March 28, 2024, 04:28:35 PM

Author Topic: T&T men look ahead to Pan-Am opener  (Read 2284 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Tallman

  • Administrator
  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 25253
    • View Profile
T&T men look ahead to Pan-Am opener
« on: October 19, 2011, 04:27:40 AM »
T&T men look ahead to Pan-Am opener
By Shaun Fuentes (TTFF)


Trinidad and Tobago’s Under 22 men’s team will be aiming to defy the odds when they kick off their 2011 Pan American Games Group A campaign against South America’s Uruguay from 1pm (2pm T&T Time) at the OmniLife Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico on Wednesday.

The 18-member squad led by head coach Angus Eve arrived in the games city at around 3am on Tuesday via Panama City on a Copa Airlines fight loaded with athletes and officials from other countries for the games and were met by tournament officials who subsequently ensured all arrangements were in place for the team’s arrival. The Games village is abuzz with activity with some 6,000 athletes from 42 countries all converging to participate in 36 sports running from October 14-30 in one of  the largest multi-sport event worldwide for 2011.

Following T&T’s clash, Fellow Group A opponents Mexico and Ecuador will clash at 8pm at the same venue. Between those two games, South American giants Argentina and Brazil will clash also at the same venue.

Eve said ahead of the game that he was expecting a tough assignment which was just what his team needed ahead of next month’s Caribbean Football Union final Olympic qualifying round in St Kitts/Nevis.

“We know it’s going to be tough because of the history of Uruguay but we are not going to be intimidated by our opponents in this tournament. We have nothing to lose here. We have guys who are capable of playing well and if we put our minds to it then we can achieve a measure of success here with some surprises,” Eve told TTFF Media.

“We are going to be cautious as we don’t know much about the opposition in terms of the current team and haven’t s seen them play. But what we know if Uruguay is that they like to keep possession with a lot of movement so we will try to play as compact as possible and then look for the break when it comes. In saying that I think it’s a great opportunity for the guys to test themselves against higher opposition. Some of the boys would have played Paraguay at the  FIFA Under 20 World Cup in Egypt so they would know what it is to face these kind of opponents in international tournaments,” added the former national senior team captain.

T&T will be banking on some of the players who have already appeared for the T&T senior team or have been involved in training. The likes of US-based midfielder Kevin Molino (one goal in six matches),  Joevin Jones (11 matches), Shahdon Winchester (two matches) , Jamal Gay (two goals in 10 matches), Mekeil Williams, Micah Lewis and team captain Sheldon Bateau have all at some point or the other played or trained with the senior team.

Eve spoke of Molino’s addition to the team, saying “This is a good opportunity to see him work with the guys. Once a player like him comes back into a team the other local-based players always tend to look up to him. He is a good, intelligent player and he brings a lot of leadership qualities and ball possession capabilities as well. Generally the team is well rounded and this tournament is going to present an opportunity for some of the boys to get that quality time on the pitch against the likes of Mexico and Uruguay.”

T&T has the distinction of topping its group at the 1967 Pan American Games in Winnipeg ahead of Colombia, Argentina and Mexico.  T&T shut out Colombia 5-2 in its opening match before defeating Argentina 1-0 and drawing 1-1 with Mexico. But a 3-1 loss to surprise team Bermuda led by Clyde Best in the semi-finals meant that T&T had to settle for the bronze medal after beating Canada 4-1 in the playoff. That team was skippered by Sedley Joseph and included the likes of former  greats Alvin Corneal, Bobby Sookram, Lincoln Phillips, Jena Mouttet, Selwyn Murren, Tyrone De La Bastide, Pat Small,Kelvin Berassa, Andy Aleong, Victor Gamaldo among others. Conrad Braithwaite was the coach of the team then.

For skipper Bateau, who has played at an Under 17 and  Under 20 FIFA World Cup, results like that of the 1967 squad can only inspire him and his teammates.

