T&T Olympic squad go under to Grenada 3-2.
By: Ian Prescott (Express).
U-23s Lose Again
It was starting to look embarrassing at one stage, Grenada leading by two Lyndon Antoine goals (6th & 34th minutes) at the half-way stage, before converting a penalty through Shane Rennie (50th) early in the second half and taking a three-goal lead.
Fortunately for Trinidad and Tobago, substitute striker Carlyle Mitchell added some respectability to another poor performance by netting two goals. By then, Grenada were also down to ten men after one of their players was dismissed in the 72nd minute.
But after yesterday's 3-2 defeat in their Caribbean Zone Group G Under-23 qualifier at the Marvin Lee Stadium in Macoya, Trinidad and Tobago will definitely not be represented on the football field at next year's Olympic Games in Beijing, China. They also lost 3-0 to group winners Cuba in their opening match on Tuesday at the same venue.
After trailing the Grenadians, Mitchell finally put the under-23 Soca Warriors on the scoresheet in the 78th, when hitting home a loose ball after a cross dropped at his feet, and then got his second in the 80th, when beating Grenadian custodian Denroy Richardson with a low shot to the far post.
The comeback was almost complete in the final minute when Aaron Downing's left side cross was met by Mitchell, who headed the ball an inch wide of the far post. Belgium-based Downing also came close, floating the ball across from the left and striking the far upright of the Grenadian goal.
Earlier, the Spice Islanders played nothing but the most basic football, but counter-attacked with efficiency. Defending with as many as six at the back, the Grenadians stopped T&T getting behind them, while at the same time exploiting the three-man T&T defence. Grenada's first two goals both came against the run of play.
Antoine sent them ahead in the sixth minute, putting in Ariel Jacobs' corner-kick with an uncontested header from six yards. Then, after absorbing a lot of T&T pressure, Grenada were ahead at 2-0 when a mistake by defender Larry Bacchus allowed Nickson Baptiste to find his strike partner Antoine, who rolled the ball past Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper Andre Charles.
And before the hosts settled down in the second half, Devon Drayton, who came on for Bacchus, gave away a penalty from which Grenada got their third goal. It led to a most famous victory for the Grenadians, who have rarely ever beaten Trinidad and Tobago in football at any level.
News from the 10th of October 2007
Cuba get early three on T&T.
By: Shaun Fuentes (TTFF).[/size]
Trinidad and Tobago’s National Under 23 footballers put up a brave second half display. But the game is of two halves and yesterday Cuba came up trumps in the opening half and played out the second one to come away with a 3-0 victory in the opening CFU Final round Olympic qualifying fixture at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya.
T&T, getting the best look at goal before the visitors, also lost Aklie Edwards for an uncalled tackle near the corner flag directly in front the assistant referee in the 27th minute and found it hard to challenge the Cubans for the remainder of the game. Mexican Marcona Moreno didn’t hesitate to show the red.
Added to that, US-base striker Kevon Neaves was suffering from a viral infection and could only be tried for the closing moments of the match and by then Cuba were already counting their three points. The T&T fans, about 1500 of them, while obviously disappointed by the first half struggle did acknowledge some moments of fight from the T&T boys.
Roberto Balnaseda opened Cuba’s account in the 15th minute with a sliding effort to connect to a left side cross after the T&T backline failed to close down a play and T&T’s Marcelle Francois’ effort to stop the incoming ball was all in vain.
As the half progressed T&T struggled to build much going forward with Belgium-based striker Matthew Bartholomew seeing little of the ball while Elton John and company found things difficult in the middle against the quicker and more organized Cubans. Leonel Pla Duarte gave Cuba a 2-0 cushion in the 42nd minute with another timely effort past stranded goalie Andre Charles and on the stroke of half time Balnaseda punished T&T for ball watching with a third item.
Before that Christopher Sam had the best chance for T&T when being set up on the left of the six yard box but he couldn’t control his effort, directing it over bar. Captain Keon Daniel also had a close free kick from 25 yard out whizzing past the upright. At the start of the second half Cuba endured that T&T didn’t get the early goal even though the hosts upped its approach somewhat. Kendall Jagdeosingh, more known for his attacking abilities was put on to play a defensive role on the left in an attempt the match the pace of the Cubans.
