal, for the “Parkites” to win the title.
Sunday Fixtures
*All matches kick off at 3.30 pm
Queen’s Park vs Club Sando, Fatima College Ground, Mucurapo Road
Cunupia FC vs FC Santa Rosa, Larry Gomes Stadium, Arima
RSSR FC vs Matura Reunited, Curepe Recreation Ground
Bethel United vs Prison Service, Montgomery Recreation Ground
Guaya United FC vs UTT, Guaya Recreation Ground
Police FC vs Petit Valley/Diego Martin Untied, Police Barracks, St James
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Cunupia FC out to ruin Santa Rosa’s season.
By Renaldo Matadeen (Newsday).
"They have nothing on us. We're ready and waiting to take the League title away from them."
Those were the fighting words of Cunupia FC head coach, Michael De Four, as his team prepares to try to ruin FC Santa Rosa's season by taking away, not one, but two trophies from the Eastern-based outfit.
With FC Santa Rosa topping the Super League table on 60 points from 25 matches (with a goal difference of 50), a draw against De Four's team this Sunday at the Larry Gomes Stadium when both teams clash from 3.30 pm, will assure them of reclaiming the title. However, they failed to beat Cunupia FC in their first encounter this season, drawing 1-1, and De Four made it clear his team will be looking for a win, which could allow second-placed Queen's Park (57 points from 25 games, goal difference of 49) to rise to 60 points as well and pip the Arima team for the crown on goal difference.
After Sunday's big clash, Cunupia and FC Santa Rosa meet again a week later in the League Cup final.
"This would be our way of salvaging the better part of the season and also erasing Santa Rosa's claim on being the best. They cannot beat us. We drew the first time we met this year and it's no secret they could beat everybody but us. They don't have anything on us," De Four said. Cunupia are currently fifth with 44 points from their 25 matches, but De Four warned his men have emerged as Santa Rosa's bogey team.
The coach indicated that in their debut season last year, they defied the odds and placed third in the Super League (which consolidated its Premiership and Championship divisions into one), but in that season, Santa Rosa failed to topple them in both meetings. "We were the only team they couldn't beat and we were relatively new. Now, everyone knows we're the team to beat. Everybody wants to play us and bring their best side to beat us. I'd call us the W Connection of the Super League," he boasted.
De Four is also ready to wrest the League Cup from his rivals despite what he deemed a "topsy-turvy and inconsistent season." He pointed to his star forward and the league's top-scorer, Kevon "Showtime" Woodley as the standout this year with 22 goals, and one of the key assets in derailing Santa Rosa's trophy aspirations. Prisons FC midfielder Nathan Julien is second on 18, with Queen's Park's Sean da Silva third on 16, but De Four believes he has the best attacker in all competitions and Woodley will be adding to his tally against the leaders.
He also referenced the rest of his squad, particularly Ghanian midfielder, Michael Darko and Theon James, as players who could stop their rivals in their tracks. He said the lack of pressure was also going to play in Cunupia's favour, although he was wary of Santa Rosa's attacking dynamo Kishun Seecharan.
"We have nothing to lose. Anytime we play football, we come out for a fun time, but once we're at our best, we're relatively unbeatable. For these two games, all we need is composure and discipline and this will see us get at least one trophy lifted in the League Cup," the coach concluded, adding he hopes someday to bring their bravado and brand of football to the Pro League.
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FC Santa Rosa capture Super League title.
By Joel Bailey (Newsday).
FC Santa Rosa captured the 2018 TT Super League title yesterday, by virtue of a 1-1 draw against Cunupia FC in their final round match, at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Arima.
Needing only a point to officially dethrone Guaya United as the league champs, the Arima-based Santa Rosa outfit took the lead in the 32nd minute courtesy of a strike from Akeem Garcia.
But Kevon Woodley netted his league-leading 23rd goal for the season, in the 39th minute, to ensure a share of the points for both teams.
Nonetheless, the point was good enough for Santa Rosa to seal the title.
The crown was the first, at the Super League level, for debutant Santa Rosa coach Derek King, who took over the tactical duties from club owner/league president Keith Look Loy during the off-season.
