T&T vs Canada FIFA 2011 (U-17), my take.

[Sam]

Canada have a good team... and they deserve to go to the WC.

I love T&T but we just not ready, if we have to give a local coach the job, they must be more qualified. Our coach must take blame, this team have been together for more than a year now and cant get 5 strings of passes together and still playing isolated...

Imagine we loosing 2-0 in de first half and yet de coach have one man stranded up front, better yet, he made his first sub in the 74th minute and brought on a midfielder for a striker..... like he was more concern of loosing by more goals then coming back into the game....... where was Glen Sutton, Dwight Quintero, Isaiah Noreiga, Akeem Garcia ? ...... try something nah, we have nothing to lose !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! he bring them on in de 85th !!!!!!...... that is real jackass coaching.... in 5 mins players eh even warm....

The first things you learn when you start playing football is, how to trap, control, shoot, mark, pass and make yourself available for the return pass or a pass.

Our under 17 team players have some good individual talent and for most parts they can control the ball and pass it.

The problem is, they dont know who to pass the ball for or when, they even passing the ball to Canadian players because they not looking before they pass, they just passing, and they not even under pressure. Our defence was also passing the ball to no one, they just kicking out de ball with hope that one of their team members pick it up.

Our keeper look shakie for the first 35 mins and made bad clearances but came in the second half and look much better. He is ok with crosses, but he not good at distribution and direct or low shoots, he is no shot blocker.

The gaps between T&T midfield and forward was big...... so when the single forward get the ball, no one was supporting him and he is out numbered by 3 or 4 Canadians. T&T transition play was very slow and players didn't run to support the man with the ball in a place they should have gone, they just run forward without direction to where they should go.

We look like 11 players chasing the ball anywhere it go and forgot what zones we should play and who should mark who.

Simple, simple little mistakes cost us. And dont say de players is young, because Canada, USA etc young too..

T&T defence, look like they was running on nerves and their distribution was piss poor, except for number 3, he look ok.

T&T midfield was the worst of all positions, they didn't help in attack and they didn't help in defence like they should and if they win de ball, 98% of the times they would give it right back to the Canadians and put their defence under immediate pressure.

We came on in de second half and with alot of fight, but still with no plan, we played with individual talent with no structure or technique. We was very easy to handle and mark, so what, we had some good runs and we pile the pressure, the Canadaian came off the peddle after goal number 2. They realise that T&T was playing individual ball, all the shots we had on goal was from individual play.

Canada could get 7/8 passes together, we couldn't get 2 in the first half and 4 in the second half.....

We wasted ALL dead ball and corners..... the corners was short and worthless, 99% percent of them.... and the only long corner we took SUCKED !!!!!!!

Canada was doing the simple things, they won the ball, they pass it to the closes man and they run in a space for the return which was easy as T&T defenders was loosing focus, and Canada don't hesitate to shoot, they also marked of their player well.

We hold the ball and hope to get support, but no one following up on play and in turn we lose the ball, while Canada was making simple one touch, Canada not keeping the ball on their feet for more than 2 seconds and getting nuff support from each other to keep the game flowing and building plays, they had 4 players behind the ball all the times.

You let the ball do the work, but if you continue to chase the ball then you will get tired and lose focus..... rule 101 !!!!

In the first 10 mins of the game, Canada looked scared but T&T failed to take advantage and Canada was knocking the ball while T&T was using up all their energy. That is brain, they made T&T huff and puff and when they ready they delivery the punch.

Score one goal on T&T and yuh sure to make them start running like wild ants...

Somebody please tell the TTFF we cannot get answers by playing weaker teams, if we have to prepare we have to prepare against better teams, this is the only way we will know how to correct our game.

How can we blame the players when they feel they just beat St Kitts/Nevis 8-0 and now they ready !!!!!!! they get a false hope.

To be honest, our players look decent as individuals, but as a team they was not good at all, they to predictable and easy to pick off.

You know what I really hate about local coaches, they play one brand and make our team easy to study, everybody in the world know T&T players are athletics, but as a team they play with no brand or plan. Our defence, just kick the ball to the forwards and bypass the midfield, our keepers just kick the ball out to no one really and our forwards are afraid to shoot the ball and get little or no support.

How can you hire a inexperience coach to lead us to a WC ? yes, give him a chance, but he have to work under someone who can pass on de experience first and then work up the ladder.... and not Anton, because we get 13 goals in Korea and scored 1.... or we play one game in de last Under 20 qualifers and went to the WC... that is not experience, that is experiment.... bads one....

