Football Heads - Answer me this one

[Trini]

15 years ago, T&T played Mexico in the Gold Cup first round. BSC was the coach. We had on paper, perhaps the best team in a decade:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_CONCACAF_Gold_Cup_squads#Trinidad_and_Tobago

This was the era when we had our longest unbeaten streak in history, and playing some awesome football under BSC. For the first time ever I saw a Trinidad team play with no fear and attack Mexico all game. Naive, but entertaining, because we had the players to do so.

Needless to say we lost the game 0-4. Rafa Marquez I think scored the first goal for them, dont think he was quite at Barca yet.

But the thing I remember about that game was although we got beat bad on the records, the game was a different story. Many people were saying the game could have ended 4-4 if we had some luck. Remember a few key misses, Yorke penalty retake, etc. We went on to get 3rd place that competition. BSC as we all know was fired by Warner, saying he was too naive in his approach and T&T football shook his head as we were playing the best ball we had played in years.

Fast forward now 15 years later and check the result of the last game vs Mexico.
All things being equal, and no disrespect to the current team, these players would barely shine the boots of that 2000 squad in terms of individual pedigree.

So what is different now? Has Mexico fallen so badly?
Do we now have a much better TEAM of 11?
2015 luck vs 2000 luck?

[Sam]

It boils down to two things.

Players hungry to play, all of them have a fight in them.

They want to play for the coach.

[Tallman]

Check de highlights
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/fn7jsuIVFXU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/fn7jsuIVFXU</a>


I was actually at that game, and you're right, we played very well. It's just that each of our mistakes was punished accordingly. That 2000 team played many top quality games in 1999-200 and was a well oiled machine. The current crop does not have that level of consistency because of the off-the-field issues. Also, you cannot compare player for a player, because that does not really make a team.

[Peong]

That wasn't even Mexico's best game against us.  That Mexico squad with Palencia, Hernandez, Ramon Ramirez and Cuauhtemoc were clinical around the goal.
I hated them with a passion.

The last two goals in this game were unlucky for us.  An own goal and a bad keeper error.  We even had a defender on the line to back up the goalie and it still went in.
Disheartening scoreline but it didn't reflect our play.

[Jumbie]

could it be that mexico and the USA (evident in this tournament) are going though what we did a the past few years? We sat back thinking we were tops in the region by clouting the other Islands on the regular and that complacency (along with the off field bs) saw us sink to a period of the lowest football ever?

I think we may be swelling our heads a bit at this point. When we start playing with such intensity, passion and will to win on the regular, then we can start making comparisons (IMHO).



 

[injunchile]

Sam and Jumbie answered the question- Talk done If the truth be told Mexico and USA are not of the standard of past years. they are beatable if we only believe and keep the focus and passion.
 The existential truth is that you have to believe for the miracle to happen

[palos]

People accustomed to wastein down we players today so this is no exception.

And den does vex when KJ ben and doh give autograph

[ffisback]

the difference is S Heart is a better coach than St Clair if J Warner did not fire St Clair TT would not have made out of the group stage of the WCQ unfortunately S Heart is not good enough either  he to should be fired before WC starts.

[Football supporter]

Question: How was football funded prior to 2000? It seems that we had many more overseas friendlies, but who paid? I hear that inter island travel used to be real cheap using the old puddle jumpers, which must have made life so much easier.

Now we have a disadvantage in the Caribbean as every away game involves expensive flights. Guyana can take a bus to Suriname or Venezuela. Panama can take a bus to Costa Rica, Colombia or even Nicaragua.

El Salvador can take a bus to Nicaragua, Honduras or Guatemala.

Admittedly, you don't want to play the same teams continuously, but for pretty much the same cost as our teams going to Tobago, Central American teams can get a decent game. Imagine Honduras could travel to El Salvador, then host Guatemala in the same FIFA break and it would cost next to nothing. Then they could have one big spend by flying to Colombia (much cheaper than we can) and they're good to go for WC18 qualifiers.

Not only can we not afford to do the same, why would El Salvador spend the money to come to T&T when they can go to Mexico or Ecuador for less money?

England would always use Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland for warm ups back in the day (before they arrogantly decided that they were too good for the "lesser" teams). And even games vs Holland, Belgium, France, Germany and Switzerland were coach trips where they would cross by ferry to Europe. Of course now they fly everywhere as they have pots of money.

But it seems to me that our football is hampered by our location and island status.