Midfielder Hayden Tinto was T&T’s hardest worker on the pitch and also managed a couple good tries on goal. On one occasion he hit straight to the Cuban goalie from the six yard area in the 75th minute and then substitute Carlyle Mitchell saw his one time volley saved. Cuba held on without conceding and will now seek to finish off with a point against Grenada on Thursday to seal the top spot in the Group.
News from the 08th of October 2007
T&T try to get right combination for cuba.
By: Shaun Fuentes (TTFF).
National Olympic team head coach Jan Van Deinsen has weighed up this country’s chances of advancing to the CONCACAF final round of qualifying towards the Beijing Olympics and sees a positive result in Tuesday’s match against Cuba as vital for the hosts. The game kicks off at 5pm at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Centre of Excellence. Van Deinsen who saw Cuba in action in the preliminary phase says T&T will need to be organized in its approach to the game but he preferred to also show similar respect to Grenada which T&T faces on Saturday.
T&T trained at the Marvin Lee Stadium with the full 20-man squad for the first time on Saturday and Van Deinsen was pleased to have use of the artificial surface after heavy showed throughout the day would have made unsuitable conditions at the other stadiums.
“We were lucky to have the artificial ground here in Trinidad to train and of course we will play the games there next week. The first impression was good but we have a different group now from the one we had in Suriname so we have to look closely at the player and prepare them for the games,” Van Deinsen told TTFF Media.
“They worked very hard and we will see how things go over the next couple days.We have to look carefully at the impressions we get from all the players and find a solution to try and beat Cuba. For me though, we have to look at both teams the same way. I looked at Cuba and I must honestly say they are a very strong team and it will be a tough game. If we played like we did in Suriname we should be in with a good chance. They are a very organized team so we need to be organized as well,” the Dutchman added.
With Senior team head coach Wim Rijsbergen also present and observing the proceedings, Van Deinsen and coach Michael McComie expressed sheer excitement over having national team business going on with international football on the agenda.
“That question is easy… It’s very nice to get things going,” Van Deinsen said.
McComie added: “It’s always an honour to be connected with the national team whether as a player or at managerial level. It’s always exciting to have things happening We have had some hiccups but that’s international football too. One thing that can never be questioned is the players’ appetite for victory. They know they must work harder than they did in Suriname. One thing we want to do is pick the most in form players at the moment.
Commenting on the look of players like Kevon Neaves and Belgium-based duo Aaron Downing and Matthew Bartholomew. McComie said he think they would compliment the rest of the players who have been committed to the task thus far.
“We had an idea of who we were calling back. Neaves is looking very sharp. He’s been playing a lot for his school. His finishing today was an eye opener. The goalkeeper Andre Charles also trained with Joe Public a day earlier and he’s also looking sharp. The two Belgium boys… Bartholomew is looking just as we thought so that’s a plus and Downing hasn’t been playing as much as Bartholomew so he needs to sharpen up a bit. They fit in well and there’s a good competitive spirit in the team. The main factor is the discipline of the players… once they carry out their respective roles, collectively as a team we should do well.
“The rest of the guys have all been fantastic. As this team progresses as we hope they will, we will always look to get the best players whether local or foreign. We thought that there were positions in the team that needed to be strengthened and we did that and we feel comfortable with it,” McComie added.
Neaves who made a second half appearance for T&T’s Senior team in a 2-0 win over Iceland in February 2006 said he thought the team was in good shape and spirits ahead of the clash with Cuba. And he’s hoping to transfer some of his experience with the “Soca Warriors” over to the current bunch of aspiring Olympians.
“The boys seem to be working very hard. I’m confident we can come out with a result here. Our guys seem pretty fit as well. We tend to play a bit casual and at the next level it’s high intensity but you need to know when to speed up and slow down the game so I hope to get that through to the boys on the field… knowing when to be intense and when we need to relax,” Neaves said.
News from the 05th of October 2007
Final team prepares for Olympic qualifier vs Cuba.
By: Shaun Fuentes (TTFF).
Trinidad and Tobago will be looking to the services of overseas-based trio of Kevon Neaves, Aaron Downing and Matthew Bartholomew to take them past the Caribbean final round of Olympic qualifiers which gets going here on Tuesday.