After we beat Guatemala, de coach come out and bawl, yea, he went Colombia to play a few games and now it pay of, the preparations was good, now we lose to Canada and he saying de team needed more preparations.

Now the TTFF go be hurry, hurry to recruit and then in 3 weeks, they go sweep this under de mat. And in 4 years, we go start again.

Loosing is not the end of the world, but playing like shit really hurts....

Here de excuse from de coach allyuh, we have talent but we need more preparations.... and in two weeks he drinking by Smokies bad talking de team.....

Wait, we under 20 team next, a next Bob Hope team with a powder puff coach who have them playing kick and hope, kick to de foward, he go score.... doh worry, imagine de under 17 team beat them 3-1...... and we have games in April and they still recruiting....

Doh, worry, we in good hands with Anton Corneal as our Youth Director ...... blind, leading blind....

Canada's best player Keven Aleman was born in Costa Rica, Daniel Stanese was born in the US, Shadrack Mmunga was born in Mbokoo, Sali Jalali was born in New Delhi and Ismail Benomar was born in Rabat.

Samuel Piette plays for FC Metz Youth team in France. Not a bad team.

I hate Jamaica, but big up to them, hope they do well in the WC, (yea right)...

USA 5 v Jamaica 1.

[banton]

nice

[Dutty]

The 2nd to last line almost ketch mih

[royal]

Let Hart run our youth programs.What more could you ask for a Trini whose good and is a professional.

[Coop's]

Well done Sam,i like your take on this game/basically the tournament.I just think we does raise our expectations of T&T Football too high,we will always get disappointed with our mentality,somebody only have to score one goal and we does put them on a pedestal same thing with our teams.
 T&T all our teams play the same,from national teams to club teams to Youth teams you can just make it,due to us not getting top level competition any time we do our players does panic don't concentrate don't think etc our players are never comfortable on the ball,i know we blame Coaches but most times the occasion or importance of the games alone defeats us,our players need more exposure to big occasions,take them out of their comfort zone on a regular basis,we have to stop being dependent on bringing in foreign base and hope it will solve our problems.    

[KND2]

Trinidad teams have only marginally gooten better at youth levels

we have made more world cups recently but this is because the rules have changed and they have let more teams in.

In the past only the top 2 would go now the Top for.

All we did was draw jamiaca and beat gutemala and if we did win yesterday we in the world cup.

For the Last u17 we won the game and got in .

But it does not mean anything.


I want to see a more stringent qualifiers along the lines of the adult game but of course the cost may be too much.

On the womens side we have improved a lot but we were starting from a very low level but cudos to them.

On the mens side the Pro league youth teams has helped these teams but we are still behind more needs to be done.

Do let the fact that we almost make or make a world cup fool you.

back in the day in 1990 you had to win the group to make it now is best 2 out of 3 and then win a game and you in.

it too easy!

[College]

Well done Sam,i like your take on this game/basically the tournament.I just think we does raise our expectations of T&T Football too high,we will always get disappointed with our mentality,somebody only have to score one goal and we does put them on a pedestal same thing with our teams.
 T&T all our teams play the same,from national teams to club teams to Youth teams you can just make it,due to us not getting top level competition any time we do our players does panic don't concentrate don't think etc our players are never comfortable on the ball,i know we blame Coaches but most times the occasion or importance of the games alone defeats us,our players need more exposure to big occasions,take them out of their comfort zone on a regular basis,we have to stop being dependent on bringing in foreign base and hope it will solve our problems.    

Coops I agree with most of what yuh say, but highlighted, is what some forum members were talking about when they suggested that the team did not prepare adequately because of the level of competition they played leading up to the opening game against Jam. I believe your take on the preparations was a lil different at that time.

[College]

Trinidad teams have only marginally gooten better at youth levels

we have made more world cups recently but this is because the rules have changed and they have let more teams in.

In the past only the top 2 would go now the Top for.

All we did was draw jamiaca and beat gutemala and if we did win yesterday we in the world cup.

For the Last u17 we won the game and got in .

But it does not mean anything.


I want to see a more stringent qualifiers along the lines of the adult game but of course the cost may be too much.

On the womens side we have improved a lot but we were starting from a very low level but cudos to them.

On the mens side the Pro league youth teams has helped these teams but we are still behind more needs to be done.

Do let the fact that we almost make or make a world cup fool you.

back in the day in 1990 you had to win the group to make it now is best 2 out of 3 and then win a game and you in.

it too easy!

I would suggest that we have gotten worse...