“I’ve heard about how well that team in 1967 and it included some big players who I never had the chance to see play but I’ve heard of them. Hopefully we can produce something similar. It’s going to be tough because the teams are all of a high quality. But in saying that, we will give it our all and try to at least produce the goods on the pitch and come up with a decent result,” Bateau said. The T&T team was scheduled to train at 5pm on Tuesday. T&T will also face Mexico on Friday and Ecuador on Sunday at the same venue. The Pan American Games are being broadcasted live on ESPN 3

The T&T Women’s team lost to Colombia 1-0 on Tuesday at OmniLife Stadium.
UPDATE - Due to the non arrival of the Uruguay team, the T&T team management has been advised that Wednesday's match will not be played on schedule. Further details will be announced in due course. Clouds of ash spewing from Chile's Puyehue volcano forced flights in Uruguay and Argentina to be grounded.
The Conquering Lion of Judah shall break every chain.

Offline de_redman

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 1087
    • View Profile
Re: T&T men look ahead to Pan-Am opener
« Reply #1 on: October 19, 2011, 06:47:09 AM »
Default? Looks like 3 points in the bag :applause: confidence booster!  ::)

Offline kicker

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 8902
    • View Profile
Re: T&T men look ahead to Pan-Am opener
« Reply #2 on: October 19, 2011, 07:27:29 AM »
Default? Looks like 3 points in the bag :applause: confidence booster!  ::)

If it was a fete match we win by default fuh sure lol
Live life 90 minutes at a time....Football is life.......

Offline president

  • Sr. Warrior
  • ****
  • Posts: 290
  • ...Walk and don't look back...
    • View Profile
Re: T&T men look ahead to Pan-Am opener
« Reply #3 on: October 19, 2011, 09:07:46 AM »
The match will be played at 11:00AM on Tuesday 25 October. This is better for the TT team, which arrived in Guadalajara around 2:00AM on Tuesday (yesterday) morning to learn that no arrangements had been made for their lodging in the Games' Village. Finally, they got rooms in a local hotel and settled in around 7:30 AM yesterday. Due to Mother Nature they have a few extra days to prepare for Uruguay.

Offline Sando

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 2993
    • View Profile
Re: T&T men look ahead to Pan-Am opener
« Reply #4 on: October 19, 2011, 09:12:12 AM »
The match will be played at 11:00AM on Tuesday 25 October. This is better for the TT team, which arrived in Guadalajara around 2:00AM on Tuesday (yesterday) morning to learn that no arrangements had been made for their lodging in the Games' Village. Finally, they got rooms in a local hotel and settled in around 7:30 AM yesterday. Due to Mother Nature they have a few extra days to prepare for Uruguay.

Thanks President.

I wonder if David Muhammed is still team manager....  :rotfl:

Offline Tallman

  • Administrator
  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 25253
    • View Profile
T&T now face Mexico in Pan-Am opener...Uruguay game pushed back to Oct. 25th
« Reply #5 on: October 19, 2011, 11:21:29 AM »
T&T now face Mexico in Pan-Am opener...Uruguay game pushed back to Oct. 25th
By Shaun Fuentes (TTFF)


Trinidad and Tobago’s originally scheduled opening match in Group A of the ongoing Pan American Games in Guadalajara against Uruguay was pushed back to October 25 due to the non-arrival of the Uruguayan team. Clouds of ash spewing from Chile's Puyehue volcano forced flights in Uruguay and Argentina to be grounded.

This means T&T will now go into their first game against hosts Mexico from 8pm (9pm T&T time) at the Estadio OmniLife on Friday. T&T head coach Angus Eve was not entirely disappointed with the change in schedule as it allowed his team more time to settle in after arriving in Guadalajara on Tuesday morning.

“It actually is not such a bad thing even though mentally we were getting ourselves ready for a game today against Uruguay. But now we would have at least three sessions under our belt whereby initially we would have trained only once had the Uruguay game been on as initially scheduled,” Eve told TTFF Media.

“It means the boys have had a couple extra days to acclimatize here for what definitely will be a huge opening game against the home team. We all know how passionate the Mexicans are at any level and especially playing at home they will be firing and their fans will be looking for a good showing.

