Written by SI's Mark Bechtel
Intercontinental playoff: Trinidad and Tobago vs. Bahrain
How They Got Here
Trinidad and Tobago (ranked No. 56 in the world): Finished fourth in CONCACAF
Bahrain (No. 53): Finished third in Group B in Asia; beat Uzbekistan on away goals when their playoff finished 1-1
Head-to-Head: Believe it or not, they've never met.
How They're Playing
Trinidad and Tobago: In 1990, the Soca Warriors needed a draw at home against the U.S. in their final qualifier to make it to their first World Cup. They lost 1-0. In October they were in a similar situation, knowing they likely needed a win against Mexico in their last game to book passage to that elusive first Cup. This time they got it, thanks to two Stern John goals.
They edged out Guatemala, a team that beat them 5-1, for the playoff spot, despite having an overwhelmingly negative goal difference. That doesn't bode well, but they have been playing better since head coach Leo Beenhakker took over in April (shortly after the Guatemala debacle), and with John and Dwight Yorke up top, T&T has a striker partnership that a lot of teams ranked ahead of it in the FIFA world rankings would gladly take.
Bahrain: Needing a scoreless draw, and with its top two strikers hurt, Bahrain got the result it needed against Uzbekistan, going through on the away goals rule. That demonstrates some resolve and some pluck. Alas, their play prior to that suggests that the Bahrainis are in over their collective head. They advanced to their playoff with Uzbekistan by virtue of finishing third in a four-team group, winning just once in six games.
They have, however, been steadily improving for the past couple of years, advancing to the semifinals of the '04 Asian Cup, where they wowed onlookers all tournament long with their flashy offensive displays. (FIFA named Bahrain the most improved team of 2004.) The defense wasn't so flashy, though, and they lost 4-3 to Japan in the semis. In their last round of World Cup qualifying, they played it much closer to the vest, scoring just four goals and conceding only seven in their six games.
Player to Watch
Trinidad and Tobago: John was the second-leading scorer in CONCACAF during qualifying, netting 12 goals to run his tally to a remarkable 64 in 89 games for his country. Yorke might not be the threat he was with Manchester United, but he can still find the net.
The key performer, though, could be the man who sets them up, midfielder Russell Latapy, whom Yorke recently coaxed out of international retirement. He's 37 and he smokes a pack of butts a day, but the Little Magician, who was on the pitch for that fateful game against the U.S. in 1989, is still, well, magical. (He's been playing especially well for Falkirk of the Scottish Premier League.) His presence takes some pressure off of Yorke and John -- they can worry less about creating chances and concentrate more on finishing the ones Latapy sets up.
Bahrain: Dynamo Kiev striker Maksim Shatskikh, who missed the second leg of the Uzbekistan playoff, has recovered from the virus that kept him out. But the key for Bahrain could be striker Alaa Hubail, who played sparingly in the first leg and not at all in the second after missing eight months with an injury. I'd be lying if I said I've seen him play, but everywhere you look, someone is calling him "talismanic," which is a good thing. And he was the co-leading scorer in the '04 Asian Cup.
The Call
If Bahrain reverts to its freewheeling ways -- its last two games in the '04 Asian Cup featured 13 goals and three dismissals -- this could be better than anything UEFA has to offer. Trinidad and Tobago definitely benefits from playing the first leg at home, since Bahrain faces two transcontinental flights in the space of a week.
Between Bahrain's jet lag and the presence of Latapy, Yorke, John and Beenhakker, T&T should finally make it to its first World Cup. It will win 3-1 at home and draw 2-2 on the road, getting in 5-3 on aggregate.
