Thread for USA vs T&T Game (31-Jan-2021)

[pull stones]

BTW foncette was responsible for 4 of the seven goals. the first one he came off his line at the attacker obstructing his defender and pushing him off the play when he should have sat still and allow his defenders to deal with the one single attacker.

the third goal saw him running out again missing the ball completely and getting beat which saw him scrabbling back to an empty net.

 the next goal saw him at the top of the six yard box leaving the attacker with tons of option, even a simply chip would have scored, it caught him totally out of position.

Our keepers seem to forget one of the basic rules in goal keeping.... POSITIONING. that could be the difference between a clean sheet and a mauling...aka shaka hislop vs sweden. that game could have turned out way different had it not been for Shaka’s great sense of positioning.

[ZANDOLIE]

PS. I almost fell out of my chair when Clark and cyrus claimed that DJW had a plan for football development by giving Stuart charles the responsibility to groom some under 15s as the crop for the future and Brian Williams agreed. they even praised his decision to abandoned the U23 and the rest of the football programs including the women just so he can concentrate on the U 15,

then I recall those same kids being mauled by venezeula and.....I believe it was panama in a tournament where they had not won a single game or even came close, yet these jokers sat there and thumbs up that charade as a good idea?

this is my sincere opinion and conclusion to our failure or success. our football will remain in trouble and our lads embarrassed all over the world if we don’t rid our football of these vermin masquerading as football ambassadors in trinidad and tobago.

they need to start by schooling these kids in a proper footballing environment with European or American coaching staff with a the proper nutritional, physical and mental program. that’s the only way forward.

Then 8-1 they got from Jamaica previous to that was a near-mass-extinction event. Then a  6-0 from the U.S. The icing on the cake was a dead last finish in CONCACAF.

Ah, memories

[Trini _2026]

Inside Bryan Reynolds' transfer to AS Roma and its long-term impact for FC Dallas | Tom Bogert
https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2021/02/04/inside-bryan-reynolds-transfer-roma-and-its-long-term-impact-fc-dallas-tom-bogert

Suggesting a single event happened both incredibly fast and yet seemed to drag on for a long time should be two mutually exclusive descriptors, two sentiments that cannot co-exist in the same space. Yet it aptly describes the Bryan Reynolds saga that gripped MLS this winter.

That saga eventually ended with the FC Dallas academy product posing with an AS Roma jersey after a club-record transfer. For a move that seemed to come out of nowhere yet refuse to go away, it was a hectic few months for those involved and trying to follow along.

“This deal was a rollercoaster," FCD technical director Andre Zanotta told MLSsoccer.com on Thursday with a laugh. “In the end, we feel very happy that he’s going to such a great club.”

Those around the club and US youth national team circles have long been bullish on Reynolds' talent and potential. That goes without saying, as Dallas inked him to a new four-year contract just before starting right back and USMNT regular Reggie Cannon was transferred to Boavista. They knew he'd be ready for more minutes and given his age, physical metrics and natural attacking technical ability — he was a winger his entire youth career before switching to fullback — it was no surprise he'd catch the eye of European clubs.

But even they didn't know how quickly "catching the eye" would turn into serious phone calls from Europe's biggest clubs, which would turn into a potential eight-figure transfer for a kid who'd made just 15 MLS starts.
“We didn’t expect it to be that fast," Zanotta admitted. "Just six months earlier we sold Reggie Cannon. We were sure we had the replacement in-house, we didn’t need to bring in any other right back because it was the time for Bryan to step up. I had high expectations for him but I didn’t expect after 15 games, all of a sudden he has all these clubs after him.”

Roma were the first to submit an official offer, as reported by MLSsoccer.com in December. While the likes of AC Milan, Inter Milan and plenty of others were interested, a clear top three emerged with Roma, Juventus and Club Brugge.

Brugge were the next to submit an offer, something both FCD and Reynolds' camp were intrigued by. Moving to Brugge would give Reynolds a clearer opportunity to consistent playing time as well as European competition. Dallas were interested in a lucrative sell-on clause in addition to the original fee, though that deal never materialized.

While Dallas were close with Roma to agreeing on finances, negotiations between the Italian club and Reynolds did not go well. Roma were still awaiting their new sporting director, Tiago Pinto, to start work on January 1. Talks stopped for a while, Juventus stepped up their chase.