[frico]

It is very hard to even think that a group of under 17s of national standing are so far off the mark,I hope that is not a reflection of our local coaches,if so then get a foreigner,quite a lot of people dont like that but lets face the truth,we just not good enough for the job.

[Sam]

2 things...

1. The TTFF dont want to call foreign based players because they dont want to spend the money. So they call none or minimal.....

2. They feel the locals are good enough.

I say, we have over 200 players here in the North America and I am sure we could discover 6 or 7 good ones who can help, why not use them ? pick your best players, even if they play in Guam.... if they are better than the ones we currently have, then why not !!!!!!!!!

Every other teams in the world use this method, why cant we.

The TTFF cant go half way and expect better, they got to go in 100% !!!!! and take this SERIOUS !!!! in de end is only they own money they wasting. All this preparations gone down the drain. If you are investing your money you want to see it well spent.

Look for example, we was playing W Connection and we under 20 team while Jamaica was in Brazil....

[Controversial]

2 things...

1. The TTFF dont want to call foreign based players because they dont want to spend the money. So they call none or minimal.....

2. They feel the locals are good enough.

I say, we have over 200 players here in the North America and I am sure we could discover 6 or 7 good ones who can help, why not use them ? pick your best players, even if they play in Guam.... if they are better than the ones we currently have, then why not !!!!!!!!!

Every other teams in the world use this method, why cant we.

The TTFF cant go half way and expect better, they got to go in 100% !!!!! and take this SERIOUS !!!! in de end is only they own money they wasting. All this preparations gone down the drain. If you are investing your money you want to see it well spent.

Look for example, we was playing W Connection and we under 20 team while Jamaica was in Brazil....

breds, what make you think they even selecting the best locals? is anton corneal yuh dealing with sah.

he never selects the best players available.

TT needs good coaches and also needs to look at the foreign based who would put some of these youth players to shame. i see u17 players with trini roots play better ball in the park than these youths. another thing is if you don't select the best locals, how do you expect to beat these intl teams.

the problem with these trini coaches is that they believe that players have to be super strong and american football player built, a load of bs, select the best players who can dictate the match and hold possession, with actual ability on the ball.

[Coach]

You were bang on...from the start! "if we have to give a local coach the job, they must be more qualified"

The problem is that our coaches selection committee don't have the knowledge on what it takes for a coach to be successful in the way today's game has evolve. The committee vision is "old school football knowledge".

There are good local coaches who can do the job i.e look at the job SH is doing with Canada and has been a key member of building Canada youth program for many years before moving on to the Senior team that is going well for him. One of the reasons why he is there was due to the fact that the Canadian coaches selection committee saw the ability in a local lad from TT and is taking full advantage of his coaching skills, do we have more local coaches like SH, yes!! But the sad thing is that we don't have a knowledgeable committee to recognize these local coaches so we have to live with our committee poor decisions and suffer!

It's is easy for our coaches selection committee to select a foreign coach who is already a proven coach but asking them to find a local coach who can do the job at the international level, forget it! Nothing against Cooper the guy was put there and did the job to the best of his abilities but then look at there decision with Latas if you had ask Latas the right coaching questions you would have know "off the bat" he was not ready to coach at the international level.

One of the big process in selecting a local coach is in an interview, asking the right questions and getting the right answers, cause winning in local football doesn't necessary means that this coach can be successful at the international level i.e.

Q. If given the coaching job how can you make your better?

Ans. As coach, I will try and improve every player weaknesses as every player has their own weaknesses and by doing this I just made my team better. The follow up to this Q. can be "give me some examples of players weaknesses you look for" and so on..

There are more answers to this question but as a coach selection committee member and I hear a response like this, I know that I might be looking at a good coach.

[jr sams]

Sam hit everything on point with that game. Now while I did not see the first half, I saw the second, and based on what I read about our first half performance, it sounded like we were in a real state. The one thing that I heard from the commentator yesterday was that we were a different team from the first half. that being said, there were times when we had Canada under pressure, forcing them into errors, winning corners, getting the greater of the possession, but the youths just did not make the most of it. There were still too many errant passes, predictable isolated play, and lack of cohesion.
My bredren from Canada organize a try-out for his son with the TTFF. He did very well and made it all the way to the last cut a few days before Cooper announced his team. Now, I am not biased or anything, but small man have real touches, passing is crisp, control sublime and can shoot left and right.
At the end, the coach said " at this age it is size that is the most important" he also said that "He is an alternate and if they get past the next stage, they will consider all in the 25 which is what they registered with Fifa".
Apparently there were a few other smaller skilled players that were told the same thing.
It became clear to my bredren that the coach had his favorites and what type of player he had in mind...size more than anything. Needless to say, small man was very disappointed, particularly when he saw the skill level picked, and we talking about men who although were big, cannot do a simple trap and had poor ball control..but, that was what the coach wanted, so what yuh goh do.

