Jamaica, T&T rivalry will boost Carib teams
Gordon Williams, Contributor (Jamaica Gleaner)June 7, 2008
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The growing on-field rivalry between Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago has enhanced the prospects of Caribbean nations seeking spots at football's next World Cup, according to one Soca Warrior.
T&T World Cup 2006 veteran Avery John, who plays professionally in the United States, believes the intense competition between the two countries - which square off for the 32nd time today in Trinidad following their 2-2 draw at 'The Office' in March - will improve the region's chances of challenging for the top qualifying berths from CONCACAF.
Those elite places are normally viewed as the sole domain of countries like Mexico and the U.S., currently ranked 14th and 21st in the world, respectively, by FIFA, the game's ruling body. But according to John, a defender who has played more than 50 times for T&T, including two in Germany 2006, the improvement of the Caribbean's best teams has sprung the competition for places at World Cup 2010 wide open. Now regional teams should no longer downplay their chances to qualify for the game's biggest showcase.
"In terms of CONCACAF, yeah, it is going to be tough, really and truly," said John, a former US Major League Soccer (MLS) player who last month joined Miami F.C. of United Soccer Leagues (USL).
"You have Mexico and the US are the leaders. Everybody expects them to always go there (the World Cup), but at the end of the day we (T&T and Jamaica) are the ones. We want to beat them and if you take care of business you have a chance to go to the World Cup.
"You don't want to be aiming at third spot," John added, pointing to the three automatic World Cup bids awarded to CONCACAF, plus a possible fourth berth. "If you go at third or fourth spot, you might not make it. You wanna aim at first spotÉ Your main goal is to try to always aim for the top level."
DEVELOPMENT
John said the development of Caribbean players, mostly through opportunities to play in leagues outside the region such as Europe and the U.S., is the main reason Jamaica and T&T should excel in CONCACAF qualifiers, which pits teams from the Caribbean, Central and North America against each other.
"On the world stage, Jamaica have a lot of foreign-based guys," he said, "guys who can come in and have that experience to actually strengthen the team. I think it's just coming together."
Yet while he believes the region's football has improved overall, the Soca Warriors and the Reggae Boyz - ranked 88th and 105th, respectively - still stand ahead of the pack.
"The thing is that Jamaica and Trinidad, for me, are the two best teams right now in the Caribbean," he said of the only two English-speaking nations from the region to make it to the World Cup Finals - Jamaica in 1998, T&T in 2006. "Everybody wants to beat us."
Then there is the intense competition between the two nations, reflected in past results. In 31 matches Jamaica won 13 and T&T 11, with seven draws. But John insists the competition's fierceness exists only on the field.
"It's always been a rivalry between Trinidad and Jamaica," said the 32-year-old, who still hopes to join T&T's qualifying campaign although he has yet to be invited to the national squad run by coach Francisco Maturana. "And you know that is what we need in the region. I like the battle.
"The rivalry has been very good, I think. And, at the end of the day, what happens on the pitch stays on the pitch. After that, you see all the players and everybody hanging out and everything. So the rivalry, it is good and it's something special and should continue."
Gordon Williams is a Jamaican journalist based in the United States.
