Defiant Warriors are into Caribbean finals!
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868.com)
Two months ago, the Trinidad and Tobago national football team was on the verge of elimination from the Caribbean Cup without kicking a ball as the Sport Ministry initially refused to financially support what Permanent Secretary Ashwin Creed described as an abysmal team.
On Sunday, those same “Soca Warriors” will play for the right to be crowned Caribbean champions at the regional finals in Antigua.
In another show of defiance, character and composure under pressure, Trinidad and Tobago eliminated the highly-rated Martinique team 5-4 on penalties to defy the odds by reaching its first final in five years.
Neal & Massy Caledonia AIA’s elegant playmaker Ataullah Guerra gracefully stroked home the winning penalty. But the man of the hour, or two hours and 15 minutes to be more accurate, was team captain and custodian Jan-Michael Williams who matched several crucial stop in regulation time with a brilliant save from Frédéric Piquionne’s penalty to turn the tide for the Warriors.
In February, an emotional Williams threatened to quit international duty after feeling neglected by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) while his fiancée, Candice Worrell, fought for her life after a brutal robbery. At the time, the DIRECTV W Connection leader seemed outside of the reckoning for the number one shirt for his country.
Nine months later, Williams will lead his country into its most important battle since the Germany 2006 World Cup. His reversal of fortunes is a common theme within the squad.
Read more:
http://www.wired868.com/2012/12/14/defiant-warriors-are-into-caribbean-finals/
