Men's U-20 Football Team Thread.

[asylumseeker]

2-2

[Trini _2026]

Them vincy having dey way with we #4

[Trini _2026]

Ah boy

[gawd on pitch]

Now that was a damn good ending.  3-2. Chaves took it like a pro. We shouldn't have been down two.

Good come back. Let's see what Canada does to SVG. That'll give us a better idea of what to expect.

[bingie man]

 

[Tallman]

Late drama: U-20 Warriors win 3-2 over St. Vincent and the Grenadines
By Ian Prescott (T&T Express)

Fatima College striker Michael Chaves scored five minutes into second half added-on time, as Trinidad and Tobago fought back from a nervous start to dramatically win their opening CONCACAF U-20 Men Group D qualifying match over St Vincent and the Grenadines last night at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

The junior Soca Warriors were two goals down and trailed 2-1 at the halfway stage, before second half sub Chaves lifted a medium range left-footer past goalkeeper Tristan John for a dramatic and late 3-2 victory.

Concacaf’s Group D qualifiers commenced with a predictably one-sided 8-0 victory for Canada over Dominica, the North Americans leading as early as the eighth minute through a header from Myles Morgan, who, along with Sergei Kozlovskiy, scored a hattrick. Canada were up four goals at halftime, with Dominica also having Fabio Grido sent off in the 43rd minute.

Trinidad and Tobago took the field in the second match of Group D against St Vincent and the Grenadines, with both home support and history behind them. The Vincy Heat had lost all five previous encounters against the Soca Warriors, but last night there were early signs that the trend could end when the Soca Warriors found themselves trailing their Caribbean neighbours by two goals within the first half hour.

It was an absolute shocker when Kirtney Franklyn scored from the penalty spot to put the Vincy Heat ahead in the third minute. T&T goalkeeper Ailan Panton gave away the spot kick with a wild rush out that saw him take down striker Steven Pierre in just the opening minute.

Trinidad and Tobago went about energetically eager, trying to repair the early damage. Too energetic perhaps, and sometimes looking as if trying to play beyond their talent level. In doing so, they concentrated on playing quickly, but were highly inaccurate with their passes and often gave away the ball.

Except for brief glimpses by striker Larry Noel and Crystal Palace winger Rio Cardines, the Under-20 Soca Warriors created few clear scoring chances despite having the Lion’s share of possession. Indecision in the middle and defence also gave a dangerous looking SVG plenty space to break on the transition.

It all got worse when, in just their second attack, Pierre had the Vincy Heat ahead 2-0 in the 28th minute. He beat Panton to a corner kick and headed the ball onto the woodwork and into the goal.

There was huge relief when in the 36th minute, T&T captain and Presentation College defender Cody Cooper got his team back in the match, powerfully striking from the edge of the penalty area, following a corner kick.

SVG had another close penalty shout early in the second half, Cody being indecisive with the ball, and Panton rushing out at Pierre and not getting the ball. But in the 64th T&T were level at 2-2, striker Noel poking the ball past goalkeeper Tristan John, after overpowering his marker and getting to the ball.

T&T could have won it when Cardines fed the ball past the goalkeeper and across to substitute Malacai Webb, who got his feet tangled and failed to score from close up. Cardines then went close with a free-kick in added-on time, before Chaves came good at the end.

Group D action resumes tomorrow with T&T and Canada both looking for a second win before clashing on Tuesday. Canada will face St Vincent and the Grenadines from 4 O’clock, while the Soca Warriors tackle Dominica at 7 p.m.

TEAMS

Trinidad and Tobago (4-2-3-1): 1. Ailan Panton (GK); 5. Lyshaun Morris, 4. Cody Cooper (captain), 3. Russel Francois, 2. Duhrell Young; 8. Abayomi George (12. Jeremiah Cateau 69'), 6. Levi Jones (15. Josiah Ochoa 52'); 7. Rio Cardines, 10. Lindell Sween (13. Michael Chaves 45'), 11. Derrel Garcia (19. Malachi Webb 69'); 9. Larry Noel (14. Tyrell Moore 69')

Unused substitutes: 18. Bryan Gafiuk (GK), 21. Makaya Taylor (GK), 16. Akil Henry, 17. Jaden Williams, 20. J’lon Matthews

Coach: Brian Haynes

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (4-2-1-3): 1. Tristan John (GK); 19. Dimitri Thomas, 2. Tyrique Stephens, 3. Lerence Benjamin, 4. Joenaldo Payne; 5. Sebastian Alexander, 18. Mackellie Ferdinand (8. Juemar Luke 72'); 17. Frankroy Cain (16. Aj Delpeshe 59'); 9. Isiah Charles, 10. Kirtney Franklyn (captain) (6. Logan Cozier 63'), 11. Steven Pierre

Unused substitutes: 20. Devon Morgan (GK), 21. Jermaine Jarvis (GK), 7. J’quan Glasgow, 12. Lazaro Lynch, 13. Kentre Gordan, 14. Amaro Charles, 15. Emroy Edwards

Coach: Wade Jackson

Referee: Ignacio Fuentes (Guatemala)

SCORES

Group A: Cuba 13 Anguilla 0

Group B: Antigua & Barbuda 4 Guyana 0; El Salvador 7 Turks & Caicos 0

Group C: Curacao 1 Saint Martin 0

Group D: Canada 8 Dominica 0; Trinidad & Tobago 3 St Vincent & the Grenadines 2

Group E: Haiti 4 Cayman Islands 1; Puerto Rico 3 St Kitts & Nevis 0

[Tallman]

Expecting better tonight: Haynes seeks more complete performances from U20s
By Ian Prescott (T&T Express)

HEAD COACH Brian Haynes is unconvinced that Trinidad and Tobago gave their best performance, but is nevertheless thrilled with the fight shown by the National Under-20 Men’s football team in battling back from two goals down for a 3-2 win over St Vincent and The Grenadines in their opening CONCACAF Under-20 Group D qualifier on Friday night at the Hasely Crawford Stadium (HCS).