“It’s a joy for me to win a title, my first Super League title, as a coach,” said King last evening. “Everything is possible through the grace of God.”
King admitted that his players showed signs of nerves early in yesterday’s contest. “Last year, in the last game of the season, is when Santa Rosa lost the league. We weren’t ourselves in the first half but, most important, we did it for the Arima-based fans because we had one of the best followings in football in Trinidad and Tobago.”
He added, “I think they were really eager to win the title this year.”
This is the second major league trophy for the 38-year-old King, as he led North East Stars in a successful 2017 TT Pro League campaign.
“It’s always a great achievement for a young coach,” King noted. “As a coach you never stop learning and you always set goals. It was important, with the support of my family. They’ve been in every single game, including the games in Tobago.
The League Cup semi-finals will be contested on December 9, at the Arima Velodrome.
Santa Rosa will tackle Cunupia at 7.30 pm but, in the opening game of the double-header, Queen’s Park will meet Petit Valley/Diego Martin United at 5 pm.
According to King, the ex-national men’s team defender and assistant coach, “We have one more hurdle which is the knockout. We’re playing Cunupia again. As I told (my players) we have two more ‘finals’ which (are) the semi-final and the final.”
Queen’s Park stayed in second spot despite a 3-1 win over Club Sando at the Fatima Ground, Mucurapo.
Devon Modeste netted twice for the Parkites, in the first and 69th minutes, and Benedict Barrett got the other item in the 31st.
Jamal Burke (eighth) and Kevon Jessop (40th) were on target for Club Sando.
Third-placed Prison Service edged Bethel United 2-1 at the Montgomery Recreation Ground. Brandon Calliste (20th) and Lance Haynes (50th) struck for Prison Service, with Nkosei Chance (89th) pulling one back for the hosts.
In a high-scoring affair at the Curepe Recreation Ground, Matura ReUnited got the better of RSSR 5-4.
Getting the goals for Matura were Jade Allman (57th), Zavion Navarro-Patron (58th), Isaiah Smith (62nd), Joel Hoyte (67th) and Brendon Figuera (80th).
Kerron Mitchell (12th and 30th) scored twice for RSSR, with Hakim Gulston (42nd) and Anthony George (60th) getting the others.
UTT registered a 2-1 win over Guaya United at the Guayaguayare Recreation Ground. Dike Wilson (27th) and J’Deem Parris (48th) were the goal-getters for UTT, while Keston Frontin (68th) got the consolation for the hosts.
Chris Collins scored a pair, in the 48th and 64th, as Police earned a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Petit Valley/Diego Martin United,at the Police Barracks, St James.
Quincy Charles netted for the visitors, in the 37th.
And San Fernando Giants had a 3-0 default win over cellar-placed Metal X Erin FC.
TTSL Results
(Sunday 2 December)
Queen’s Park Cricket Club 3 (Devon Modeste 1, 69, Benedict Barrett 31), Club Sando FC 2 (Jamal Burke 8, Kevon Jessop 40) at Fatima College;
Cunupia FC 1 (Kevon Woodley 39), FC Santa Rosa 1 (Akeem Garcia 32) at Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar;
RSSR 4 (Kerron Mitchell 12, 30, Hakim Gulston 42, Anthony George 60), Matura Re United 5 (Jade Allman 57, Zavion Navarro-Patron 58, Isaiah Smith 62, Joel Hoyte 67, Brendon Figuera 90) at Curepe Recreation Ground;
Bethel United 1 (Nkosei Chance 89), Prisons FC 2 (Brandon Calliste 20, Lance Haynes 50) at Montgomery Recreation Ground;
Guaya United 1 (Keston Frontin 68), UTT 2 (Dike Wilson 27, J’Deem Parris 48) at Guaya Recreation Ground;
Police FC 2 (Chris Collins 48, 64), Petit Valley/Diego Martin United 1 (Quincy Charles 37) at St James Barracks;
San F’do Giants had a 3-0 default victory against Metal X Erin FC.