T&T will host the three-team group which includes Cuba and Grenada with the winner advancing to next year’s CONCACAF Final round leading to the Beijing Olympics. And coach Michael McComie along with Wim Rijsbergen and Jan Van Deinsen finalized the 20-man squad which will go into action against the Cubans from 5pm on Tuesday at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya.
Neaves, who earned a call up from Leo Beenhakker and came on in the second half of T&T’s 2-0 win over Iceland last February, spearheads the list of five overseas-based players in the team which goes into camp from Saturday. Neaves trained and played that game in London alongside the likes of Dwight Yorke, Russell Latapy, Stern John and Carlos Edwards to name a few.
The ex-W Connection duo of Bartholomew and Downing have been absorbing the experience of European football since February in Belgium with Royal White Star Woluwe FC, while Marcelle Francois and English-based goalie Andre Charles are expected to add a bit more to the T&T outfit. Charles is a former National Under 17 and Under 20 goalkeeper and has been attending Southampton Solent University. Francois, a former National Under 20 team and CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh player is attached to the California University of Pennsylvania.
The rest of the team includes W Connection striker Shane Calderon, Joe Public’s Kendall Jagdeosingh, Caledonia AIA’s Carlyle Mitchell, Hayden Tinto, Superstar Rangers defender Corneal Thomas as well as United Petrotrin’s Keon Daniel and Simeon Augustus who impressed during the last group phase in Suriname. CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh’s Elton John also earned a pick but there is no place for Khaleem Hyland nor Atullah Guerra and Lester Peltier.
McComie also had to release defender Radanfah Abu Bakr who, if selected, would have missed the Cuba game having been red carded in the last game against Suriname. It means Abu Bakr would also have missed two weeks of School in England. McComie opted for another local defender instead.
“The coaches and I looked at our options closely and this is the final squad we came up with and we’re quietly confident they can pull us through this round,” McComie told TTFF Media. “It’s unfortunate though that we couldn’t get the kind of sessions we wanted which meant that we picked some players based on their performances in the FCB Cup games we saw. And this happened simply because after a meeting with the Pro League and the clubs in an attempt to arrange for the release of players for training, the League got back to us too late. So we return to the training ground this Saturday.
“We went with the players we felt are in better form right now and of course we also feel that the overseas-based players will bring the kind of leadership and form that we need to get by these teams, particularly Cuba. We think Cuba is the best prepared team in this group and that game will be a difficult one no two ways about it. We need to prepare well for them and stick to our game plan,” McComie added. The rest of the team is Larry Bacchus, Devon Drayton (United Petrotrin); Marcus Ambrose (Caledonia AIA); Alkie Edwards (Defence Force); Kevin Mussio (St Anthony’s College); Kareem Gray (W Connection) and Christopher Sam (Police FC).
Olympic Qualifier fixtures
9/10/2007 T&T vs Cuba 5:00pm Marvin Lee Stadium
11/10/2007 Cuba vs Grenada 5:00pm, Marvin Lee Stadium
13/10/2007 T&T vs Grenada 5:00pm, Marvin Lee Stadium
News from the 02nd of October 2007
Hislop excited over home tribute game.
By: Shaun Fuentes (TTFF).
Trinidad and Tobago goal guard Shaka Hislop is patting his gloves with anticipation ahead of returning home to play in next month’s matches between his MLS club Dallas FC and a local Pro League all-star team. The two games have been arranged as the first of an annual Challenge Cup and an affair to recognize Hislop for his longstanding contribution to the country’s National Team.
Hislop is currently still attached to Dallas FC but will not continue on as a playing member of the team following an agreement with the club to release him. But come next month, the former Newcastle United custodian is looking forward to running out in front of his home fans.
“I'm very excited about the tribute game! It will give the local talent an opportunity to showcase their talent against a strong FC Dallas team, who have their sights on winning the MLS Cup this season, and a very talented Brazilian team in Atletico Paranaense,” Hislop told TTFF Media on the weekend.
“More worryingly it'll give me the opportunity to put on my boots and pull on my gloves for one last time.
“This challenge cup will be an annual occurrence but somehow, after this year, I don't think anyone will allow me near a goalpost! So I have to make the most of it,” Hislop continued with a chuckle.
Hislop also gave some more insight into his involvement with the Football Players Association of T&T (FPATT) in his role as President.
He explained the recent addition of former T&T captain Dwight Yorke as well as other overseas-based players to the association which he adds will be going at length to establish a steady working relationship with the TTFF.
