Well I had the pleasure of taking in the game on Telemundo (And I tape it for those who interested).
I reach home a lill early, duck all the wannabe waggonits from the caribbean up here in Austin, cause I wanna see the game home by myself.
I put on Homeview and I decide that I will listen to radio and watch it on tv. Then it hit me that I woulda have to listen to Selwin Melville et al, and I cringe up meh face. I hear the commentary start on the radio with Selwin Melville start to talk f**king spanish - "Buenas Noches senors and senoritas"..well boy now I know the assness start. I was almost thanking God when I realise that the radio commentary was about 60 seconds behind, so I decide to bun fire on homeview and take in the spanish on Telemundo. But he and John Williams made a very very good point and it is worth mentioning...We all believe that since the first leg is in CONCACF, we would have the advantage as Bahrain would have to travel twice, and us only once. But the fact is Bahrain could come here 2 weeks in advance if they want and get acclimatised good, play the game and then there will be no advantage for the CONCACAF team as both teams will have to fly back right after for the second leg.
Real nice looking crowd, plenty drums and vibes. I buy a home theatre system last week, so I feel like I was in the stadium. Crowd all behind me and drum with real bass coming from dong low. I was feeling it, although I was nervous.
I drop on meh knee and start a quick seta prayers, although I dont like to do that. I aint go lie, I was nervous, TT past has made me like that.
Tweet game start and I decide to start taking some quick notes.
Here goes:
Starting lineup - Jack, Air Dog, Giraffe, Maldini Gray, Blade Avery, Birchall, Seaton, Carlos, Yorke, Stern and Latas. Just as I though and hoped, Jones would not have been played.
2 mins - Bam! FLikking caption on the screen saying that Guatemala score! Lord, i start to sweat already, knowing we done have to win by ourself. Same time I notice that them star boy Fonseca look jus like Figo, wonder if is him...Then I hear commentator calling the stopper for them HUGO SANCHEZ, dread, wha the hell is this i start to wonder.
The crowd start to ake real noise and do the wave, it looking real nice, same time the caption come across that Guatemala score again. I wonder if the crowd getting any info.
15 mins - Latas switch to the RM position and Carlos went left. Nice move, we were running. Mexico wasnt getting any time to settle, we was playing good. They threatened to start stringing passes after about 5 mins, but we quickly kill that. Then I remember that the game when we play them under BSC in POS, thats exactly what they did. This time we were much more solid, you could see the organisation in the TT team.
17 mins - Nice attacking run and bullet from out the box by Yorke/Whitely. Good sign I say. We shooting, and it not far off. Right after I see Latas run in and put dong a piece of skill and create a chance, I bawl. Before I done bawl, the team create a next nice sequence resulting in a Stern Shot. Daaamn, we playing.
22 mins - Telemundo camera pan on the crowd and I swear I see Big magician in the crowd. There was some nice gyal around.
24 mins - Mex break, the ball play into the box and bouncing high, Jack reach it first but fall awkardly. My personal opinion is that the Mex player could have reached it if he did karate jumpkick it.
27 mins - Baaam! Guatemala 3 - CR 0. I now know it soundling like a sell out. More nervousness as I know T&T will have to earn their spot. We have a tendency to play ball sometime and dont make the best of it and get sting on counter attacks. It was shaping up to be like that.
30 mins - Corner and from a clear pull dong on Stern, Penalty. Lord, now I start wondering. I ask the question yesterday on the forum and I point out the Yorke misses I knew about. I see Stern step up, they giving the man in form the opportunity. When he line up, I see like he nervous and stumble playing like he want to take the kick even before the ref blow the whistle. I say geez, we dead. I couldnt look and I went on meh knees and close meh eyes. All I hear is one seta spanish, but I could make out it was not good news, and I hear the commentator excited and no noise from the crowd. I open meh eyes and see the replay. Good connection on the kick but very very telegraphed. Any though of "it is going to be one of those nights" were then confirmed. I just get blue and out of it. I see all the players run up to stern and start patting him on d back to console him fast fast. I done starting to see the posts here tomorrow about half slab miss. I get real demoralised. I jus know we was going to get wet. The crowd gone silent, still in shock, like the players get demoralised too for a brief time.
38 mins - Inevitable...Mexico score. I coulda bet my house on that coming. But what a ras goal. f**khole! That is a boss goal. Only Latas on we team could try something like that. Is one of the best goal I ever see in meh life. The man get the ball, it was half bouncing, few inches off the ground and he jus kinda half tap - half volley it it straign up in the air, like a deft chip. Jack gone scrambling, and it take forever to come down. Nestle sweet in the far corner with jack lunging at air. That was boss. I say we dead now, but at least an international class beauty goal did us in.