[Deeks]

As much as the coach will take the lion share of the blame, we have to give the man the benefit of the doubt. All coaches has favorites. TT coaches don't have the patent to this type of behaviour. When he made the decision to drop this player, that was his call. When the team came back and tied JA and beat Quat., the coach was not an imps then. I was disappointed in the 1st half performance, and of course the coach has to take some blame for that performance. They lack composure. The fighting spirit was not there.

[Mango Chow!]

Every year and at the end of every tournament we does always end up talkin' about the same things, over and over and over again.  Folks always talk about "exposure" and "exposing" our players to better/higher competition.  Felllas, Ladies, with all due respect, we could expose our kids to stiffer competion until the sun turn green, if we are not working on a better infrastructure that churns out players ready to compete at the international level, all that so-called "exposure" means nothing.  Our development has to start from the bottom up, not the top down.  If men still can't pass, trap, shoot and mark in the most fundamental way, a pre-tournament tour of Brazil is not going to change that.

[real madness]

Coach,

Name some local coaches who are capable besides SH.

[Coach]

Coach,

Name some local coaches who are capable besides SH.

Nah! wish I had a Crystal ball...this can only be done after evaluation of a coach on how his team plays in defense and in attack. Evaluate his practice sessions and how he coaches behind the bench for i.e. can he recognize and fix. After this is done then I can probably give in some names.

I will give you an example, the last time I was in TT at one of our national team training session and the coach who was in charge ran a couple good drills which as you know any coach can set up a drill but the problem with the drills the coach wasn't able to help players who was making very poor decision with the ball and I don't even want to start on movements off the ball etc... Now I don't need to tell you how that team did. If I was evaluating this coach is no way this guy was showing the coaching knowledge to bring a team to compete on the international stage. These are some main criteria that a local needs to be evlauated on if he is going to be given the job at the next level but in order to select this local you need a committee that knows what is needed to be a good coach and this is the root of our problem, coaches selection commttee!

[1st touch]

Here is my take:

First up...No disrespect to coach Cooper.
Was he the best qualified in the circumstances? Definitely more than most
Is he ready to coach a national team?...More than most locals, but probably not on the international stage
Coach Cooper has potential, but would have been best suited to be an assistant at this time

Now what about his staff? No coach can do this alone...
All seem like decent people and probably some of the best from the local choices, after all they from Defense Force and they win the league

The real problem is nobody showed this squad and program any interest, respect or love...and that include many on this forum

And for what those players and coaching staff had to persevere with over a year, then they did exceptionally well.

The Canadian team is made up of players who have been groomed since 12 years in their provincial programs, in better facilities, better balance programs, etc...Youth players in Canada play competitive ball in leagues from 7 yrs and have a tiered system from division to leagues, with numerous tournaments available every week during summer...basically these boys playing in organized, competitive football from young.
The flip side to that is that they can get burn out, injuries and lost in a youth system that too big and filters out many good players too early...They also can lose the natural "feel" of the game, but they do get a good understanding and structure...

Canada just had too much preparation and training, that's why they always produce strong youth teams.
The senior team is another story.

If T&T faced any of the other quarter-finalist, we would have had a strong chance, trust me, none of the others wanted to face a confident Canadian team, who has a great chance of winning this tournament.
By the way, I dont think they are more talented, maybe stronger technically.

The T&T team did not have the balance needed for the better teams.
Cant only be brute and brawn, skill and ball smarts also needed to keep possession and move the ball intelligently...this will keep the opposition from pushing too high and also create quality chances as they stop chasing the ball or keeping focus.

Who fault is this?...the coach and his selection?, the federation? the system? the culture? the overall mentality?
Probably a bit of all, that is why we really do need to get a real good experienced foreign coach/technical director to implement a strategy and system from seniors down to the juniors, and have a staff to oversee it is implemented properly

LOL...of course we know that will never happen

[Coop's]

Our best local Coaches coaching College and Clubs out in the US.

[royal]

Our best local Coaches coaching College and Clubs out in the US.

ah wonder why?