A deal with Juventus would be complicated, though. Clubs in Italy are limited to how many non-European Union players they can sign each season. Juventus didn't have an open slot, meaning he'd have to go another club until the summer before joining Juventus. Cagliari were the first club reported before it was settled on Benevento to be Reynolds' temporary home, should Juventus seal a deal.

Roma didn't have this roster problem. And, with no deal done elsewhere, Roma found common ground with both Dallas and Reynolds' camp to land the player.

“[When] Tiago started in Roma, who started negotiating with the player again," Zanotta said. "That was the issue. On our side was just small details left. In the end, we felt this was the best for us and Bryan. Roma won the race.”


Reynolds was officially unveiled on Monday, which was deadline day in Europe.

“Bryan is such a great kid and a great talent," Zanotta said. "I’m very happy for him, I’m sure he’ll do well there. It’ll be fun to watch him.”

For the second time in as many transfer windows, Dallas will have to replace a player in the US national team pool at right back. Just like after Cannon left and Reynolds stepped in, they're going to look internally first.

“Eddie Munjoma didn’t have any minutes with the first team, but he played at a very good level with North Texas," Zanotta said. "He’ll have his chances. Ryan Hollingshead has shown he can play as a right back, Bressan has played as a right back. Maybe some other young players we can make work to claim that position. I believe we have options in our group to play there and play well. Let’s see, we might not even need to look in the market for a new right back.”

Zanotta said the transfer doesn't totally alter their offseason plans.

“We made almost all the transfers we might do [this winter]," Zanotta said. "Most of the transfers already happened, we’re happy with who we’ve signed.”

Long-lasting impact
Zanotta is no stranger to these types of deals.

The Brazilian previously worked for storied clubs Gremio and Santos, two clubs at the forefront of player development and selling players to Europe. Dallas are on the track, which is why Zanotta felt so comfortable in joining.

“It makes us proud of where we’re going with FC Dallas," Zanotta said. "All these clubs are watching us, watching our players. It’s really good.”

The Reynolds transfer, following the likes of Reggie Cannon (Boavista) and Chris Richards (Bayern Munich) in recent years as well academy product Weston McKennie starring for Juventus, compounds to have a long-lasting, very positive, impact.

“I worked at Santos and Gremio, those are the top two or three academies in Brazil," Zanotta began to explain. "Neymar on one side, Ronaldinho on the other side to just name one for each. When there is interest in a player from Santos or Gremio who is at the same level of another player at a different team, the buying clubs tend to pay more for the player coming from Santos or Gremio. The Santos and Gremio brand adds more value to the transfer when a club wants to buy a player from those teams.

“I’m starting to feel that at Dallas."

In addition to those already starring in Europe, Dallas have a deep collection of current youth internationals in the academy and first team. The price keeps going up for the next talent.

"Obviously not quite the history of Santos, who have 100 years doing this and Pele coming through the academy in the 1950s," Zanotta said, "but with all [former Dallas] players in Europe, the perception from Europe of players coming from FC Dallas is seen differently. They see a stamp of quality. FC Dallas is creating this strong brand, this seal of quality for players. Clubs are willing to invest more because they know the quality of our academy system, the pathway of players through the first team.”

[Tallman]

WATCH: TTFA Media Officer Shaun Fuentes sits down with Trinidad and Tobago-born ESPN Plus and USL Commentator/Analyst Ryan Davis for a post-match wrap up after last Sunday's International Friendly between Trinidad and Tobago and the United States

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

[Peong]

Our off-the-ball marking was woeful.  Anytime a us player passed a ball, our players not in the immediate vicinity of the ball immediately relaxed and gazed at the ball while the us players kept moving around, looking for the next run to make.  Too many times you see our players surprised that a us player managed to find some space in an attacking area, and then we playin catch up when it was usually too late.
That's not a new problem for us, but it was as bad as I have ever seen it in this game.
We really lucky we ent get 10.

[Tallman]

Putting things into perspective
By Shaun Fuentes (T&T Guardian)

Even before last Sunday’s international friendly, T&T-born Dr Mario John, an Orlando-based orthopaedic surgeon looked me in the eye and asked, “Man, how have you dealt with this for 20 years?” I looked at him and smiled. I didn’t say much.

This was the first day of the six-day camp at the Omni Championsgate, Orlando and we had more important things to focus on in relation to the upcoming international friendly with the United States.