Victory kept the junior Soca Warriors alive and hoping for a better performance against Dominica tonight (7 p.m.), before meeting Canada on Tuesday night, the match likely to decide the lone team from the group which advances to the 2024 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship, to be played later this year.

Having dominated Dominica 8-0 in Friday’s opening match, Canada face the Vincy Heat in their second game today at the HCS from 4 p.m.

“Personally, I feel like we owe Trinidad and Tobago for what we did tonight,” Haynes declared at Friday’s post-match press conference.

“I think it could have been much better. Look, I’m a coach. I don’t want perfection, but I want them to work as hard as they have to, from start to finish. “And I think they showed it in the end, but it could be more consistent.”

With Canada well ahead on goals scored and topping the group, Haynes is aware that his team cannot slip up tonight against Dominica on the second matchday.

“We need to win and we need to win without giving up any goals. We’re done giving up enough goals now, with the two,” he said. “We’re going to make sure that we put the work in to come in and get a result, so we can make Canada realise that they have a game coming up next on Tuesday.”

What was outstanding for the Under-20 Soca Warriors Friday night, was the fight they showed. Rio Cardines, the England-born Crystal Palace youth was pleased with the grit shown in the face of adversity, after T&T conceded an early penalty.

He explained what area pleased him most.

“Mainly not letting that (early penalty conceded) kill our game. Keep(ing) our heads up,” stated Cardines. “It was the first minute of the game. Silly mistake, 1-0 down. Overall, the team did well to not let that drop us and to keep our spirits high. We went in at half-time, had a little chat and came out a different team. I’m proud of the guys for that really.”

Former MLS and T&T national striker Haynes added: ”We fought and we kept fighting to the end. I’ve been a part of Trinidad and Tobago football for a long time and there’s a lot of times we would have lost or drawn games like that.”

Haynes felt the difficulty of playing against a St Vincent and the Grenadines team which sat back in great numbers and counter-attacked with speed, would be a learning experience for his charges.

“For the last couple of weeks we have been putting the ball down and playing, and then all of a sudden tonight, we decided we’re going to play these long balls,” Haynes explained. “Look, they (SVG) had a strategy, they’re not as fit as they should be, so they decide they are going to sit back behind the ball and make us try to play in between them. All we had to do was keep the ball and play.

“They got their goal, they got their opportunity, and it came from, not unbelievable soccer. It came from a breakthrough, foul, and the pk (penalty kick. And then the other one (second goal) we were asleep on, and they finish their chances.”

Making substitutions, Haynes was able to bring in players who changed the rhythm, and sometimes slowed the game down when necessary.

“What disappointed me is the fact that we we played into their hands. We kept playing the balls long, when we could just put it down and play,”Haynes analysed.

”I never, ever blame the players. I tried to have time to talk to them about it, and when it didn’t happen, I had to make the changes. Put the players who understood what I wanted to do. That turned the game around.”

[vb]

links?

[chelsealife]

4-0 half time. Chaves, Noel x2 and Cardines, good for 6 more in the second half

[Flex]

Noel's double leads T&T U-20s past Dominica 5-0.
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian).

Two goals from striker Larry Noel in the 19th and 36th and a masterful performance from England-based Rio Cardines and Michael Chaves assured T&T's Under-20 team a comfortable 5-0 victory over Dominica Sunday night in Group D of the Concacaf U-20 World Cup Qualifiers at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, Port-of-Spain.

Chaves, the scorer of the winning goal in their opening match against St Vincent and the Grenadines found himself at the end of an early T&T build-up inside the Dominica goal area, and though pressured by defenders, the Fatima College midfielder made room for himself before hitting past goalkeeper Ronny Lockart for the opener in the third minute.

The young "Soca Warriors", needing to win the encounter for a chance to face Canada in their final match on Tuesday, for a chance to progress as the group winner produced a much-improved performance from their opening game, as coach Brian Haynes made four changes to his team, replacing Lindell Sween, Derrel Garcia, Levi Jones and Russell Francois with Chaves, J'lon Matthews, Josiah Ochoa and Akil Henry.

T&T might have had another goal in the sixth minute when Rio Cardines picked out Noel with a right-side centre, however, the latter could not direct his attempt on goal.

Noel, Chaves and Cardines led a deadly attack for the young Warriors from the start and when they combined again in the 19th minute, T&T got their second item of the match. Cardines, on the right side, tested Lockhart with a powerful low shot that the custodian could only push into the path of Noel to hit into the roof of the net for a 2-0 lead.

