Facing Mexico with Germany on our minds.
By: Shaun Fuentes.[/size]
This where it begins! Or this is where it could end. The final leg of the “Journey to Germany” will kick off at 8pm tonight (Wednesday) when this country’s national team aims to pull off the result against Mexico to take them into the final playoffs for a spot in the World Cup finals next year.
The stage is set and is expected to be filled with everything red when the gates to the Hasely Crawford Stadium at 5pm. The two teams, T&T from the Crowne Plaza and Mexico from the Hilton hotel will sit in their team buses for the final time in this round on their way to the match venue. For skipper Dwight Yorke and his teammates, getting by Mexico will be on their minds, for the opposition, who knows what they could be thinking after coming off an emphatic 5-2 win over Guatemala on Saturday?
The situation is one where T&T can still advance whatever the outcome of their match with Mexico, once Guatemala loses or draws at home to Costa Rica in a game which kicks off at the same time. But if Guatemala (eight points) were to win (taking them to 11 points), T&T (ten points) would also have to ensure they defeat the Mexicans in order to progress as they would have gone to 13 points. If both teams finish on 11 points, Guatemala will advance on a better head to head goal difference.
Leo Beenhakker’s men are on the back of a gutsy 1-0 win over Panama on Saturday, their third win of this round which made this occasion what it is today.
Mexican coach Ronald La Volpe, despite having qualified already, told the media on Tuesday that he intends to play good football.
“I believe that it is the same commitment with which we are going to face this team, because it is part of the eliminatory one and because we want to win and to top the first place of the hexagonal group,” he said.
Mexico’s Argentine born-forward Guillermo Franco he is focusing on a win. “Now we must try to finish first in the group, that is most important, and for me taking advantage of the opportunity that Mexico has given me". "I am going to take advantage of the opportunity said Guillermo". "We must only think about Mexico, which we are going to go to do, how we are going to work and to face them, let Trinidad and Tobago worry about that".
But their threats will not throw off Yorke and his “Warriors” who know that they have more at stake on the night.
“This game means everything to us and there’s no reason for us to feel we can’t get the result we need to progress closer to the World Cup,” Yorke told TTFF Media. “We all know how good the Mexicans are and it’s no secret that any team in our position would have preferred to play some other team but that’s how the draw has gone and we must be ready for it and I can assure you that we will be ready for what comes our way. We hope that everyone comes out and supports us because a spot in Germany is obviously what we have on our minds.”
Beenhakker has worked in Mexico before and he too knows how much is on the table for T&T.
“I have said all along that we must be ready and we must play our own game more than ever. There’s nothing different except that we are one game away from going to the playoffs. All the players and the people of the country seem to want this more than ever and we all know what it can do for everyone.”
The T&T team trained from 7:30 pm at the match venue following the Mexicans’ session and the mood has been a good enough one so far in the T&T camp. One thing for sure is that they all know the task ahead of them and they are geared up to accomplish it from the first blow of Honduran Jose Pineda’s whistle.
The last victory over Mexico still fresh in the minds of T&T fans remains the 1-0 win at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in the semi-final round of the 2002 campaign when Latapy did the trick in the 85th minute and says it remains one of the highlights of his career. Before that T&T’s other win came on December 14, 1973 when Everald “Gally” Cummings (11th and 39th), Steve David (52nd) and Warren Archibald (62nd) were the scorers in the 4-0 win at the Stade Sylvio Cator in Haiti with current TTFF President Oliver Camps being the manager of the team then which narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 1974 World Cup in Germany. Today destiny is in the hands of team T&T trying to get to Germany once again.
News from the 11th of October 2005.More than ever, T&T must play their own game says Leo.
By: Shaun Fuentes.[/size]
Trinidad and Tobago’s senior footballers are scheduled to have one final training session tonight (Tuesday) at 8pm at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
It will follow two intense sessions held on Monday which included one behind closed doors as head coach Leo Beenhakker went about in readying his troops for the all important match up with the Mexicans who are scheduled in the country at 9:30pm Monday and will be staying at the Hilton Hotel.
Beenhakker allowed midfielder Russell Latapy, the 37-year-old Falkirk player/coach to sit out the morning session and instead do some rehab with trainer Wayne Lawson in the Crowne Plaza swimming pool. But his teammates certainly continued to “Vibes it up” under the hot sun at the Stadium. Dwight Yorke and company trained for close to two hours before the media which included some Mexicans, before returning to the hotel.