We were barely 24 hours into our stay and Mario, the FA's chief medical officer for the tour, had already been through much from dealing with players, communicating by the hour with US Soccer to ensure our team was compliant with all the requirements, ensuring our team was receiving everything that had been requested, basically being part of a system to ensure all measures were in place for a national team in the build-up to international football.

Now, remember our team was heading into its first match in over a year and we were welcoming close to a handful of players who were entering our camp for the first time. So you could imagine the challenges were not as few as one would like.

I would give my answer to Mario’s earlier question on the night of the 7-0 loss at Exploria Stadium.

“You learn not to overly despair after suffering a defeat, as heavy as it is, regardless of the circumstances. You reflect, learn from what went wrong, move forward and focus on helping execute a plan to succeed into action. You stand ground.”

I might have sounded confident and less emotional but truth be told, I only got a hang of this maybe 10 to 12 years into my tenure with the national team. I had basically seen it all by then, from faltering in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers to missing out on Gold Cup qualifying after failing at Caribbean Cup level, to losing 5-1 away to Guatemala preceding the heights of beating Bahrain and then holding Sweden 0-0 in Germany, then plummeting again, losing a World Cup qualifier at home to Bermuda, failing to qualify for a Gold Cup until 2013. The list goes on.

I’ve learnt over the years that there are times when it’s not yet right to press the panic button but instead focus on the way forward. For me, the key to dealing with such outcomes lies in the process of effectively reviewing and giving feedback back on the performance. Only then can you formulate the potential solutions.

For this particular game, I think because of the T&T versus USA history and the fact that it was our first international game in so long, the supporter expectation prior to the game had been whipped to fever pitch. And yet, for all the hype and little preparation, we were clearly beaten by a better side. And the backlash has been massive.

I cannot recall there even me half the concerns and dismay expressed when we lost 6-0 to the US in the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup where really you would expect the disappointment to be greater due to the prestige and importance of such a competition. It seemed hardly anyone cared back in 2019. But this time has proven to be different.

There were over 300 T&T fans at the match. They whipped up a tailgate affair and we would hear the sounds of the rhythm section as the bus drove into the stadium. It was a welcomed sight and sound for us. But it didn't end there. We were down 4-0 at half time and as Mario and I approached the tunnel leading to the locker room at half time, we were greeted by this man clad in T&T colours belting out the expletives in local palance from the stand right above.

"All ya wasting time," he repeated maybe four times in ten seconds as other players also walked by. It may have been harsh but it demonstrated pain and passion by a T&T national, he wanted better and we had disappointed him.

I kept my face straight and continued walking as upright as possible. After all, I had bags of urine thrown at me and other members of the staff following the 2-1 win over Guatemala in 2016 in one of many colourful episodes.

Though the score was a reality check, it is a reality check that needs to be put into perspective.

For any coach or team going through such an ideal, it is important that the parties involved be in a position to deliver almost everything effectively from planning to preparation and execution, in victory and defeat. “Know thyself”, a Greek maxim says that understanding how you deal with things helps you explain your actions.

Over the years, I found a mechanism for dealing with defeat. It was a process that allowed me to get over the result and move forward to a place where I could think clearly and therefore assess the performance in a balanced, clear and objective manner. This has helped me with my duties and generally how I manage all media relations at the national team level, also when I’ve worked at FIFA and CONCACAF events and even with my family business.

No matter what strategies you put in place, how committed you are, or how much effort you put into something, sometimes you will face a situation where the differences between you and the competition are such that the outcome becomes inevitable. You can only push on despite the circumstances or odds there may be against you.

In sport, there will always be victories and defeats, the highs and the lows. You have to recognise that in every scenario and every situation there are key experiences that you can learn from and draw on in the years to come.

[Bianconeri]

WATCH: Former National Footballer now Coach, Angus Eve, says last evening's record-breaking defeat at the hands of the United States was not a good sign for national football.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/XOvAoDbN2A8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/XOvAoDbN2A8</a>

listen to the rubbish this idiot is pushing, local vs foreign based. that’s all he got from the game, I thought we was supposed to be a team? this is exactly the sentiments that I alluded to in an earlier post, the egomania amongst our local football fraternity is an ever impending doom on the growth and developement of the game on the twin islands.

years ago before there were any such thing as local vs foreign there was north vs south vs tobago. The southern players would cry about being undermined by coaches who favored northern players, and Tobagonians would complain how their players are being marginalized and overlooked for trinidad born players. now in the 21st century it’s local vs foreign based. when would this divisive nonsense end?? aren’t we supposed to be one bloody team?