Then, Chaves galloped through from a Noel pass for a chance at his second item on the night, but he failed to beat the advancing Lockhart in the 27th minute.

By then, the T&T team had gained control of the match and raced to a 3-0 advantage in the 35th minute when Noel broke the Dominica off-side trap from a long Cardines ball, and he received favour when an advancing Lockhart mistimed the bounce of the ball and it flew over his head, only for Noel to hit the ball into an empty net in the 35th minute.

A minute later, however, Cardines got their fourth of the half when his powerful grounder was kept out by a diving Lockhart. But when it rebounded to him, Cardines made sure by hitting it into the far corner for a 4-0 lead at the halfway stage.

Dominica, beaten 8-0 by the Canadians in their first game, looked a much-improved outfit when the game resumed. In fact, a neat build-up between Tyreese Carbon and Adriel Lawrence almost led to the breakthrough they were hoping for. Lawrence though, after receiving a left-side centre in the 53rd minute, saw his low left-footed shot whisked past Ailan Panton's goal.

Instead, T&T got a golden opportunity to go five goals up as Cardines sent Noel on a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but Noel was sent flying by the custodian, forcing Honduran referee Jefferson Escobar to point to the penalty spot in the 58th minute.

Noel though saw his kick saved by an outstretched Lockhart.

The Dominicans later came close to their first goal again from a freekick, but Panton pushed wide a curling effort by Ajani Richards in the 76th.

The remainder of the match was entirely dominated by the junior Warriors who got their fifth goal from Garcia in the 81st minute for a comfortable 5-0 victory.

In the earlier match at the same venue, Canada got a hat-trick from Tavio Cuccarelli in the 25th, 54th and 89th minutes and another from Alessandro Biello in the 51st to beat St Vincent and the Grenadines 4-0.

RELATED NEWS

T&T/Canada showdown.
By Ian Prescott (T&T Express).

Trinidad and Tobago set up a winner-take-all showdown with Canada when comfortably winning 5-0 over Dominica for their second victory of the CONCACAF U-20 Men Group D qualifying series, last night, at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.

But if coach Brian Haynes was looking for an all-round improvement, he would again have been disappointed. The Soca Warriors had a better start that in their previous nail-biting 3-2 win over St Vincent and the Grenadines, where they were down two goals early.

But halftime last night, Trinidad and Tobago had four goals, striker Larry Noel scoring two of them with Michael Chaves and Rio Cardines also netting. Captain Cody Cooper had a downward header cleared off the line. Even within this period of dominance, Trinidad and Tobago only looked comfortable going forward, and prone to error in both midfield and defence. Therefore, Dominica were always in the match and also got their fair share of chances, but had neither the composure nor talent to take any of them.

Earlier yesterday evening, Tavio Ciccarelli (23’, 54’, 89’) scored a hattrick as Group leaders Canada won 4-0 over a stubborn St Vincent and the Grenadines, also for their second win of the tournament after hammering Dominica 8-0 in their opener. Alessandro Biello (51’) also scored.

T&T and Canada are now tied on six points, but the North Americans have a superior goal-difference and would advance if they draw with T&T on Tuesday. The home team need to win.

With just one team advancing out of the group to the Concacaf U20 Championship later this year, and goal-difference a potential issue going into Tuesday’s decisive final match against Canada, T&T head-coach Haynes might have expected T&T to carry on forcefully in the second half. Instead, they were largely flat, allowing Dominica their best period.

Noel even missed a chance to complete his hat-trick by missing a penalty, after he was taken down by goalkeeper Ronny Lockhart, who was red carded. Noel failed to beat substitute goalkeeper Anton Wyke, and even a man up, the junior Soca Warriors failed to take the initiative. Substitute Derrel Garcia scored the only goal of the second half with an explosive shot to make it 5-0 in the 83rd minute.

Earlier, T&T looked on course for a routine win when Michael Chavez netted a right-footer from within the penalty area, giving the home team an explosive start in just the third minute.

Noel put in the rebound, after goalkeeper Lockhart parried Cardines’ initial shot, for 2-0 in the 19th minute. Noel was then given a gift, scoring in an open goal in the 35th minute, after the Dominica goalie raced outside his penalty area and misjudged a bouncing ball. Two minutes later, Cardines converted a fourth, putting in a rebound.

(Teams)

Trinidad and Tobago (4-2-3-1): 1.Ailan Panton (GK); 5.Lyshaun Morris (17.Jaden Williams 59), 4.Cody Cooper (captain) (3.Russel Francois 64), 16.Akil Henry, 2.Duhrell Young; 8.Abayomi George (12.Jeremiah Cateau 57), 15.Josiah Ochoa; 7.Rio Cardines (11.Derrel Garcia 65), 13.Michael Chaves, 20.J’lon Matthews (19.Malachi Webb 46); 9.Larry Noel.

Unused substitutes: 18.Bryan Gafiuk (GK), 21.Makaya Taylor (GK), 6.Levi Jones, 10.Lindell Sween, 14.Tyrell Moore.

Coach: Brian Haynes

Dominica (4-3-3): 12.Ronny Lockhart (GK) [Red card 59]; 3.Malachi Labad, 5.Jaylan Jno Ville (2.Luke Itodo 75), 13.Lyan Edwards, 4.Laquante Alphonse; 7.Roosevelt Coipel (18.Pherel Esprit 66), 19.Yhan Timothy, 8.Dhamario Challenger; 10.Keeyan Thomas (captain) (16.Ajani Richards 75), 9.Tyreese Carbon (1.Anton Wyke [GK] 60), 14.Adriel Lawrence.