“Dwight's decision to join FPATT is purely because he feels that even his voice will be better heard in local football by being a part of the organization. Dwight has never been a part of the court action initiated by 16 of his teammates and still doesn't intend to be. As much as people are trying to draw parallels between the two groups, which is understandable, FPATT is only concerned with the broader general membership. The court case has been initiated independently of FPATT and funded independently of FPATT and Dwights understands this,” Hislop stated.
“We certainly hope to meet with the TTFF sooner rather than later. The qualifiers for WC 2010 start next year and we really need to work out player payments and bonuses before then. As always we welcome dialogue with the TTFF to address the greater need and concerns of the local game.”
The ex-West Ham standout didn’t hold back on FPATT’s rate of progress though although he joked about not being quite clear on the status of their name with it already being used by the Family Planning Association of Trinidad and Tobago.
“At FPATT we're still trying to get our house in order. In that I mean we have to finalise our offerings to our members, what we hope to offer and what we can realistically at these early stages afford to offer. Once we begin to address the concerns of our members we have to be fully prepared for the responsibility. It's imperative that we are fully prepared for that even if means us taking a little longer in launching our programs. Realistically speaking, we're probably ahead of where most would expect us to be at this point in our own development, but there is still a lot of work to be done,” he explained.
FPATT itself is hoping to secure as many Pro League players possible as members. But Hislop added that signings haven’t been obtained because of the fact that the Players Association business is still green in the local game.
“We are currently targeting all of the Pro League clubs and players. Our membership numbers probably aren't as high as we would like right now, but maybe that is understandable. This is all very new to the local players and they are waiting to see exactly what we can offer them. Saying that nearly all of the T&T players currently playing abroad have signed up, as they fully understand and appreciate the need and function of a players' association. It'll give the players a unified voice and the opportunity to directly affect their own profession.
“As keenly as we follow local football, we have to get our offerings in place for the general membership. That really is occupying our thoughts, and has been for some time. Every now and then we are prompted in to action whenever we've been asked, some of those instance have been widely publicized and yet others remained behind closed doors, which is how we'd prefer to conduct our business,” Hislop ended.
News from the 26th of September 2007
Senior Team resumes training.
Olympic team faces Cuba on Oct. 9th at MLS.
By: Shaun Fuentes (TTFF Media).
Trinidad and Tobago Senior team head coach Wim Rijsbergen was back on the training pitch at the Ato Boldon Stadium on Tuesday morning as he commenced efforts to get a team ready for next month’s international friendly away to El Salvador.
Rijsbergen, after inviting 19 players for training, maintained that the list was not the actual squad for the international game but simply a pool from which players will be considered.
He had one overseas-based player in the mix, US-based Charleston Battery striker Andre Toussaint while there were recalls for Stephan David, Conrad Smith, Dwayne Jack, Trent Noel, Kerry Baptiste, Keyeno Thomas, Clyde Leon and goalkeeper Jan Michael Williams.
“It’s good to get the preparations going again with the game on for next month. But what we have here is not definitely the squad but an invitation to players who we wish to have a look at and from this bunch we will consider for our selection for the game against El Salvador,” Rijsbergen told TTFF Media. Prior to the announcement regarding the players involved in the arbitration matter on Friday, invitations for training had already gone out to the home-based players.
Toussaint is back home with Charleston Battery’s failure to make the American A-League playoffs and he expects to finish the rest of the year with W Connection.
“It was a decent start to my time in the A-League. Disappointed yes that we didn’t progress in the playoffs so that means we have to wait until next year. I think we had some areas which needed working on and that included making better use of our scoring chances. I’m looking to finish of the year with ‘W’ and also getting my spot back on the national team. We just have to work and make sure everything is in place so the team can perform as best as possible,” said Toussaint who played the full 90 in Charleston’s 0-0 draw with Puerto Rico Islanders in their season finale.
Meantime, with Senior team assistant coach Anton Corneal back after being at the helm of the National Under 17 team, Olympic team coach Michael McComie was also in charge of the National Under 23 team as they engaged in a scrimmage with the Seniors in the morning session.