“I think this kind of environment and competition only augers well for our boys as it gives some of them an early indication as to what it feels like to play these kind of teams away from home before they actually get the senior international stage,” Eve added.

Team manager Norris Ferguson said despite the challenges with getting the team settled in following their early morning arrival on Tuesday, all was well in the camp as certain conditions were now in place.

“We trained yesterday on a pretty decent Astroturf surface. The boys are in good spirits and looking forward to their first match against the home team. Some of them have already faced the Mexican players at the Under 20 and Under 17 age group so it’s just a matter of our players applying themselves well and attempting to gain everything possible from this outing at the Pan –Am Games. We will also aspire for favourable results,” Ferguson stated.

The Mexicans meantime added goalkeeper Jose Antonio Rodriguez as a last minute inclusion to their final squad.  Rodriguez, who plays for the Veracruz Red Sharks in the Mexican Second Division, started for the Under 17 Mexican National Team at the Nigeria 2009 Youth World Cup and the Under 20 Youth World Cup Colombia 2011. All the players play professionally in the Mexican Leagues and includes the likes of Atlas midfielder Ricardo Bocanegra, Toluca forward  Isaac Brizuela, Cruz Azul defender Nestor Araujo and Atlante forward Jeronimo Amione.

This is the first time Mexico is hosting the Pan American games since 1975 and they have gone all out with the organization, specifically with security as the athletes and officials are being guarded by infrared-equipped Black Hawk helicopters, hundreds of surveillance cameras and more than 11,000 police officers
Guadalajara, a colonial-era city known as the birthplace of mariachi and tequila, is not among the main hot spots for drug violence. But in the last two years, the number of killings has risen in the metropolitan region. And the huge media presence in Guadalajara could provide a means for traffickers to try to send a message to rivals.

Guadalajara residents and Mexican officials are hoping that the showcase sports event — the biggest in Mexico since the 1986 World Cup — is peaceful.

"Right now this is the safest city in Mexico and many other places in Latin America," Guadalajara Mayor Aristoteles Sandoval said this week in a welcome to arriving teams.

In related news, with a majority of the players tested at the 2011 Under-17 World Cup in Mexico having traces of clenbuterol in their bodies because they ate contaminated meat, Mexican authorities have acknowledged the country has issues with feeding banned steroids to livestock and all  athletes at the current games have been advised to eat only in designated cafeterias.

FIFA medical officer Jiri Dvorak called the results "highly surprising" but insisted that teenage  players were not cheating.

"It is not a problem of doping, but a problem of public health," Dvorak told reporters, adding that none of the players were harmed or put in any danger.

Mexican health official Mikel Arriola said authorities had begun a program of arresting farmers and shutting down slaughterhouses. "We are going to continue these inspections in order to avoid poisoning the general population and doping (athletes)," Arriola said.
The Conquering Lion of Judah shall break every chain.

Offline Socapro

  • Board Moderator
  • Hero Warrior
  • *
  • Posts: 14531
  • Ras Shorty-I, Father of Soca, Chutney-Soca & Jamoo
    • View Profile
T&T face hosts Mexico tomorrow
« Reply #6 on: October 19, 2011, 10:34:44 PM »
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/T_T_face_hosts_Mexico_tomorrow-132214758.html

T&T face hosts Mexico tomorrow
Story Created: Oct 19, 2011 at 11:58 PM ECT

Trinidad and Tobago's originally scheduled opening match against Uruguay yesterday in Group A of the football competition at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico was pushed back to October 25 due to the non-arrival of the Uruguayan team.
 
Clouds of ash spewing from Chile's Puyehue volcano forced flights in Uruguay and Argentina to be grounded.
 
This means the T&T men's Under-22 squad will now go into their first game against hosts Mexico from 8 p.m. (9 p.m. T&T time) at the Estadio OmniLife tomorrow.
 
Trinidad and Tobago head coach Angus Eve was not entirely disappointed with the change in schedule as it allowed his players more time to settle in after arriving in Guadalajara on Tuesday morning.
 