Unused substitutes: 21.Dwight Eloi (GK), 6.Jonathan Winston, 15.Dequan Abraham, 17.Jamo Talbert, 20.Shermal Clifton-John.

Suspended: 11.Fabio Drigo.

Coach: Malcolm Bertrand

Referee: Jefferson Escobar (Honduras)

Results

Group A: Nicaragua 8 British Virgin Islands 0; Cuba 2 British Virgin Islands 1

Group B: Guyana 2 El Salvador 2; Suriname 3 Antigua and Barbuda 2

Group C: Guatemala 3 Barbados 1; Aruba 1 Curacao 1

Group D: Canada 4 St Vincent & the Grenadines 0; Trinidad & Tobago 4 Dominica 0

Group E: Cayman Islands 1 Puerto Rico 1; Haiti 4 St Kitts & Nevis 0

Group F: Bermuda 2 Grenada 1; Jamaica 1 Martinique 0

[Tallman]

Haynes: Young Warriors have everything to play for against Canada
By Roneil Walcott (T&T Newsday)

Trinidad and Tobago's under-20 men's football team will face a must-win encounter against Canada in their third and final group game in the Concacaf under-20 men's championship qualifiers at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo from 7 pm on Tuesday.

After two match days in group D, both Canada and the hosts T&T have amassed six points from two matches, with the Canadians topping the group with a +12 goal differential. T&T are in second spot with a +6 goal differential. Both Dominica and St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) are now out of contention after consecutive losses.

With only the group winners advancing to the Concacaf under-20 championship in July, coach Brian Haynes' young Soca Warriors have to get three points on Tuesday to overtake Canada, who only need a draw to progress.

Speaking at the post-match briefing following T&T's comprehensive 5-0 win over Dominica on Sunday night, Haynes said beating Canada will be no easy task. However, he believes his charges have what it takes to seal their spot in the next phase of the competition.

"I am very happy they completed the task (against Dominica), " Haynes said. "We got two wins in our two games and we will be playing against Canada who also have two wins.

"Everything is to play for. We are at home so we intend to give it a good go and hopefully come up with the victory to go forward."

Despite putting five goals past their opposition, Haynes said the most pleasing aspect of Sunday's performance against Dominica was preserving a clean sheet. He also said it was important for him to ensure the players' minutes were well-managed after playing two games in three days.

After coming off a last-gasp 3-2 win over SVG in their opening game, T&T left nothing to chance against Dominica and they scored four goals in a rampant first-half performance en route to the 5-0 win.

Attacker Michael Chaves, who clinched T&T's stoppage-time win in their opener, scored after just three minutes on Sunday, while striker Larry Noel showed off his predatory instincts with two poacher's items to make it 3-0 after 35 minutes. Crystal Palace youth player Rio Cardines scored mere moments after Noel's second goal to make it 4-0, while substitute Derrel Garcia wrapped up the scoring for T&T in the second half with a rasping drive from outside the area in the 82nd minute.

"I have to apologise to the fans because we were not trying to celebrate any goals. We were trying to get as many goals as we could," Haynes said.

Noel missed an opportunity to grab a hat-trick when his 61st-minute penalty was saved by substitute goalie Anton Wyke following the sending-off of starting goalkeeper Ronny Lockhart.

The former San Juan North Secondary standout said he wants to make amends for his slip-up in the final match.

"I feel great for the victory, but I let my team down by missing the penalty and other chances," Noel said. "I will make up for that in the next game for sure.

"I think my performances were pretty good but they could be better. I am going to work on my finishing and help my team go and win the Canada game."

Canada have been ruthless in the group phase thus far, and they backed up an 8-0 thumping of Dominica on the opening day with a 4-0 whipping of SVG in their second game.

Haynes said he and his staff plan to watch extensive footage of the Canadian team to come up with the ideal strategy for the pivotal game.

"We have to find out where their strengths and weaknesses are. We will come up with a game plan which will not only test them but also make us very comfortable to win a game here at home against a formidable opponent.

"We will have to outwork them. Then, we will try our best to outplay them. And then lastly and most importantly, we will try to outscore them. There is no other way to beat an opponent who is as formidable as they are. If we do those three things, I think we will come out ahead."

From 7 pm in Mucurapo on Tuesday, Haynes' under-20s will try to silence the free-scoring Canada team and book their ticket to the Concacaf under-20 championship.

[Deeks]

What allyuh think about their chances

[Cocorite]

Haynes seems to me to be naive. He didn't see Canada play before but thought that somehow was an advantage.

All this talk about most talented in 10 years actually highlights how weak T&T teams have been in a while.

Haynes comes across as not driven enough to get the best out of his players. Seems too concerned with being "Nice."

Of course I hope we win against Canada and continue to grow, but what reason do I have for optimism?

All the best

[asylumseeker]

What allyuh think about their chances

Commensurate with the preparation.