The crowd gone totally silent and I say the floodgates could open.
But this is not the same T&T team a few months ago.
Them fellas have heart from Guatemala and Panama and it show.
Seaton who was having a beauty of a game, make a nice run dong the left, cut in the centre and leggo a bullet. The keeper went scrambling and it cannon off the upright like a bullet. Guess who it went straight to? Boy, as a forward in meh days, I realise Stern is the supreme finisher. That ball come back out just as hard as the bullet on the post. It coulda hit stern anywhere on hs body. 99% of the time it will be uncontrollable. I dont know how stern had the strength and positioning and body control to just shape up his body so that it would hit his leg at an angle that it would go straight back into the next. That was a goal, wow. Any forward in the world would be proud of that goal. BUT! All the replay show...when the shot was taken, the man look jus slightly offside. I dont know if the offside rule has anything to do with rebounds off posts though. I say we was lucky. It could have been called by the linesman, but it was real tight and it happen so so fast. The bullet by Seaton is what start the entire chain of events. Anyhow! 1-1! and I erupt here by mehself and start to bawl.
The rest of the half, boy, Edwards hit a man a body feint on the right wing by the corner flag, lord have mercy. If forumites here was to play a game, it look like something truetrini would do triniman,
Boy, edwards back was to the defender who was on him close. He jus fan over to ball and move his body like he going right and the mexican defender went right like he never went right before. The man back nearly break when he realise is a shake. Even Carlos heself like he get stunned and didnt believe he shake the man bad so, he kinda stumble over the ball when he realise he had so much room, LOL. What a shake! The entire stadium erupt.
1 min later jus before half time, ball float in to stern, who was now in heat like Sam.
Stern jump and chest the ball and turn in the air, and in the movement cap the last defender, real nice skill, but when he try to connect the finishing volley to end the move..Wooooosh! only air and 2 blade of grass. That woulda have been a beauty,
Tweet! Half time.
I run to meh laptop and skim thru the posts to get the feeling of the board.
Boy, Guat leading 3-0 and we tied 1-1. As usual Trinidad finding a way to keep we scared shitless.
I call up some partners in the stadium home, they say nice woman but real tension.
Second half start.
Well I stop taking meh lill notes, i was pacing ever since we equalise, AC on cold and I sweating. Too nervous to do anything yes. I woulda dead if I was in the stadium, I cyah wait for them fellas and they stale drunk ass to report tomorrow on the tension.
All I remember is that we come out sparking from the whistle, like Beenie does really have an impact in the dressing room at half time yes.
Ah see one of meh sweet trini gyal friends in the crowd, i hadda call she and tell she i ketch she yes.
Everything was a blur of nervousness up till stern score. I remember a mexican going to clear a ball kinda wild in a tackle with seaton outside his box and the ball fall in stern's path, about 10 yards out the box. He didnt have much men close by, so he just guide it down with his right foot and leggo a laser beam left shot from a few yards out the box...GOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!
Wow, what a bullet.
Only a man on top his game and confidence sky high could do that. It even beat back Angus goal vs Canada in 2000. What a bullet, kinda similar to the Panama goal actually on Saturday.
Well boy the stadium gone mad!
If u see wine, if u see fete. I real jealous the forumites who was there. All I want to hear is the feeling at that point.
18 min second half - Yorke start to take over and show his experience, he drop down and fake injury to kill time and settle the now fiery Mexicans who thirst for a goal now. Very very smart play.
The mexicans start to string some passes together and I see T&T start to settle in a defensive mood, and again I start to worry. Wha d hell! more than 20 mins to go and them start defend?
We get a breakaway on the half line, it drop to stern and would u believe....he see the keeper off he line and with men on his back and pressure, leggo a lob from about 50 yards! I say madness.
But then it start to sail toward the goal. Next thing it start to dip into the goal! Damn keeper made a real good recovery and fly back and puch it overbars. The crowd bawl. Stern stop and bawl...so so so near. Again, it would take a man who real real confident to try that. After that like Mexico realise that they were facing something more than human in the form of Stern John and get frighten. We take back over the game real fast. Edwards make a twisting run again and nearly break the Mexican left back back again, if u see shake, and cut and twist, I was watching and meh eyes was getting shake. The man look like Garrincha! He make Giggs look small. I feel real sorry for the Mexican left back. But at the end of the twisting run, he cross in and Air dog come in and but wide. Oh ah forget to the end of the first half, flikkin Air Dog make a run down the centre of the field throught the Mexican team and leggo a bullet that just sail overbars yes. I laugh.