(Teams)
Cunupia FC (4-3-3): 1.Keston Malchan (GK); 7.Theon James, 18.Maestro Mensah (captain), 12.Stefon Pierre, 17.Kerri McDonald (23.Darieon Bernard 67), 5.Stephen Julien, 19.Kevon Woodley, 9.Isaiah Mejias; 21.Jemal Osborne (15.Gerald Meloney 66), 10.Michael Darko, 3.Hakeem Legall.
Unused Substitutes: 13.Christopher Byng (GK).
Coach: Michael De Four
FC Santa Rosa (4-2-3-1): 1.Jesse Peters (GK); 6.Sheldon Nesbitt, 5.Alfie James, 19.Jesse Reyes, 15.Osei Sandy; 21.Durwin Ross, 24.Andre Rampersad; 12.Kishun Seecharan (11.Keron Clarke 83), 17.Ryan Stewart (captain), 4.Noel Williams (18.Kheelon Mitchell 70); 10.Akeem Garcia (9.Kevon Cornwall 62).
Unused Substitutes: 30.Joel Johnson (GK), 8.Kerron Reid, 14.Giovanni Abraham, 25.Stephen Johnson.
Coach: Derek King
Referee: Nikolai Nyron
Final Standings
P*W*D*L*F*A*Pts
FC Santa Rosa*26*19*4*3*74*24*61
Queen’s Park*26*18*6*2*80*30*60
Prison Service*26*14*9*3*47*33*51
Cunupia FC*26*12*9*5*51*29*45
Guaya United*26*14*6*6*55*33*45
Police FC*26*12*5*9*44*37*41
Matura ReUnited*26*10*7*9*61*67*37
UTT*26*9*6*11*39*43*30
RSSR*26*7*7*12*38*53*28
S/Fernando Giants*26*5*10*11*38*55*25
P/Valley D/Martin*26*7*4*15*31*59*25
Bethel United*26*5*6*15*34*61*21
Club Sando*26*5*3*18*29*54*18
Metal X Erin*26*2*4*20*23*66*7
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WATCH: FC Santa Rosa are the 2018 T&T Super League Champions after a 1-1 draw with Cunupia FC. QPCC pushed them right to the end by securing a 3-2 win over Club Sando.
https://www.youtube.com/v/792p6O23LNU
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WATCH: TTSL League Cup Semifinals Highlights - Queen's Park 3-0 Petit Valley/Diego Martin United; FC Santa Rosa 3-3 (3-4 on penalties) Cunupia FC.
https://www.youtube.com/v/oZWacOiOcwY
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Cunupia, Parkites in Super League Cup final.
By Joel Bailey (Newsday).
CUNUPIA FC and Queen’s Park advanced to the final of the TT Super League after contrasting results in Sunday’s semi-finals at the Arima Velodrome.
Cunupia FC eliminated League champions FC Santa Rosa 4-3, courtesy kicks from the penalty spot, in the second game of the double-header.
In the earlier match, the “Parkites” cruised past Petit Valley/Diego Martin United 3-0.
The final will be staged at the Arima Velodrome on December 16.
The Cunupia-Santa Rosa game was a rematch of their final round contest, in the league, on December 2, at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Arima. That game ended in a 1-1 draw, but the point was enough to secure Santa Rosa’s capture of the league crown.
Kevon Cornwall put Santa Rosa ahead in the first minute, but Cunupia’s ace scorer Kevon Woodley equalised with a 22nd minute penalty.
Santa Rosa regained the lead a minute later after Giovanni Abraham found the back of the net, but Michael Darko levelled the scores in the 31st.
Woodley notched his second goal, and his team’s third, in the first minute of stoppage time, as Cunupia led 3-2 at the interval.
There was another twist to the tale as Santa Rosa equalised in the 83rd through utility player Noel Williams.
Penalties were required to decide the outcome, and Cunupia held their nerves to book their tickets to the final.
Cunupia coach Michael De Four boasted although Santa Rosa are Super league champs, they failed to beat Cunupia in three matches this season. De Four said it was pleasing to go undefeated vs his opposite number Derek King who is heading to Canada to join former national coach Stephen Hart as his assistant at Halifax Wanderers. The candid Cunupia FC coach is optimistic of winning the final and ending the season with a trophy.