[Trini _2026]

Deeks slim to none

[Trini _2026]

Cocorite  haynes has been away from our football for how long now ?he is now realizing the task at hand

[Trini _2026]

Sween makes bad decisions man

[chelsealife]

Sween is overhyped, Cody Cooper on this team because of he father he's a horrible defender, Panton not good idk why he's the first choice keeper. The players keep giving away the ball steups

[Trini _2026]

Do we have better than Panton? I think haynes picked this team based on advice.

[chelsealife]

Makaya Taylor is better than Panton.

[Trini _2026]

We in real trouble here .

[Trini _2026]

Let's hope taylor leaves the island and head to Germany soon

[chelsealife]

Yh that's when they'll give him a chance. Better hope he stays loyal to us because the kid is good

[ZANDOLIE]

“Haynes seems to me to be naive. He didn't see Canada play before but thought that somehow was an advantage.

All this talk about most talented in 10 years actually highlights how weak T&T teams have been in a while.

Haynes comes across as not driven enough to get the best out of his players. Seems too concerned with being "Nice."

Of course I hope we win against Canada and continue to grow, but what reason do I have for optimism?”


+1

[ZANDOLIE]

3-0 loss. More of the same old same old.

[Flex]

Masterful Canada beats T&T U-20s 3-0 to advance.
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian).

An outstanding performance by the Canadian Under-20 team earned them a 3-0 victory over the T&T counterparts in the Concacaf U-20 World Cup Qualifiers at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo, Port-of-Spain, on Tuesday night.

With the win, Canada advanced as the Group D winner into the other phase of the qualifiers.

A 10th-minute goal from midfielder Myles Morgan handed Canada the advantage, much to the dislike of the fans who flocked to the facility. The T&T team needed to win to progress.

Despite changes coach Brian Haynes made to his starting team, bringing in midfielders Lindell Sween, Derrel Garcia and Levi Jones, their attack seemed muted due to the Canadians' decision to play a close-marking game. The visitors, in fact, took early possession of the game with Morgan, Oumar Diallo, captain Jesse Costa and Santiago Lopez leading an attack that pegged the home team back.

The Canadians might have had another in the 19th as poor T&T marking allowed Diallo to take the ball from centre to the edge of the box before he was brought down by Duhrell Young for a free kick. However, Lopez's fierce low shot crashed against the T&T upright before bouncing out to safety.

The usually attacking Rio Cardines and Michael Chaves were forced to make way for a dominant Canada midfield but still, Sween with a rare chance at goal in the 31st minute hit an overhead shot from a bouncing ball in the box, but it failed to trouble Gregoire Swiderski in the Canadian goal.

Instead, the Canadians could have scored in the 36th. Morgan down the right flank from a previous build-up, quickly centred for Diallo's first-time shot to be saved by goalkeeper Ailan Panton. And when Costa quickly pounced in the rebound, Panton was again in spot to keep it out.

Canada led 1-0 at the half and when the teams returned, T&T's Garcia gave the fans some hope when he raced on to a Sween through ball, however, his shot was deflected wide in 47th.

The Canadians got their second item in the 55th. Another build-up on the right side put Lopez inside the T&T box, and despite being at an acute angle, Lopez's rasping shot beat Panton into the top left corner.

Haynes then sought to strengthen his attack by bringing in Josiah Ochoa in the midfield, but it did not prevent the masterful Canadians from moving three goals ahead.

From another defensive blunder, Canada's Kevaughn Taverrier got a simple opportunity of tapping the ball into an empty net for a 3-0 margin.

The Canadians might have scored more goals in the moment that followed but lady luck was not on their side.

In the earlier game on Tuesday, which bore no significance, St Vincent and the Grenadine (SVG) edged Dominica 3-2.

Frankroy Cain, Kirtney Franklyn and Steven Pierre were the scorers for the SVG team, while the Dominicans got their goals from Ajani Richards and Keeyan Thomas.

(Teams)

Trinidad and Tobago (4-2-3-1): 1.Ailan Panton (GK); 7.Rio Cardines, 3.Russel Francois, 4.Cody Cooper (captain), 2.Duhrell Young (5.Lyshaun Morris 59); 8.Abayomi George, 6.Levi Jones (15.Josiah Ochoa 55); 13.Michael Chaves (19.Malachi Webb 78), 10.Lindell Sween (14.Tyrell Moore 78), 11.Derrel Garcia; 9.Larry Noel.

Unused substitutes: 18.Bryan Gafiuk (GK), 21.Makaya Taylor (GK), 12.Jeremiah Cateau, 16.Akil Henry, 17.Jaden Williams, 20.J’lon Matthews.

Coach: Brian Haynes

Canada (3-1-3-1): 1.Gregoire Swiderski (GK); 15.Adam Pearlman, 6.Lazar Stefanovic, 3.Christian Greco-Taylor (14.Ethan Schilte-Brown 83); 4.Alessandro Biello; 10.Jesse Costa (captain), 8.Jeevan Badwal, 20.Santiago Lopez (17.Kevaughn Tavernier 68); 2.Theo Rigopoulos (12.James Cameron 83), 21.Myles Morgan (19.Tavio Ciccarelli 61), 9.Oumar Diallo (11.Kimani Stewart-Baynes 46).

Unused substitutes: 16.Ivan Pavela (GK), 18.Nathaniel Abraham (GK), 5.Sergei Kozlovskiy, 7.Tiago Codinha, 13.Mattei Schiavoni.