He is a T&T-based coach. Quite naturally that renders him an advocate for local players. And it's his place to advocate and to shed light on those players and their qualities. Coaches like Eve and Cooper are important cogs in the ecosystem. And that's also what was at play in the old days. You think Edgar Vidale wasn't going to lean on a player from his neck of the woods if he had observed that player intimately?

What I want to know is what advice Eve has for Sadoo.

Anyway, I don't think Eve is being out ah timing. Fenwick gambled. Some coaches don't gamble their reps. Fenwick had a lot of in-built insurance to geh way with this gamble.

Isn't Angus part of the national program presently? He's the head coach of the U20 ent?
This isnt a good look at all here
Even if he wasn't in the program currently...

I def. rate Angus amongst our local coaches and it's really unfortunate with covid he hasn't gotten the opportunity to carry out his current role.
I just think these comments were poorly timed and unnecessary from within the coaching fraternity

[Bianconeri]

They paying a GK coach in Florida by the hour or will Marvin and Foncette be taking turns prepping each other? This doesn't strike me as a match to be cutting corners in the GK department.

So what happened? How did this play out?

Old school ways.

Not valuing the importance of a GK coach.
Ok, Kelvin Jack was unavailable. So what about the other GK coaches in the program??

Poor judgement on this one.
they probably trained themselves based on their experience.

[Bianconeri]

PS. I almost fell out of my chair when Clark and cyrus claimed that DJW had a plan for football development by giving Stuart charles the responsibility to groom some under 15s as the crop for the future and Brian Williams agreed. they even praised his decision to abandoned the U23 and the rest of the football programs including the women just so he can concentrate on the U 15,

then I recall those same kids being mauled by venezeula and.....I believe it was panama in a tournament where they had not won a single game or even came close, yet these jokers sat there and thumbs up that charade as a good idea?

this is my sincere opinion and conclusion to our failure or success. our football will remain in trouble and our lads embarrassed all over the world if we don’t rid our football of these vermin masquerading as football ambassadors in trinidad and tobago.

they need to start by schooling these kids in a proper footballing environment with European or American coaching staff with a the proper nutritional, physical and mental program. that’s the only way forward.

Remember who their boss was....

and Clark is a known DJW "groupie" thru all the drama during his tenure

[Sando prince]

wait so iz the same set of licks from the US as what happened in the last Gold Cup 

[Tallman]

Epic fail on first match
T&T Newsday

TO RECALL a loss as punishing as the one the national senior men's football team experienced on January 31, you'd have to go back two decades to the Azteca Stadium on October 8, 2000, when the Mexican team overwhelmed a second-string T&T squad seven-nil.

In the wake of that humiliation, there was talk of not having enough time to acclimatise to the venue, which is more than 7,000 feet above sea level.

Teasing apart the reasons for the crushing defeat of the first team assembled by coach Terry Fenwick last week demands more fine-tuned contemplation.

It was a match of firsts. A first for Mr Fenwick as national coach. The first assembly of a new team, heavily weighted with new talent trained and largely resident in the US, and local veterans, some at the other end of their career arcs.

The mix never seemed to find the harmony needed to put up a fight against even a second-string US team.

Hanging over the defeat is the parlous state of senior-level football in this country.

It's also impossible to separate the collapse of the team on the field from the nearly constant combativeness within the T&T Football Association over the last two years and the consequent feuding with FIFA that led to a collapse of local football management in 2019.

The administrative debris left behind after that infighting was further crushed by covid19 restrictions, limiting opportunities for team training even as the local football association spun in backroom circles without, apparently, sparing any thought for preparations for the field of play.

And this defeat came during a friendly match meant to test team strategy and play dynamics.

The extent of the failure on the field demands a complete rethinking of team composition, field strategy and the development of winning play and finishing dynamics that were almost completely absent from the Exploria Stadium in Orlando.

T&T will face Guyana in its opening effort at the Concacaf World Cup qualifiers on March 25, but there doesn't seem to be a national team ready to compete in the global competition.

The week before the match, Mr Fenwick described it as "a great opportunity and experience for so many young players in T&T who have not played competitive football for over a year."

Unfortunately, the Orlando experience has come as a great chastening for the national team, its support staff and Mr Fenwick.

