Coach Hart wants improved display.
By Joel Bailey (Newsday).
TRINIDAD AND Tobago football team, dubbed the “Soca Warriors” will be seeking their second straight win in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers CONCACAF Zone Fourth Round Group C meeting against the St Vincent/Grenadines team, known as the “Vincey Heat”.
This game will be contested today, from 7 pm, at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.
The TT team, under the direction of coach Stephen Hart, lead Group C with seven points from three games, followed by Guatemala (who will visit the United States today) with six points, the US with four points and St Vincent/ Grenadines with no points.
On Friday, the TT squad needed a pair of goals from 18-yearold debutant midfielder Levi Garcia to earn a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over the “Vincey Heat” at the Arnos Vale Recreation Ground, Kingstown, St Vincent.
Reflecting on Friday’s match, Hart, during a training session at the Mucurapo venue on Sunday, said, “we had some good possession.
We controlled that aspect of the game, especially in the first half. But the final pass into those areas where we can get goals was a little bit lacking. The chances we did get, we weren’t clinical enough.
“When we didn’t have the ball, they were playing a direct game and, instead of us taking away the opportunity to play direct and force them to play between us, we dropped off way too deep and some mistakes happened.
And we paid the price for it.” As far as today’s game is concerned, Hart stated, “the most difficult thing when you play away from home is the pitch.
It’s a different playing surface (at Mucurapo). I will like us to control the tempo of the game but not move the ball too slowly, (just) be a bit more clinical in front of goal.” Hart raised eyebrows with the use of wing-back Justin Hoyte as a right-winger on Friday.
The TT coach pointed out, “it’s a World Cup qualifying game.
The idea was the efficiency of the team. I thought he did some fantastic things for us, he got into good positions. He hit some crosses that, on another day, we could have gotten something out of it.
“But when I asked him if he can do the midfield job he said ‘no problem’,” he added. “I think he did better than people actually realise.” Though he admitted his displeasure with the lackadaisical attitude, at times, from his players on Friday, Hart insisted that he will not be making wholesale changes today.
“It’s football, you have ups and downs, and as I looked at the game again, we did some very good things on a difficult pitch,” he commented.
“What we need to do to is to be a little bit sharper in the things that makes us more efficient.
You have to cut down on your errors.” With Guatemala defeating US 2-0 on Friday to move up to second spot, Hart was asked if the TT players will be nervous since it’s a virtual three-horse race for the top two places in Group C - the top two will advance to the CONCACAF Zone Final Round next year.
“No,” he replied. “It’s a World Cup qualification (match). The objective is to get a result in every game that you play. I am not in control of the United States or Guatemala. I always felt you will need about 11 or 12 points to qualify.”