King, who will be leaving in February, remarked, “The season went well. We won the League and reached the semi-final (of the knockout). I have to compliment the players for their efforts.”
King added, “You know how penalties go, like a lottery.”
The former national defender, who was appointed club coach by owner Keith Look Loy in April, acknowledged, “It was a tough season with competitive teams (like) Queen’s Park, Guaya, Prisons.
“At the end of the day, the guys did well. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the result we wanted but life goes on.”
Queen’s Park got a pair of goals from striker Devon Modeste, in the 41st and 67th minutes, following Rashad Griffith’s opener in the 23rd.
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Allyuh, try and explain to me why QPCC and RSSR playing a league match in Curepe. This makes no sense.
Cause RSSR had an issue with their home ground
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Parkites sweat over injured De Silva as Super League Cup final looms vs Cunupia
By Stephon Nicholas (T&T Newsday)
QUEEN’S PARK coach Shawn Cooper is sweating ahead of Sunday’s TT Super League Cup final, as his captain Sean De Silva is facing a race to be fit in time for the 6pm kick off vs Cunupia FC at the Arima Velodrome.
Cooper and his players are hungry for silverware, but could be without their inspirational leader who is currently sidelined with an undisclosed injury. De Silva, 28, a TT Pro League champion with Central FC, boasts national experience with the senior team and was on the TT U-17 and U-20 teams that qualified for FIFA Youth World Cups.
“We are just keeping our fingers crossed,” said Cooper. “Not only is he our captain, but he is one of out top scorers. It would be nice for him to come back in time to lift the trophy.”
The Parkites have been playing without their captain for a few matches, but were still able to defeat Petit Valley/Diego Martin United 3-0 last Sunday in the semi-finals, with striker Devon Modeste doing most of the heavy lifting and scoring two goals.
“The cup final is another chance to get a piece of silverware for the field,” said Cooper, whose team finished second in the league behind FC Santa Rosa.
The boys are all hyped in gaining the same, so we are leaving no stones unturned in trying to secure that title.” Cooper said.
Cooper also noted that Cunupia FC will not be at full strength as their top striker, Kevon “Showtime” Woodley, has been suspended, owing to a red card against FC Santa Rosa in the semi-finals.
What are the chances of De Silva being cleared to play?
“De Silva is one of our main outlets, and things have been touch-and-go for him. We have been working with him and doing rehab sessions, but the doctor will let us know if he will be okay to play this weekend.” The Parkites, who finished the Super League one point behind FC Santa Rosa, have met Cunupia FC twice this season. On both occasions, the Parkites won 2-1 but had to come from a goal down.
On Sunday, Cooper hopes his players maintain the same composure they had in their two earlier clashes with Cunupia.
“They are no pushovers, so we will be coming with our A game,” Cooper said.
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De Four: The more disciplined team will win
By Andrew Gioannetti (T&T Newsday)
HEAD coach of Cunupia FC, Michael De Four has maintained optimism at winning tomorrow’s TT Super League (TTSL) League Cup, despite the unavailability of his star forward Kevon “Showtime” Woodley, who will miss the match against Queen’s Park due to a suspension.
Woodley received a red card and was ejected after scoring two goals in Cunupia’s penalty shoot-out victory over league champions FC Santa Rosa in the League Cup semifinal, on Sunday. It could not have been a more untimely dismissal for Woodley given his brilliant goal-scoring form this season, leading up to the penultimate match of the season.
Woodley is the leading goal scorer in both the league (23 goals) and cup competitions (five goals) this season, and by a considerable distance.
In an recent interview with Newsday, De Four expressed cautious optimism despite being forced to field an understrength attacking line-up.
“All players have roles on our team and all players have to work and understand what we’re about, or are in the process of understanding what we’re about. In the case of Kevon Woodley, he is a player who is adaptable, is versatile and follows instructions on the field in terms of what you want from him, very well. He is very hard to replace but what we will do is make the necessary adjustments to get the best team performance and if we are successful at that, we are very, very hard to beat,” De Four said.