What the new coach needs now is time to work with his new team, clearly more than he's had so far.

Is the TTFA up to creating that environment in T&T's current circumstances? The organisation's fractured state doesn't offer much hope of an organised, effective response.

[asylumseeker]

WATCH: Former National Footballer now Coach, Angus Eve, says last evening's record-breaking defeat at the hands of the United States was not a good sign for national football.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/XOvAoDbN2A8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/XOvAoDbN2A8</a>

listen to the rubbish this idiot is pushing, local vs foreign based. that’s all he got from the game, I thought we was supposed to be a team? this is exactly the sentiments that I alluded to in an earlier post, the egomania amongst our local football fraternity is an ever impending doom on the growth and developement of the game on the twin islands.

years ago before there were any such thing as local vs foreign there was north vs south vs tobago. The southern players would cry about being undermined by coaches who favored northern players, and Tobagonians would complain how their players are being marginalized and overlooked for trinidad born players. now in the 21st century it’s local vs foreign based. when would this divisive nonsense end?? aren’t we supposed to be one bloody team?

He is a T&T-based coach. Quite naturally that renders him an advocate for local players. And it's his place to advocate and to shed light on those players and their qualities. Coaches like Eve and Cooper are important cogs in the ecosystem. And that's also what was at play in the old days. You think Edgar Vidale wasn't going to lean on a player from his neck of the woods if he had observed that player intimately?

What I want to know is what advice Eve has for Sadoo.

Anyway, I don't think Eve is being out ah timing. Fenwick gambled. Some coaches don't gamble their reps. Fenwick had a lot of in-built insurance to geh way with this gamble.

Isn't Angus part of the national program presently? He's the head coach of the U20 ent?
This isnt a good look at all here
Even if he wasn't in the program currently...

I def. rate Angus amongst our local coaches and it's really unfortunate with covid he hasn't gotten the opportunity to carry out his current role.
I just think these comments were poorly timed and unnecessary from within the coaching fraternity

Goes back to the code coaches sign/ed upon assuming NT duty.

[Flex]

Lessons in Covid-19 return to play protocols for T&T.
By Shaun Fuentes (T&T Guardian).

Officials of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) received first-hand experience and knowledge on the operations of national teams in international football in a Covid-19 world in collaboration with the United States Soccer Federation during the January training camp and international match which was played on Jnaury 31 in Orlando, Florida, USA.

The T&T delegation entered the camp with Orlando-based orthopaedic surgeon Mario John as its chief medical officer and sports medicine doctor Akash Dhanai as its team doctor and along with other members of the technical staff, they were constantly liaising with members of the US Soccer delegation and medical staff on Covid-19 Return to Play protocols and best practices. US Soccer set up a dedicated clinic at the Omni Championsgate facility in Orlando which dealt specifically with testing and medical services for members of both delegations over the five days.

The Covid-19 handbook presented to the T&T delegation provided specific information on guiding principles; medical protocols; travel and hotel; and training protocols. The guidelines were created using FIFA's Covid-19 tool and published documents as well as the Centers for Disease and World Health Organization guidelines. These guidelines are all applicable for international football at the elite level.

What officials of the Senior Men's team received throughout the recent camp was proper guidance and required protocols for medical testing and screening, athlete and staff care, hotel and travel operations, training protocols, game operations and visiting and hosting team as well as match officials protocols.

The foundation that was needed for the success of those protocols included aggressive testing; behaviour compliance; social distancing; correct and constant use of PPE gear; hygiene practices and contact tracing. At the end of the stay, these protocols proved to be successful as both delegations departing the venue without anyone contracting the virus.

“These standard of care and best practices as well as evidence-based decision making, are a reflection of the advances made in proper return to play protocols. US Soccer is collaborating with various stakeholders daily such as the Centre for Disease Control, standardising testing across the board to ensure sport takes place in the safest of environments without putting people at risk of contracting Covid. This is all data-driven,” John said.

Throughout the stay, all of us as members of the delegation had a designated occupancy space for all meals, team meetings and transportation via the team bus when required. All members routinely received point of care rapid and PCR testing. Meals were individually packaged and served until the PCR results were returned the next day following the team's arrival at the facility on the night of January 28th. Limited pod training with groups of 4-5 was mandatory for the first session on January 29th,

US football also introduced The Play On Pledge which is a powerful and unifying “call to action,” providing a foundation and opportunity for coaches, teams, players and communities to proactively affirm their commitment to health and safety during this challenging time. The Pledge enables members of the broad football community in the US to come together as one, in respect for the sport, each other and themselves.