[madness]

the coach hasn't done a great job with the young warriors. it look like guess work. the team had now ideas on the pitch and no tactics. they have a lot to learn and also the coaching staff too.. the team wasn't aggressive in the game. if u watch jamaica, they look good. tnt wake up nah steupps

[Coach]

the coach hasn't done a great job with the young warriors. it look like guess work. the team had now ideas on the pitch and no tactics. they have a lot to learn and also the coaching staff too.. the team wasn't aggressive in the game. if u watch jamaica, they look good. tnt wake up nah steupps

"the team had now ideas on the pitch and no tactics". So what was Anton role with the team and the coaching staff?

[Coop's]

Our best local Coaches coaching College and Clubs out in the US.

ah wonder why?

       It's a career and you can make a living by it,to get a College coaching job out here you got to have a degree of some sort together with all the Football qualifications,to direct an association,league,club etc you need to have the necessary experience/qualifications,these positions are well paid.

[Sando]

Ture talk Sam.

I am sure the TTFF knows all of this, but as usual, we cannot organise anything or do anything positive in a consistent way.

I would love to hear our Technical Director and our Youth Director thoughts on this under 17 team. I remember, Mr Lincoln Phillips saying by 2014 all T&T teams will be in the World Cup !!!

If we have a poor federation then off course we will have a poor team.

Imagine Jamaica another Caribbean country like us are so much ahead in all departments, from admin to team.

Sorry to be so harsh, but winning one game and loosing when it matters is not good enough.

This team have been together since U-15 level.

[1st touch]

True...

One correction though, this team was only formed when they had the nationwide tryouts, however the same fellas training together since then with coach Cooper, which dont hold too well for either the coach's selections or development...but as I previously noted in other post, he was seriously limited in the support the federation give him and the program, so this must be taken into consideration in any genuine assessment of him and the team.

I still believe the team should receive some positive acknowledgment and commended for reaching the do or die game against Canada...I sure they would have gone through against another team.
After-all the team got out of their group and only finish 2nd (which ment they had to play Canada), because they lose the flip of the blasted coin

Remember, these youths did not get anything...nothing...not like any of T&T other teams, but now taking pressure and crap from people who really have no clue because they lose to Canada, when they were not the favorite...Hell, even if they got all the preparation needed, they could have still lost to Canada. If it was not for 2 chupid mistakes, we could have been tied and anything could have happened, but that being said, we needed more quality in the midfield to retain possession and I strongly believe Jomal should have been up front, Samaroo has the natural tendencies of a winger instead of forward. Also why 4-4-1-1? this is youth ball, maybe 4-2-3-1 or a simple 4-4-2 ...we need to be more attacking in numbers and put pressure on the opposing defense, not sit back and look to counter based on individual effort...

And for all the blame on Anton, he was not really involved with this team, maybe he should have spent more time than just at the end and take a free trip...I believe he had valuable knowledge that would have helped the coach so the only blame I can trow at him is not getting involved earlier.

Anyways, enough of this hindsight analysis...I say good effort youths, keep working hard and learn from this experience, the future have promise!

[Coop's]

True...

One correction though, this team was only formed when they had the nationwide tryouts, however the same fellas training together since then with coach Cooper, which dont hold too well for either the coach's selections or development...but as I previously noted in other post, he was seriously limited in the support the federation give him and the program, so this must be taken into consideration in any genuine assessment of him and the team.

I still believe the team should receive some positive acknowledgment and commended for reaching the do or die game against Canada...I sure they would have gone through against another team.
After-all the team got out of their group and only finish 2nd (which ment they had to play Canada), because they lose the flip of the blasted coin

Remember, these youths did not get anything...nothing...not like any of T&T other teams, but now taking pressure and crap from people who really have no clue because they lose to Canada, when they were not the favorite...Hell, even if they got all the preparation needed, they could have still lost to Canada. If it was not for 2 chupid mistakes, we could have been tied and anything could have happened, but that being said, we needed more quality in the midfield to retain possession and I strongly believe Jomal should have been up front, Samaroo has the natural tendencies of a winger instead of forward. Also why 4-4-1-1? this is youth ball, maybe 4-2-3-1 or a simple 4-4-2 ...we need to be more attacking in numbers and put pressure on the opposing defense, not sit back and look to counter based on individual effort...

And for all the blame on Anton, he was not really involved with this team, maybe he should have spent more time than just at the end and take a free trip...I believe he had valuable knowledge that would have helped the coach so the only blame I can trow at him is not getting involved earlier.

Anyways, enough of this hindsight analysis...I say good effort youths, keep working hard and learn from this experience, the future have promise!

   
        well written thanks.