As for other possible knocks and fitness issues, De Four said it’s “nothing that we haven’t been dealing with throughout the season.”
According to De Four, the club set out to win the double this season and although they were unable to do so, he said management will be content with taking home the League Cup title.
Despite his optimism, De Four and Cunupia have been unable to get past Queen’s Park this season. They lost both legs 2-1. De Four offered perspective in terms of his opponent, saying, “Derek King was Santa Rosa’s coach. He won the Pro League last year. He also won the (Super League) league this year. He has a few trophies to his name and he was not able to beat us, at no time. In the case of Mr Cooper (Queen’s Park head coach), he is a national coach. In the games that he played us, he had a very strong team. I thought he would have won the league, I must say.
“Players stepped down, for want of a better word, from the Pro League to join his squad for all the different reasons. So, even in times when we felt that our system was sufficient to carry us through in little areas where experience and technique in individuals were needed, they came out on top.
“For example, when they beat us 2-1 in the last game, there was a moment when their marquee player, Sean de Silva, was actually in the corner with no where to go and the player gave him room and he made a cross and a goal came out of it. He should not have been able to make that cross. He should have probably had turned back or whatever, but it happened. So, in that situation, it was the decision-making of a player, who is an amateur against a player who is a professional.”
Switching focus toward the final, De Four took issue with the designation of the Arima Velodrome for the last two rounds of the knock-out competition, saying the venue was unsuitable for consistent, free-flowing football.
“Preferably I’d like to game to play the match at a different venue. I am not satisfied with the field. Cunupia, and you can check with Queen’s Park, we felt that the match should be played at a different venue. The field is hard, bumpy and maybe a 25 by 25 square in the centre of the field has just brown dirt,” De Four said.
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I was at this final, it was quite a poor game of football to be honest - neither team looked like they found their shape in the first half. It improved in the second half, but yea there was a lot more potential from both teams unfulfilled.
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WATCH: Cunupia FC are the 2018 TTSL League Cup Champions after defeating QPCC 2-1.
https://www.youtube.com/v/YGG-vXHrV5M
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Congrats!!!!
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Cunupia FC stuns QPCC in Super League Cup final.
By Nigel Simon (Guardian).
Gerald Meloney got the decisive goal as Cunupia FC battled past Queen's Park Cricket Club (QPCC) for a 2-1 win in the T&T Super League Cup final at the Arima Municipal Stadium on Sunday night.
Going into the match as underdogs due to the suspension of the Super League’s top-scorer Kevon "Showtime" Woodley, Cunupia showed it was up for the task against the Parkites and took the lead in the 20th minute through Michael Darko from the penalty spot.
The Parkites drew level also from the penalty spot via their own top striker Devon Modeste in the 34th to set up an interesting second half.
In the end, Meloney’s 61st-minute goal secured the crown for Cunupia and a first win in three attempts against its opponent this season.
For the Parkites, it was the second time this season they had to settle for another runner-up finish after losing out in the title race to FC Santa Rosa.
Earlier this month, Cunupia made certain FC Santa Rosa would not add to its league triumph with a 4-3 penalty-kicks win after a pulsating 3-3 full-time draw at the same Arima venue.
Kevon Cornwall fired Santa Rosa ahead in the first minute, only for Woodley to get Cunupia back on level terms in the 22nd from the penalty spot. However, two minutes later, Giovanni Abraham restored Santa Rosa’s slim lead.
Darko then drew Cunupia level again in the 31st minute and a minute into time added on at the end of the first-half, Woodley, the league’s top scorer put his club ahead for the first time.
The second half was a much more cagey affair with both clubs struggling to add to their tally, until Noel Williams banged home an 83rd minute equaliser for Santa Rosa to keep outgoing coach Derek King, who will be off to Canada to link up with former national coach Stephen Hart, hopes of a second title this season alive.
But it was not to be as in the penalty shoot-out, Cunupia showed better nerves and firm finishing to edge the match, 4-3.
In the other semifinal, QPCC ran out a comfortable 3-0 winner over Petit Valley/Diego Martin United with Rashad Griffith scoring in the 23rd minute, before Devon Modeste netted a double in the 41st and 67th minutes.