But back to the second half where T&T was now taking complete control. Mexican attacks dry up like Bhaji and T&T started hunting a third. The catalyst behind the attacks was the magician. I feel like I am doing him an injustice by only now mentioning him. But every time Latas touch the ball, the Mexican team was in fear. No one dared tackle him. He did what he wanted. It was so amazing to see that kind of display. He look even better than the Latas of old. Latas hit some men some shake and cut, it was like how Jordan used to advantage men in the NBA. I see a play with he, dwight and Stern to finsh, that he himself start with a run from half line. The man just skipping past tackles and sending men the wrong way, one touch with dwight, skip a few more tackles and lay off the defense splitting pass to stern who run, round the keeper and put it in, but this time he was offside and they call it. It was like exhibition football, small goal thing now. It remind me of the Nov 19 game in 94 when we play the US in POS and we was running rings around them.
Daaaamn. I started to get brave and think that we were actually toying with Mexico and doing what we wanted. Then I remember Trinidad talent for finding a way to balls up a seeming impossible situation.
Mexico have a left back the commentator was only calling WICKEY, the man look ike a real bamboo wild indian, but like he back did really break with carlos shakes and they take him off. Is only them I see how they spell the man name - HUIQUI! The commentator was almost calling him --WICKEEEED!
I real laugh.
We make a token mistake in the back and the Mex attacker run onto a half chance, but i forget to mention Shaka had come in half time for Jack who had injured himself in the first half twice. Boy, Shaka run out and bounce on that ball and gobble it up so majestically and fast and kill that half chance...... i start to thank Jesus. I was struggling to visualise Jack making a confident play like that. We overlook Shaka plenty, but just by that one play, I know Shaka is still a class above Jack. Shaka save we dey, no doubt. He still has it. What a boss.
The rest of the game peter out into something I have never seen Trinidad do.
We literally start playing with blood in we shoes.
Any attack them Mexicon come up with, Blade Avery swiping like he mad, if u see the look in his eyes, them Mexicans get frighten. I see some ball bobbling in the box and Air Dog coming like Godzilla a booming the ball, fellow defender and attacker out the box, all in one swing.
Them fellas real fight that last 15 mins. It was pure will and fight that mash up everyting Mexico could bring. In between all this gutsy defense, wheneever we get the ball, we jus kick it up to Latas, and he would jus terrorise the mexican defenders one on one or even two of them. Like he was putting down a clinic. When he needed to, he was pulling men and making deft chips into place for free men. Breathtaking! I will tell my children I got the pleasure of seeing one of the greatest and skilfull footballers THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN...PERIOD! It was like a man and boys...Mexico didnt even want to tackle him cause he would embarass them.
35 mins- He put dong a spanner on a man from a short corner after some dancing on the ball....oh gosh, why he had to do that?
?? Crowd erupt, and at the end of it, he whip in a cross that was real dangerous actually. I think Air Dog was lurking and managed to get a but that went wide.
It was now the Latapy show. He singlehandedly kill the game by running the ball into the corner and sharing beat like food.
39 mins -We get a late chance from some nice work on the right wing from Dog out of all people (heh heh) who make a run again and cross in to Stern. Boy, stern try a back heel flick. I done start to bawl goal, but a defender went spralwing and skating and just manage to deflect the ball on the upright. Daaaaamn, that woulda be a sweet hattrick!
I only watching the clock and nervous now, but we playing real good. Skill like rain on the 2 flanks, deadly man in the middle and heart and fight in the midfield and defense. fellas we play almost the perfect game in the second half.
Then ah start thinking the unbelievable...Trinidad actually could win the game! CR had pulled back one early in the second, but no more updats came, so I know it was still 3-1 there. I start to think of how we would transpire to lose this game after playing so good. Then I think the crowd. The camera pan in on the army watching the jubilant crowd who was jumping ever since stern score the second in about the 65th min...and i wonder if they going to storm, and next thing FIFA disqualify we...Stress again.
42 min- Carlos tear up the left back for the 764636873 time and leggo a bullet that hit a defender flush in he head and put him dong for the count. It was cruel but I laugh. To me it sum up the game. Trinidad were Mexico's daddy tonite by way they played. When I see stretcher had to come on and thing, I know we wasnt going to lose it. I spend the last 10 mins on meh knees after pacing whole game yes. TT players was on pure adrenalain. Mex hit a long ball in we defense, ref blow for offside, but wild man Gray, now all alone, still went flying through the air to head it out for a throw, talk bout laugh i laugh.
For the last 5 mins, Latas effectively killed the game on the 2 flanks, with his close control, he just held it there, Mex was fraid to get embarass, and they was just poking for more corners and throws. Brillliant by the magician.
Tweeeeeeeeeeettttttttttt! FINAL WHISTLE!
Players start to run in circles and jump on each other and the crowd erupt! I need not say no more, will leave that for the fellas who went the game...................