Beenhakker insisted that T&T must play their own game if they are to come out winners in Wednesday’s affair.
“We have to more than ever, as we did in Panama, play our own game and then if we need to something else necessary if we know what is happening in Guatemala, then maybe we can do it. We have to be totally focused in our own match,” he told TTFF Media.
“I cannot do anything about the other game between Guatemala and Costa Rica. You can calculate every possibility about what can happen but we play at the same hour and we have to play our best game,” Beenhakker added.
The Dutchman further said that he was pleased with the way the “Warriors” were able to cope under pressure and adjust their game to suit under the circumstances away from home.
“For the first time we showed the character. I spoke several times with the players there saying that there was a difference in the attitude with us playing home and away. I tried to explain that if you want to be successful in international football you don’t have to have a different attitude with playing home and playing away. You have to play your own style and for the first time we did it in Panama. There may be some periods in the game when you are losing control of the match but not because there was not the right attitude but simply because the opponent may be playing good and Panama had some good moments as well on Saturday. But this game we showed a big difference in how we play outside of Trinidad and Tobago.”
Assistant coach Theo de Jong was in Mexico to view their 5-2 win over Guatemala while Dutchman Rob Baan was also scouting the 1-1 draw with Bahrain and Uzbekistan.
“Of course you have to do your home work. Everybody is thinking okay we are already in Germany and Wednesday’s game will be an easy one but that’s not the way it works in football. Every player who is on the field wants to win the game so probably they might change some players but also these player will want to demonstrate to the coach that they are good enough to play in the team. In that way it will not be an easy game and beside that Mexico are one of the top ten teams in the world. You have to be realistic and see that they are a stronger team. But there are no guarantees in football,” said the former Real Madrid coach.
The rest of the team remains in good spirits with no injuries to report. Yorke and Jones were carrying some sore legs after the win in Panama but were fully active in Monday’s sessions. Despite being out of Wednesday’s match with two yellow cards, Silvio Spann was also part of the training.
News from the 10th of October 2005.Warriors time to vibes it up.
By: Shaun Fuentes.[/size]
“Yes!! Vibes it up fellas”That’s the line which came repeatedly from midfielder Russell Latapy in the dressing room moments after this country’s hardfought 1-0 victory over Panama at the Estadio Rommel Fernandez on Saturday night which kept the “Warriors” right in the race for fourth spot in the 2006 World Cup qualifying bid.
“I like how we vibes them up. Now is time to vibes it up again on Wednesday. The whole country have to vibes it up,” Latapy continued as he and the rest of the team embraced Saturday’s win but it was obvious that they knew the task was far from completed with Wednesday’s next crucial match up against Mexico on their minds. There were the obvious smiles and shake hands but it was not a case of over celebrating as the team boarded the BWIA charter flight with the fans which landed at Piarco International Airport at 6am on Sunday following the three-hour direct flight on which FIFA Vice President Jack Warner, President George Maxwell Richards and other TTFF officials also traveled. Richards also walked down the aisle to greet the players moments after the flight left the ground on its way back to Trinidad.
Latapy’s “Vibes it up” line has been echoed by his teammates during the one week live in camp in Panama and is one they have adopted as they go about their preparations both on and off the pitch on the “Journey to Germany” campaign.
The sounds of Iron from Laventille Rhythm Section and Woodbrook Playboys and the radiance of the T&T fans and players in white overtook the venue at around 9:50 pm on Saturday night as Stern John's 62nd minute winner sealed the three points.
The game turned out to be, as expected, a grueling one for skipper Dwight Yorke and his men on a slushy surface but the never say die attitude once again crept into T&T's play and they pulled off the win to move to 10 points, two ahead of Guatemala which lost 5-2 away to Mexico.
John made no mistake shooting home from inside the box after Leo Beenhakker introduced Kenwyne Jones who was heavily involved in the play leading to the goal. Panama pressed too and forced T&T on the backfoot, particularly in the first half. John also missed a close chance after the break.
Those results now mean that T&T can go through to the playoffs if Guatemala lose outright or draw at home to Costa Rica on Wednesday. But the safest thing now would be a win for T&T over Mexico at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
"It's definitely a win for the nation as you can see our fans were here most present tonight," Yorke told TTFF Media after the win. He hadn’t even left the field yet as he was able to put an even bigger smile on his face on learning the result in Mexico.