Coach: Andrew Olivieri

Referee: Shavin Greene (Guyana).

RELATED NEWS

Canadians down Trinidad 3-0 to qualify for CONCACAF U-20 Championship.
By The Canadian Press.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad And Tobago - Canada booked its ticket to the CONCACAF U-20 Championship with a 3-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday, completing a perfect 3-0-0 run in Group D qualifying play.

The young Canadians outscored their opposition 15-0 across their three games at Hasely Crawford Stadium.

Myles Morgan, Santiago Lopez and Kevaughn Tavernier scored for Canada, which was up 1-0 at the break and had chances to add to that lead throughout a chippy game that saw some full-blooded challenges from the host side.

"Job done, that's the first thought in my mind," said Canada coach Andrew Olivieri.

"Maybe we made it look a little bit easy (at the tournament) at moments but it wasn't easy," he added. "The boys really put in an effort. I'm really excited about some of the young boys coming through."

Morgan opened the scoring in the 10th minute, capping a long passing sequence that ended with Jeevan Badwal finding the former Toronto FC academy player behind the defence in front of the goal. The ball was so good Morgan knocked it in without breaking stride.

Morgan, currently on trial with a team that Olivieri declined to identify, scored a hat trick in Canada's opening 8-0 win over Dominica on Friday.

Lopez made it 2-0 in the 54th minute, roofing a powerful shot past Trinidad goalkeeper Ailan Panton, whose mother Wendy Fitzwilliam was Miss Universe in 1998.

Tavernier, a Forge FC forward who turned 18 on Saturday, added to the lead in the 79th minute, knocking home a Kimani Stewart-Baynes cross with Panton out of position.

CONCACAF U-20 qualifying runs through Saturday across five venues in Central America and the Caribbean. Twenty-seven teams have been split into three groups of five and three groups of four with only the six group winners advancing to the main CONCACAF championship July 19 to Aug. 4 in Irapuato and Celaya, Mexico.

Olivieri said the plan is to get the team together in advance of the CONCACAF competition. But that comes with a cost for cash-strapped Canada Soccer.

"It comes at the cost of preparing other age-groups but this is the one we've targeted," he said.

The U.S., Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic have received byes into the CONCACAF main tournament.

The four semifinalists qualify for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile. Canada has not taken part in the FIFA U-20 soccer showcase since it hosted the event in 2007.

Canada went into Tuesday's game with a healthy edge in goal difference, meaning it would qualify with a win or a tie.

Guyana referee Shavin Greene showed four yellow cards to Trinidad players for some ugly challenges.

Lopez had a couple of good scoring chances for Canada in the first half, hitting the goalpost with a free kick and then chipping just wide after a Trinidad turnover. Lopez is with Pumas UNAM in Mexico.

Morgan exited in the 61st minute replaced by Tavio Ciccarelli, who had a hat trick of his own in Canada's 4-0 win over St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Sunday. Ciccarelli is with Sheffield United's under-18 team in England.

Lopez came off in the 68th minute after receiving treatment on the field.

The Canadians outshot their opposition 63-4 (26-3 in shots on target) in their three outings. The host Soca Warriors edged St. Vincent 3-2 and blanked Dominica 5-0.

Canada won the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in 1986 and 1996 and reached the round of 16 in 2022.

[Peong]

This was good competition experience for the youngsters. Keep striving

[Tallman]

Dreams Dashed: Young Soca Warriors go under 3-0 to Canada
By Ian Prescott (T&T Express)

CANADA proved a hurdle too high for Trinidad and Tobago’s Young Soca Warriors, the North Americans coming away with a 3-0 victory in their CONCACAF Men’s U-20 Championship, Group D qualifier, last night at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.

Winning Group D and handing the home team its first loss, Canada (9 points) advance to the CONCACAF U-20 Championship scheduled for July in Mexico. T&T (6 points) ended the series second with St Vincent and the Grenadines (3 points) securing third, following a 3-2 win yesterday over win-less Dominica.

Truth be told, Canada was the superior team, and restricted T&T to having just a single shot at their goalkeeper Gregoire Swiderski, coming through Crystal Palace midfielder Rio Cardines, who spent the night mostly defending, before finally getting a shot at goal, with Canada already up three goals.

With both teams having defeated SVG and Dominica in their respective opening two matches, the Canadians went into last night’s showdown with a better goal-difference. And so would have won the group with just a draw.

Needing a win, it got doubly difficult for the Young Soca Warriors when Myles Morgan gave Canada a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute.

The dangerous first-half moments all belonged to the Canadians. Morgan put in a low shot from close up for the opening item, and only a coat of paint and the upright prevented them from getting a second goal, when Santiago Lopez’s free-kick skipped pass the dive of goalkeeper Ailan Panton and bounced off the far post in the 21st minute. Forward Jesse Costa had another gilt-edged scoring opportunity for Canada in the 36th minute, but hit his shot straight at goalkeeper Panton, who had initially parried a low cross straight to the Canadian captain.

And just three minutes later, Lopez had an even easier chance. He intercepted a bad backward pass and with only the T&T ‘keeper to beat, Lopez chipped the ball, but missed the entire goal.

