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« on: February 12, 2009, 11:12:18 AM »
Let me start off by saying that I am glad that the team came away with one point. Had that game gone on for ten more minutes, it would have been curtains for our team.
Let's look at the positives:
1) We get a point from an AWAY game in the first match of the HEX. Keep in mind that Trinidad & Tobago have never won the first game of the final round of qualifying and especially doing this is a central american territory. We are famous for not performing up to par here for many years.
2) The team showed heart and fight for about 70mins. I admit many of the players did not look fit and were not fluent but they tried extremely hard. If we had done this against Cuba in the first half or even the Gold Cup, we would not have had problems.
3) We have a HOME game next even though it is against Honduras and they did give us a whooping in the 2000 qualifiers at home and they have a a vendetta against us for knocking them out of contention for the World Cup in 2000. If we play to our full strength come March 28th, we will be successful. Four points from two games, man this even sweeter than the lasy qualifiers (hopefully).
Now the negatives:
1) We should have shut the opposition especially early in the second half. Why did Yorke not take the penalty is a mystery.
2) Fitness. By the second half, many of our players were just gone. Come on, we are going into hostile terrirtory and we are not fit. If this was Mexico, Honduras, USA, Costa Rica, it would have been trouble.
3) Defence. Once agin our defence was all over the place, giving the opposition too much space and getting confused by the diagonal ball. Nothing new in our football
In the end, we got a draw in an AWAY match and I am content with that. However, we need to improve quickly. Firing the coach now will not help and I am sure many of the waggonists on this site are just jumping on the bandwagon of criticism. I sure if we beat Honduras no matter how bad we play, they will support praise the team instead. Let's get this match out of our systems and look forward to the next nine to come.
South Africa, here we come!!!