Overall analysis
1) Jack - Solid as usual, didnt have much to do, most of his action was getting injured twice. Nothing he could do about the goal. Brilliant mexican goal.
2) Air Dog - Champion! Was like a beast tonite, eat up everything and I see him run back and make some bone crunching tackles only the Air Dog can do. A phenom!
3) Lawrence - Tall man was not as spektakula as Air Dog, but he fight like I never see him fight. He and Andrews have the centre lock up!
4) Avery - Share blade as usual, all heart. Warrior to the bone. Excellent game
5) Wild man Gray - Same as dog, he fight like a lion, see him make some run back and flying tackles, what a beast. He real lock it dong.
6) Birchall - Fight for 95 mins and did all the little thing u need someone to do. A must!
7) Seaton - This was his coming out game. people, Seaton has arrived! A gem of a game, play like Nakhid...the man run at the mixicans and was unleasing bullet all over the place. I so happy for him. The occasion definitely made him grow up today.
Yorke - Typical Yorke, fight every ball, and was the class in the middle. His control, vision, and importantly in the second half, calming influence, were invaluable. True true leader!
9) Carlos - he get the prize for embarassing the opposition. He too wicked. With him on the right, we set. Mexico had no answer for his skill and crossing and even defense.
10) Stern John - What can I say about stern that hasnt been said tonight? All I can say is that he is the real big man. To miss penalty and come back like he did. We cannot begin to understand how great this man is. People, Stern is back. 5 goals in 4 games. I said it over and over, for us to go Germany, we need Stern John to find back his old form or some next striker to get the form of their life. The scary thing is that he is back, and he knows it. He could have scored 4 tonite, very very easily. The way he playing too, u could see he has his confidence back. He real fight the game and show real skill and class too. I will safely say I was never a forumite who bad mout stern. I was never a forumite who once say he should be benched, I was never one to curse or make disparaging remarks about him (well maybe once i did suggest that he may do with coming on as a second half sub)...but i hold my head up high, and not many of allyuh could say the same, I know if is anybody to deliver for T&T it would be stern. This man is pure greatness. Any team in CONCACAF would die for him now. Before this Hex, his record spoke for itself. how men could curse and say them kinda thing about the man i never could understand. I rememebr when we was playing Guatemala in POS and he was always offside and throwing away and everybody bawling for him to come off, I was in the chatroom and say hold allyuh horses, watch and see Stern come good in this game. I know the numbers game always evens out, and stern is class, he proved it so long before, only a matter of time before he found it again. No disrespect, but men like Glen and Sealy and Scotland could only watch in awe at this man. They might be more mobile and create excitement in the box, but none of them could finish like him. Few can.
Stern I hope u keep it up for Bahrain. We need u, your job almost done bredrin.
Latas...Latas...latas...I'll be man anough to say I shrivel when they say he coming back out of retirement. I was his biggest fan in the 90's, he was the only foreign pro who used to come back and play all them jokey game. T&T did love him, he used to get announce last and get the most noise. Men get vex with him and Yorke when they quit in 2001, and i say a million times allyuh dont know the full story, allyuh dont know how dealing with the TTFF is....I see after the Ja game, men walking with placards saying to banish him to the whorehouse. I didnt feel that way toward him, but i was sad when he came back only due to the fact that we had to rely on an old man again, who could not do it for us in his prime. So what could he do now, but more importantly, how sustainable is that? Why the f**k we youths aint stepping up? It was the principle.
But Latas is a magic man. Cyah replace him and apparantly he still had it. We will have to wait a next generation before we get someone like him, IF WE LUCKY.
Tonight, he was my MVP.
Stern score the goals yes, but LATAS run the show from start to finish,
Mexico were scared of him, he controlled the tempo brilliantly and always made things happen.
What a game.
I am so glad I have this on tape. It was like Latas, ahem I mean T&T vs Norway back in 96.
For those who didnt see the game, you all miss a masterpiece by latapy.
We should show this too all the young players coming up.
Boy I still cyah believe Latas at 37 still have 23 year old defenders biting the dirt with shake.
Geezan! Zidane would do well to take notes from Latas tonite.
Well meh hand tired now, so I leave the rest to rest of men who went the game, I cant wait.
Lets celebrate a little and not study Bahrain yet.
I still cyah believe we win nah!
PS - listened to the post conference and all i manage to get was stern talking about the penalty and how he come back afterwards....boasting about how he had a bet going with latas and yorke who had the best left foot...LOL...Real strength of character there. Also, Yorke mentioned that they got the Guatemala 3-0 news on the pitch, and even after Mex score, it was real tough out there. Allyuh could imagine that pressure getting that news, missing penalty and conceeding?
Them fellas real fight yes!
Amazing! The greatest night of Trinidad and Tobago football me so far!
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