Trinidad and Tobago were starved of the ball as attackers Lindell Sween and Larry Noel both picked up yellow cards after a rush of blood and late tackles, in trying to retrieve the ball. Sween’s attempted bicycle-kick on the half-hour mark was T&T’s only first half attempt at goal, but his shot went harmlessly wide.

At a goal down, there was still hope for the home team. But, once Lopez gave Canada a second goal in the 54th minute, it was effectively over. Taking the ball in their own half, Canada strolled through a stationary T&T team, before Lopez roofed a powerful shot for the second goal.

T&T never gave in and while they had a couple of brief looks at the Canadian’s goal, those looks resulted in no shots at Canadian goalkeeper Gregoire Swiderski.

Canada solidified their advantage when substitute Kevaughn Tavernier got a third in the 79th minute, walking the ball into the net, following slack defending and a naive rush out of goal by goalie Panton. And but for Russel Francois’ goal-mouth clearance, Canada would have had a fourth in the dying minutes.

TEAMS

Trinidad and Tobago (4-2-3-1): 1.Ailan Panton (GK); 7.Rio Cardines, 3.Russel Francois, 4.Cody Cooper (captain), 2.Duhrell Young (5.Lyshaun Morris 59); 8.Abayomi George, 6.Levi Jones (15.Josiah Ochoa 55); 13.Michael Chaves (19.Malachi Webb 78), 10.Lindell Sween (14.Tyrell Moore 78), 11.Derrel Garcia; 9.Larry Noel.

Unused substitutes: 18.Bryan Gafiuk (GK), 21.Makaya Taylor (GK), 12.Jeremiah Cateau, 16.Akil Henry, 17.Jaden Williams, 20.J’lon Matthews.

Coach: Brian Haynes

Canada (3-1-3-3): 1.Gregoire Swiderski (GK); 15.Adam Pearlman, 6.Lazar Stefanovic, 3.Christian Greco-Taylor (14.Ethan Schilte-Brown 83); 4.Alessandro Biello; 10.Jesse Costa (captain), 8.Jeevan Badwal, 20.Santiago Lopez (17.Kevaughn Tavernier 68); 2.Theo Rigopoulos (12.James Cameron 83), 21.Myles Morgan (19.Tavio Ciccarelli 61), 9.Oumar Diallo (11.Kimani Stewart-Baynes 46).

Unused substitutes: 16.Ivan Pavela (GK), 18.Nathaniel Abraham (GK), 5.Sergei Kozlovskiy, 7.Tiago Codinha, 13.Mattei Schiavoni.

Coach: Andrew Olivieri

Referee: Shavin Greene (Guyana)

[Flex]

Trinidad and Tobago U-20 coach Haynes: Canada made us uncomfortable.
By Roneil Walcott (T&T Newsday).

Trinidad and Tobago's qualification run towards this year's Concacaf under-20 men's championship and the subsequent 2025 Fifa under-20 World Cup came to a halt on Tuesday night, when they were defeated by a 3-0 margin by Canada at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.

Needing a win to surge past Canada in group D and advance to the Concacaf under-20 championship in Mexico, coach Brian Haynes's young Soca Warriors squad were outplayed by their opponents before a healthy crowd of over 7,000 – a record attendance for an under-20 football qualifier on home soil, according to the TT Football Association (TTFA).

Haynes was delighted by the support his team received, but disappointed the campaign came to an end after three games within a five-day span. Haynes said Canada's style of play took T&T out of their comfort zone and he felt his charges were not sufficiently prepared for the pivotal top-of-the-table clash.

"We as a group needed to work a little bit differently and a little bit harder, but it didn't work out," Haynes said at Tuesday's post-match briefing. "I don't blame the players in any way. I needed to prepare the team better and I didn't have enough time to do that (after the second match)."

After T&T's resounding 5-0 win over Dominica in their second group match on Sunday night, Haynes said he and his staff needed to devise a plan to outwork, outplay and outscore a "formidable" Canadian team.

Tuesday's game saw a return to the starting XI for Russel Francois, Derrel Garcia, Levi Jones and influential playmaker Lindell Sween, who hobbled out of T&T's 3-2 win over St Vincent and the Grenadines on Friday night, just before the halftime whistle, with a calf issue. Haynes said Sween was not 100 per cent fit, but he felt the San Juan North Secondary student's inclusion would give T&T the best chance to "go and try and make a run for it."

There was also tinkering with T&T's set-up, with Crystal Palace youth player Rio Cardines shifted from his attacking midfield position to a more reserved right-back spot.

Haynes said Cardines' shift in role was designed to help T&T strengthen the defensive side of their game, and he said the young Soca Warriors "were prepared to defend first and then go and take our chances."

After just ten minutes, the visitors put a dent in T&T's plot when Myles Morgan swept home a right-side cross with ease to silence the red-clad crowd in the stands.

Canada didn't add any further goals in the first half. With T&T sitting deep in their own half, though, Canada dictated the tempo and looked at ease with Christian Greco-Taylor seamlessly pulling strings with dangerous passes and crosses from his left back position.

"We had to change our system of play. We normally play a 4-2-3-1. But because they play with five players high, we had to change to a 4-1-4-1, a formation we have not played on a regular basis," Haynes said. "When you don't play something on a regular basis, it's hard to adjust right away."

Similar to the first half, Canada breached T&T's defence early in the second half when Santiago Lopez slammed in a shot past Ailan Panton at the end of a flowing move in the 54th minute.