(Teams)
QPCC (4-1-4-1): 1.Nicholas Dick (GK); 15.Trevon Mitchell, 5.Yohance Marshall (captain), 19.Leslie Joel Russell, 18.Kern Gardiner; 12.Kashif Clarke (8.Sean De Silva 70); 17.Rashad Griffith (27.Kevaughn John 87), 7.Keston George, 22.Nasyir Rodriguez, 21.Jared Bennett (6.Ackime Prudhomme 84); 10.Devon Modeste.
Unused Substitutes: 99.Jason Sheppard (GK), 3.J’ovan Marshall, 20.Shomari Antoine, 30.Curtis Andrew.
Coach: Shawn Cooper
Cunupia FC (4-3-3): 1.Keston Malchan (GK); 21.Mikheil Peters, 18.Maestro Mensah (captain), 12.Stefon Pierre, 7.Theon James; 5.Stephen Julien, 9.Isaiah Mejias, 8.Kristian Meloney; 3.Hakeem Legall, 10.Michael Yaw Darko, 15.Gerald Meloney (23.Darieon Bernard 76).
Unused Substitutes: 13.Christopher Byng.
Coach: Michael De Four
Referee: Kwinsi Williams
Video Highlights - Cunupia FC win TTSL League Cup Champions (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGG-vXHrV5M)
RELATED NEWS
Cunupia edge Parkites to Cup title.
By Joel Bailey (Newsday).
GOALS by Michael Darko and Gerald Meloney were enough to ensure Cunupia FC emerged victorious 2-1 over Queen’s Park, in Sunday’s final of the League Cup.
This match, at the Arima Velodrome, brought the curtains down on the 2018 Super League season.
For the most part, the encounter was a scrappy affair, played on a surface which had a huge area without grass in the middle of the field.
However, the Michael De Four-coached Cunupia, who were without the suspended striker Kevon “Showtime” Woodley and only had two substitutes available, dug deep to emerge as the match-winners.
The first half ended with a 1-1 scoreline, with both goals coming from the penalty spot.
Cunupia struck first in the 20th minute, courtesy of Darko, who sent his penalty kick down the middle, as goalkeeper Nicholas Dick dived to his right.
Referee Kwinsi Williams awarded the spot-kick after defender Kern Gardiner was adjudged to have handled a cross from Meloney.
The Parkites responded 15 minutes later, as striker Devon Modeste sent goalie Keston Malchan the wrong way, after Kashif Clarke was bundled over in the penalty box by Cunupia’s midfielder Stephen Julien.
The pressure to get the go-ahead goal resulted in a few tough tackles by both teams.
However, the Cunupia players composed themselves and regained the lead in the 61st minute.
A neat build-up down the right involving Darko and right-back Hakeem Legall resulted in a through ball to Meloney, who calmly placed his right-footed shot between the legs of an advancing Dick and into the back of the net.
The Parkites’ coach Shawn Cooper brought on ex-national midfielder Sean De Silva moments later.
The former national Youth World Cup player had been sidelined with injury but had a glorious opportunity to tie the scores in the 80th minute. From a free kick at the edge of the penalty box, De Silva could only watch in agony as his effort over the leaping Malchan missed the target by a few inches.
De Four: Easy like Sunday morning
By Joel Bailey (Newsday).
Cunupia coach delighted with Cup victory
COACH OF Cunupia FC, Michael De Four, has described his team's 2-1 victory over Queen's Park in the TT Super League Cup final as "easy like Sunday morning."
Playing at the Arima Velodrome on Sunday, Michael Darko (20th minute) and Gerald Meloney (61st) were on target for Cunupia, as Devon Modeste (35th) responded for the Parkites.
De Four noted his team was able to comfortably deal with the absence of influential striker Kevon “Showtime” Woodley, who picked up a red card in last weekend’s semi-final against league champs FC Santa Rosa.
“(It was) normal,” said the Cunupia coach. “That’s why we train, for these types of situations. We would prefer if it’s not that way but if (so) we just have to deal with it. And I think we did pretty well.”