The Olympic team is preparing for a CFU Final round with Cuba and Grenada next month. Interestingly, McComie had CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh striker Lester Peltier in his session. Peltier, after being recalled, turned up at last week’s session stating being injured and was excused from the session. It was reported to McComie that the player would possibly need surgery. However Peltier showed up again and was involved in the session on Tuesday. Elton John, not initially called, also showed up a second time and was subsequently allowed to train by McComie. The T&T Pro League also couldn’t relay whether Peltier was in fact in the Jabloteh team for its Reserve Game against Defence Force on Monday.
“Right now we are about trying to get the team as best as ready for the next set of games so we therefore don’t have much time to look into any other stuff. They players showed up good today and as I said before everyone seems to be working with the right attitude which is the important thing at this time,” McComie added.
The T&T Olympic team will face Cuba on October 9 at the Marvin Lee Stadium and then come up against Grenada on October 13 at the same venue. Grenada and Cuba will also clash between the mentioned dates. The top team from the group will advance to the CONCACAF Final round next year leading to the Beijing Olympics.
The rest of the Senior team called for training on Tuesday included: Kern Cupid, Thomas Nickcolson, Keston Williams, Devon Jorsling, Terrence McAllister, Jason Springer, Jason Marcano, Cleon John, Tristan Charles and Glenton Wolfe.
News from the 22nd of September 2007
Reaction from Wim/Shaka.
By: Shaun Fuentes (TTFF).
Trinidad and Tobago Senior Team head coach Wim Rijsbergen expressed satisfaction today upon hearing that certain players who were not considered for selection for the National Team over the last few months can now be looked at as he prepares for upcoming international games.
Rijsbergen was referring to part of the Joint Statement released by the players and the TTFF where it was stated that the players involved in the arbitration make up the pool of which all teams will be selected.
“It’s wonderful to hear of that agreement at the moment that everybody is eligible again and now it’s up to the coaches to decide which ones to use and when to use them,” Rijsbergen told TTFF Media.
He did add that he still may not be able to consider such players for T&T’s next friendly international against El Salvador there on October 17.
“It’s short notice at the moment and we may not be able to get these players for the next game. But for the future I think it’s good and of course it has to be in the interest of the teams, the federation and coaches. We are of course still looking for a pool of local players and that’s what we have been doing with the games. We will be looking to see if it’s important to see if we can bring in the players and whether it’s necessary at the time.” Rijsbergen added.
Meantime, T&T goalkeeper Shaka Hislop, and President of FPATT, was also satisfied with Friday’s hearing.
“With respect to the case of arbitration.... when the proposal was made we both agreed that it was the best thing not just for this case but for Trinidad and Tobago football. There is no telling how long this could have dragged on for had we gone to court. Regardless of the situation as it is now, the TTFF and the players have remained committed to World Cup 2010.
“Going to arbitration means that there will be a quickest possible end to the matter. The best players are now available to the head coach and from the players side we are very happy with that. Qualification for World Cup 2010 is the most important thing in all of our eyes. The players now being available is what we have asked for and it should always be entirely up to the head coach to decide his team and we are happy to hear this is how it will be from here on. We are happy with today’s proceedings and look forward to the next step in the next few months," Hislop stated.
Update on TTFF/players court matter.
Joint Press Release.
Crowne Plaza Hotel, POS
TTFF (Om Lalla)
Players (Mike Townley).
The TTFF and the players have spent considerable time and effort over the last couple of days to establish the best way to resolve their differences. Both sides are happy to announce that as a result of all those efforts there has now been an agreement that the matter will be dealt with by an independent arbitrator who will sit in London under the auspices of the Sports Dispute Resolution Panel.
The decision to agree to an arbitration in no way reflects any lack of confidence in the impartiality or expertise of the T&T judiciary. It merely reflects the generally accepted practice that arbitration allows a swifter and more flexible approcach to the resolution of sports disputes. The parties expect the arbitrator to decide the facts in this matter by the end of March 2008 which is considerably quicker than would have been possible in a court.
There have been various press reports and statements about this dispute. The parties have decided that further comment by them on contentious issues will not assist the arbitration which will be concerned solely with facts, not speculation. Accordingly the parties do not intend to comment further on this matter.
The TTFF confirms that the players involved in the arbitration form part of the pool from which all teams to represent Trinidad and Tobago will be selected with the aim of producing the best results on the pitch and with a view to securing qualification for South Africa 2010.