Haynes tried to switch up the game with a few substitutions, but T&T rarely had meaningful forays into the opposition half or penalty area.

The Canadian team, which came together just days before the tournament, were in cruise control on foreign soil and put the game well beyond T&T's reach in the 79th minute, when Kevaughn Tavernier rolled into an empty net to make it 3-0 after a mix-up at the back between Francois and Panton.

"When you are uncomfortable, you try to do things that you can't really do. We gave away the ball a lot in open play and we missed our mark at times," Haynes said. "It was difficult, because it was not a system we were (accustomed to) training and playing, and we had one day to prepare for it. Because (Canada) were playing it on a consistent basis, it made things easier for them."

The TTFA appointed Haynes on November 1, 2023 on an initial six-month basis. He said TTFA technical director Anton Corneal will advise on his possible continuation in the programme, but is willing to build on the foundation established with the current group.

On his overall assessment of the team picked for the qualifiers, Haynes said he was pleased with the 21-man group, despite not having a more hands-on role during the screening phase.

"There were players who were selected through different screening processes. I didn't do that, but I trusted Anton Corneal and his staff to do that before I got here." he said.

"That is not a cop-out. I think there were very good players selected. Going forward, that's the process we will use, and I'm okay with that. I was not upset with anybody who was not picked."

Haynes' staff includes assistant coaches Gilbert Bateau, Marvin Gordon and Shawn Cooper, who was head coach of T&T's under-17 team at last year's Concacaf under-17 championship.

He said TTFA technical director Anton Corneal will advise on his possible continuity in the programme, but he is willing to build on the foundation which has been established with the current group.

On his overall assessment of the team picked for the qualifiers, Haynes said he was pleased with the 21-man group despite not having a more hands-on role during the team's screening phase.

"There were players who were selected through different screening processes. I didn't do that, but I trusted Anton Corneal and his staff to do that before I got here." he said.

"That is not a cop out. I think there were very good players selected. Going forward, that's the process we will use and I'm okay with that. I was not upset with anybody who was not picked."

Haynes' staff includes assistant coaches Gilbert Bateau, Marvin Gordon and Shawn Cooper, who served as head coach of T&T's under-17 team at last year's Concacaf under-17 championship.

[Flex]

TTFA apologises to fans left outside Hasely Crawford Stadium.
By Jelani Beckles (T&T Newsday).

THE TT Football Association (TTFA) apologised to fans after scores of them were left outside the Hasely Crawford Stadium on February 27.

A media release from the TTFA after the match ended said, "Trinidad and Tobago Football Association would like to offer our apologies to all fans who were not able to access the Concacaf Men's Under-20 qualifier between T&T and Canada on Tuesday 27 February 2024 due to safety and control challenges at the entrance gate."

A lack of fire officers led to the issue.

The TTFA has launched an in-depth review and said it would ensure the necessary steps are taken to "facilitate a smooth and friendly fan experience at our upcoming (senior) friendly versus Jamaica and World Cup qualifiers beginning in June at home to Grenada."

The TTFA thanked the fans for showing up.

"There were patrons with tickets who were allowed entry on Tuesday evening and we thank you for your overwhelming support as the crowd...is the largest recorded at a home Under-20 qualifier, surpassing even the matches in 2009 when T&T qualified for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt.

"We would like to thank the fans once again for their tremendous support over the recent matches."

If any ticket holders did not get the opportunity to show their tickets to enter the match on Tuesday night, the TTFA said the physical and/or unscanned digital tickets will be valid for the men's senior football friendly versus Jamaica on Sunday at Larry Gomes Stadium in Malabar from 4 pm.

This reporter arrived at the stadium at half-time to see fans being told nobody else would be permitted into the Mucurapo venue.

People kept relatively calm, but some openly stated their disappointment.

Aggravated fans could only cool down by buying drinks and popcorn from vendors trying to capitalise on a sale.

While fans remained outside, seats in the stadium remained empty. Newsday was reliably informed that the covered stands were almost full, but only a few hundred people were in the uncovered section, where there was space for all those outside to get a seat.

Over 7,000 attended the match at the stadium, which has a capacity of over 20,000.

Canada won the match 3-0 and T&T's dream of qualifying for the 2024 Concacaf Championships ended on Tuesday.

RELATED NEWS

Fans turned away from stadium at T&T U-20 vs Canada match.
By Jelani Beckles (T&T Newsday).

SCORES of football fans were frustrated on Tuesday night as they were turned away by officials at the entrance of the Hasely Crawford Stadium for the Concacaf Under-20 Championship qualifying match between Trinidad and Tobago and Canada.

This reporter arrived at the venue at half-time to see fans being told that nobody else would be permitted in the Mucurapo venue.

Patrons were told that because of a limited number of fire officers, they could not allow more fans to enter.

People kept relatively calm, but some openly stated their disappointment.

Aggravated fans could only cool down by buying drinks and popcorn from vendors trying to capitalise on a sale.

While fans remained outside the seats in the stadium remained empty. Newsday was reliably informed that the covered stands were almost full, but only a few hundred people were in the uncovered section with space for all those outside to get a seat.

Canada won the match 3-0 as T&T's dream of qualifying for the 2024 Concacaf Championships ended on Tuesday.