President George Maxwell Richards meeting the team on the flight back home.
"It means now that we have it all to play for and a win will seal it for us. It's an amazing feeling for the guys to keep this momentum going with such a hard win tonight and now it's just up to us to seal it on Wednesday against the Mexicans," Yorke said.
Goalscorer John was pleased but the look on his face could tell that it was a difficult night in Panama City.
"I know you think I miss too many chances before I score," he told TTFF Media as he out his T&T wristband on in the dressing room after the win. "But football is 90 minutes and the score at the end of it is what matters. This goal was also for ‘Blacks’ (Mickey Trotman) because I dedicated my left foot to him when he died and the goal came from that side tonight.”
T&T head coach Leo Beenhakker added "I've under this pressure for 40 years so I'm used to it," referring obviously to how tense the evening turned out.
"It's a good win for us. Let's get it on against the Mexicans now," he added.
Yorke continued: “It certainly put us in a good stead. It wasn’t easy out there for sure. We came and did the job that was required. It wasn’t pretty at times. As we say in football sometimes it doesn’t always have to be pretty but the result is what’s important. It was important because you always tend to look for guidance and you tend to look up to senior players which is what I think myself and Russell and some of the other guys have been able to do. They all knew exactly what we need to do which was a professional job despite the conditions of the pitch.”
The Sydney FC captain added that he has seen ongoing growth in the team since he returned to the line up in February for the opening match of the final round against the United States.
“The team is certainly grown from the time I joined it over a period of four months. You can see that there is a good spirit among the players and good understanding as well. Everyone wants to achieve the same thing. Results give you confidence and we proved that tonight. The important thing is the team is going in the right direction. Everyone who has been around the team as you have been will see how good the spirit is and that means that you don’t always have to have all the talent but there are people who are willing to run the extra mile and do things for others that can take you a long way,” Yorke added.
The players checked in to the Crowne Plaza on Sunday morning and had the day to themselves before assembling again at 4:30pm before training half hour later at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
News from the 9th of October 2005.T&T pull it off.
By: Shaun Fuentes.[/size]
The sounds of iron and the bliss of white overtook the Estadio Rommel Fernandez Stadium at around 9:50pm on Saturday night as Stern John's 62nd minute winner gave Trinidad and Tobago's senior footballers a hard earned 1-0 win over Panama and kept the Warriors' dreams of a place in Germany 2006 alive.
The game turned out to be, as expected, a gruelling one for skipper Dwight Yorke and his men on a slushy surface but the never say die attitude once again crept into T&T's play and they pulled off the win to move to 10 points, two ahead of Guatemala which lost 5-2 away to Mexico.
John made no mistake shooting home from inside the box after Leo Beenhakker introduced Kenwyne Jones who was heavily involved in the play leading to the goal. Panama pressed too and forced T&T on the backfoot, particularly in the first half. John also missed a close chance after the break.
Those results now mean that T&T can go through to the playoffs if Guatemala lose outright or draw at home to Costa Rica on Wednesday. But the safest thing now would be a win for T&T over Mexico at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
"It's definitely a win for the nation as you can see our fans were here most present tonight," Yorke said after the win. He had'nt even left the field yet as he was able to put an even bigger smile on his face on learning the result in Mexico.
"It means now that we have it all to play for and a win will seal it for us. It's an amazing feeling for the guys to keep this momentum going with such a hard win tonight and now it's just up to us to seal it on Wednesday against the Mexicans," Yorke said.
Goalscorer John was pleased but the look on his face could tell that it was a difficult night in Panama City.
"I know you think I miss too many chances before I score," he told TTFF Media as he out his T&T wristband on in the dressing room after the win. "But football is 90 minutes and the score at the end of it is what matters."
T&T head coach Leo Beenhakker added "I've under this pressure for 40 years so I'm used to it," referring obviously to how tense the evening turned out.
"It's a good win for us. Let's get it on against the Mexicans now," he added.
The T&T team rushed off to the Riande Aeropuerto Hotel for dinner and then take the three-minute drive to the airport to join the band of T&T fans on the BWIA charter flight home.
Up-Close with Touches.