"It actually is not such a bad thing even though mentally we were getting ourselves ready for a game today against Uruguay. But now we would have at least three sessions under our belt, whereby initially we would have trained only once had the Uruguay game been on as initially scheduled," Eve told T&T Football Federation (TTFF) media officer Shaun Fuentes yesterday.
 
"It means the boys have had a couple extra days to acclimatise here for what definitely will be a huge opening game against the home team. We all know how passionate the Mexicans are at any level and, especially playing at home, they will be firing and their fans will be looking for a good showing.
 
"I think this kind of environment and competition only augurs well for our boys as it gives some of them an early indication as to what it feels like to play these kind of teams away from home before they actually get to the senior international stage," Eve added.
 
Team manager Norris Ferguson said despite the challenges with getting the team settled in following their early morning arrival on Tuesday, all was well in the camp as certain conditions were now in place.
 
"We trained yesterday on a pretty decent astroturf surface. The boys are in good spirits and looking forward to their first match against the home team. Some of them have already faced the Mexican players at the Under-20 and Under-17 age group, so it's just a matter of our players applying themselves well and attempting to gain everything possible from this outing at the Pan Am Games. We will also aspire for favourable results," Ferguson stated.
 
The Mexicans added goalkeeper Jose Antonio Rodriguez as a last-minute inclusion to their final squad.
 
Rodriguez, who plays for the Veracruz Red Sharks in the Mexican second division, started for the Under-17 national team at the Nigeria 2009 FIFA Youth World Cup and the Under-20 World Cup in Colombia earlier this year.
 
All the home team players play professionally in the Mexican leagues and include the likes of Atlas midfielder Ricardo Bocanegra, Toluca forward Isaac Brizuela, Cruz Azul defender Nestor Araujo and Atlante forward Jeronimo Amione.
De higher a monkey climbs is de less his ass is on de line, if he works for FIFA that is! ;-)

Offline ZANDOLIE

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 4334
    • View Profile
Re: T&T men look ahead to Pan-Am opener
« Reply #7 on: October 19, 2011, 11:02:20 PM »
what day is the game being playeed? one report says friday the other says tommorrow
Sacred cows make the best hamburger

Offline Quags

  • use to b compre . Founder of the militant wing of the Soca Warriors
  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 8309
    • View Profile
Re: T&T men look ahead to Pan-Am opener
« Reply #8 on: October 19, 2011, 11:14:19 PM »
I suggest you coaches get a laptop ,and google the teams you are going to play, game videos  and get a game plan or  atleast see how they play ! Even share with players the computer if you have one if not borrow one from the americans or canadians doh shame just ask .
« Last Edit: October 19, 2011, 11:16:08 PM by Quags »

Offline Socapro

  • Board Moderator
  • Hero Warrior
  • *
  • Posts: 14531
  • Ras Shorty-I, Father of Soca, Chutney-Soca & Jamoo
    • View Profile
Re: T&T men look ahead to Pan-Am opener
« Reply #9 on: October 19, 2011, 11:18:50 PM »
what day is the game being playeed? one report says friday the other says tommorrow

Game is Friday!!
Express article was published at 2 mins before midnight on Wednesday in time for Thursday's online edition (check the date & time stamp)!
De higher a monkey climbs is de less his ass is on de line, if he works for FIFA that is! ;-)

Offline ZANDOLIE

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 4334
    • View Profile
Re: T&T men look ahead to Pan-Am opener
« Reply #10 on: October 19, 2011, 11:28:05 PM »
what day is the game being playeed? one report says friday the other says tommorrow

Game is Friday!!
Express article was published at 2 mins before midnight on Wednesday in time for Thursday's online edition (check the date & time stamp)!

thanks!
Sacred cows make the best hamburger

Offline Flex

  • Administrator
  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 18062
  • A Trini 4 Real.
    • View Profile
    • Soca Warriors Online
Re: T&T men look ahead to Pan-Am opener
« Reply #11 on: October 20, 2011, 06:27:42 PM »
T&T try to break Mexican waves at Chivas Stadium
By: Shaun Fuentes (TTFF).