The Parkites had the momentum going into the second half, but De Four said he did not have much to say to his players during the half-time interval.
“The only talk was to calm down the adrenaline that we had, because overall I think we play a more superior football and we could beat them at any given day,” said De Four. “It was just to calm them down and stick to the game-plan.”
Cunupia only had two reserves on their bench, and their coach revealed it was because of discipline.
"If you’re not training (consistently), you cannot play for us,” he said.
Reflecting on the 2018 season, De Four said, “It was an excellent season. We lifted some silverware – we didn’t lift any last year.”
He added, “This is our second year in the League. All and all, it was a good year.”
After finishing second in the league race and the cup, Parkites’ assistant coach Wayne Sheppard was disappointed with how things transpired.
“I thought the game was hard fought by both teams,” he said. “I thought (we) fell short in some of our passing, and that is what let us down in the attacking phase of the game.
“Defensively, we made two errors and we were punished for that.”
Queen’s Park resorted to a long-ball strategy in the latter stages, including captain and central defender Yohance Marshall playing as a centre-forward.
But Sheppard explained, “That wasn’t the instructions, I think that was a bit of panic from the guys, knowing that we were 2-1 down and time was going. Our strength was in the midfield.
“That was unfortunate, that wasn’t a true representation of Queen’s Park during the entire season.”
Sheppard described the season as disappointing, as they were unable to gain any trophy, despite the work that they put in.
Marshall, Sean De Silva, Keston George and Elton John joined the team this season, but John returned to his former club San Juan Jabloteh in October.
Sheppard hailed the group for their professionalism, especially in training.
“I’ve been a member of Queen’s Park since 1993,” he acknowledged. “We’ve had more talented teams than this but we’ve never had a team that has been as disciplined as this team.”
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Marshall claims Super League MVP
By Joel Bailey (T&T Newsday)
FORMER national central defenders Yohance Marshall and Derek King were named Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Coach of the Year respectively, as the TT Super League held its 2018 end-of-season awards at the WASA Sports Club, St Joseph on Thursday evening.
Marshall, in his first season at Queen’s Park, earned 13 Player of the Week selections and played an instrumental role as the club finished second in the League (behind FC Santa Rosa) and Cup (behind Cunupia FC).
Coach King and Marshall worked together last year at North East Stars and won the 2017 TT Pro League crown. King will be leaving FC Santa Rosa to join Canadian Premier League team Halifax Wanderers as an assistant to ex-TT head coach Stephen Hart.
Another top awardee on the evening was striker Kevon “Showtime” Woodley of Cunupia FC who claimed the Golden Boot as the leading goalscorer this season with 24 goals (23 in the League and one in the Cup).
Santa Rosa’s Jesse Peters captured the Goalkeeper of the Year award, Adesh Dwarika was named as the Match Commissioner of the Year and San Fernando Giants copped the Fair Play Award.
In his address, Super League president Keith Look Loy said the registration policy, whereby teams unable to meet the requirements will be debarred, stays in effect in 2019.
“I’m saying this tonight, if you do not pay you do not play,” said Look Loy.
The Super League president hopes to see an expansion of teams and a return of two divisions next season.
“The ambition is to have two divisions again next year,” he said. “But it all hinges (on registration)...and then we’ll have to decide how we’re configuring what we have and if teams that will be relegated will in fact be relegated, because teams that are supposed to be in the first division don’t pay and will fall by the wayside.”
He also hopes to attract sponsors for the forthcoming season.
“The League needs to have sponsorship,” Look Loy said. “We want to (give) actual cash. We have already spoken to two marketing agencies to help us find sponsors. The Super League has to be a dynamic league – a visionary league.”
HONOUR ROLL:
Most Valuable Player – Yohance Marshall (Queen's Park)
Most Goals (Golden Boot) – Kevon Woodley (Cunupia FC)
Coach of the Year – Derek King (FC Santa Rosa)
Goalkeeper of the Year – Jesse Peters (FC Santa Rosa)
Fair Play Award – San Fernando Giants
Match Commissioner of the Year – Adesh Dwarika
League – 1. FC Santa Rosa; 2. Queen's Park; 3. Prison FC