Trinidad and Tobago’s men’s Under 22 footballers will attempt to break the Mexican wave at the Omnilife Stadium in Guadalajara when they tackle the hosts in their first match of the 2011 Pan American Games at 8pm (9pm T&T time) on Friday.

Mexico got off to a winning start with a 2-1 come from behind victory over Ecuador before 31,265 fans at the Omnilife Stadium on Wednesday. The T&T team witnessed the game from the stands and will be hoping to match the hosts when they tangle on the pitch.

W Connection striker Shahdon Winchester who played with the Under 17s in CONCACAF World qualifiers in Mexico a couple years ago and has faced Mexican opposition at the club level, believes T&T must remain calm and play to their strengths.

“I always look forward to competition like this from the Mexicans.  We want to put in the work and do what the coach wants from us. We are like the underdogs here so we are here to give it our best and get a result. It’s a learning experience.

We lost when I was here with the Under 17s but now I’m more experienced and I think all round we are a better team. They key for us is to play our game and use our strengths. We know Mexico’s style and  we’ll have to try  to compete as best as we can because they will not make it easy for us at any point in the match,” Winchester told TTFF Media on the eve of the encounter.

US-based striker Cameron Roget is also expecting a grueling battle with the Mexicans but added that T&T will not be intimidated. The likes of senior team midfielder Kevin Molino, striker Jamal Gay, winger Micah Lewis,defender Mekiel Williams and captain Sheldon Bateau will have to shoulder the responsibility in what is expected  to be one of the most challenging affairs the current team would have had to face.

“The mood is very good. Everyone is excited about the game. We had to wait a couple extra days with the Uruguay game being pushed back so we are really keen to get out there on the pitch.  We are here to compete and try to win a medal,” Roget added.

“We will take it one game at a time. We have Mexico first and  that’s  really big for us. We are going to come out hard. We came here to fight and do something at the Games.”

On  Wednesday afternoon coach Angus Eve put his players through a session on the playing surface which is the home field for Mexican Pro team Chivas. And he was impressed by the environment inside the Stadium which is the fourth largest in Mexico.

“We got a beautiful pitch to train on the day before and we got the main field today (Wednesday) and it was excellent. The surface is really good and the ambience in the stadium is really everything you would want for football. The vibe is really good in our camp so in that sense I think the boys have settled and anticipating the match itself.

“We need to play the games one day on and one day off which is the format for the Olympic qualifiers as well but most important we are getting to play teams of a high level. If we can mark and track with these teams and get the guys to compete and feel confident enough then that would have been the most important thing for the team over here,” Eve said.

The former T&T captain has played for T&T in Mexico in the past and would like to see his players embrace the experience.

“We have guys who have played at youth World Cups. The guys need to believe in their ability. We need to bring all our experience and be confident and relaxed. We know Mexico will need to win the game in front of their home crowd but we need to settle early and play our game as best as we can,” Eve added.

The Omnilife stadium has a seating capacity of 49,850. The first public football match at the stadium which has an artificial surface, was a friendly between Guadalajara and Manchester United on July 30 2010.

Guadalajara won the game 3–2, with the first goal at the stadium scored by Javier "Chicharito" Hernández playing for Guadalajara. Hernández played the entire first half for Guadalajara and switched sides to Manchester United in the second half, symbolically sealing his transfer contract signed in March 2010.

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline Tallman

  • Administrator
  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 25253
    • View Profile
Re: T&T men look ahead to Pan-Am opener
« Reply #12 on: October 20, 2011, 09:09:47 PM »
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/mvdvqCI9KRk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/mvdvqCI9KRk</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/TsDmOYhuvcs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/TsDmOYhuvcs</a>
The Conquering Lion of Judah shall break every chain.

Offline fatimarima

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 793
    • View Profile
Re: T&T men look ahead to Pan-Am opener
« Reply #13 on: October 20, 2011, 10:15:59 PM »
I like the vibes from EVE.   Positive.   We will see what happens.   

 

1]; } ?>