US football Chief Medical Officer George Chiampas later relayed that as hosts, his organization was satisfied with the conduct of the T&T delegation. He highlighted that the events of the camp showed just how much can be accomplished when all parties concerned work towards a collective and shared goal.

Dr John, who was also the T&T team doctor during the 2007 FIFA Under 17 Men's World Cup in South Korea, commended the T&T staff and players for coming through the period without issues.

"We had a fairly extensive and rigorous schooling in terms of maintaining covid protocols throughout our stay. It became a part of the culture for our players and staff members. They would wear their masks, no handshakes etc and I was very proud of the boys for their discipline throughout the camp. It is very difficult to stay in a confined bubble for such a period. They asked the necessary questions and we had no problems concerning a breach of protocols," said John

It's a step in the right direction and it is something these boys will take back to their communities. It was a lesson in public health for everyone and it is a good example for the nation particularly as we look to start hosting international matches on home soil," added the Howard University and Queen's Royal College graduate.

Editor's note:

Shaun Fuentes is the head of TTFA Media. He is a former FIFA Media Officer at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey The views expressed are solely his and not a representation of any organisation. shaunfuentes@yahoo.com

[Flex]

Players to receive fees for US match this week.
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian).

Players on the country’s senior national football team will finally receive match fees for the USA match, this week.

Team captain Khaleem Hyland revealed this yesterday, almost two months after the January 31 encounter in which the T&T team was demolished 0-7 by the USA in an international friendly clash in Orlando, Florida in the United States.

Hyland, a defensive midfielder who expected to join the T&T team in the Dominican Republic from his Saudi Arabian club Al-Batin Football Club, said he did not want to reveal the amount agreed upon for the players, only saying it was a decent amount.

Hyland is among a players’ committee which has been negotiating for the rights and privileges of the players on the team. Guardian Media Sports were reliably informed that the amount for the US match ranges from US$500 to US$1,000, dependant on seniority.


That amount is expected to be increased exponentially for the World Cup Qualifying campaign which starts on March 25 with the opening match against Guyana in the Dominican Republic.

Guardian Media Sports was told that after the US match, the players requested an increased in their match-fees from US$1,000 to US$4,000, which troubled the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee and his chairman Robert Hadad.

Yesterday, however, Hyland confirmed that an agreement was reached between the parties but he was not at liberty to speak on it.

The T&T players went into camp yesterday, a day after they edged T&T Pro League campaigners Defence Force 1-0 in a warm-up match at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo, Port-of-Spain. The lone item came off the boot of Reon Moore in the 80th minute.

The players and staff will spend a two-day quarantine period before they wing-out tomorrow (on Thursday) for the game venue in the Dominican Republic on a chartered flight. 

Hyland called for total support for his team, in a move to repair the nation from the hurt, negativity and pain caused by the spate of crime in recent times.

“I want the public to believe. It’s not only the players here but an entire country. Each one help one. With the current crime situation in the country, we need to do something positive by winning this game, and give people some hope,” Hyland said.  

Despite the recent concern of tension in the team, the midfielder said he is confident that they can pull off a win.

“It will not be an easy match but I feel we have a good chance, as we will do all and everything that we have to do, to get the right result.”

The Soca Warriors are in Group F alongside Guyana, Puerto Rico, Cayman Islands and St Kitts/Nevis. Only the top team will progress from the group at the play-off.

Hyland also called for more to be done by the powers that be, to ensure that the team gets to play at home for its next home match of the Qualifiers, saying while the Dominican Republic will be the venue for their coming home game, it is not their home and every team will be hoping to capitalise on their home-game advantage for the Qualifiers as every point is important. 

[asylumseeker]

1. That debacle in Florida provided a definition of why performance-related incentives and performance-related base pay tied to subsequent matches are important.

Guardian Media Sports was told that after the US match, the players requested an increased in their match-fees from US$1,000 to US$4,000, which troubled the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee and his chairman Robert Hadad.

2. It isn't difficult to see why that would be troubling.

Presumably the $4,000 was presented to trigger negotiations as opposed to being a serious figure at this stage of the football reality show?

[Deeks]

Fly all the way from Saudi for 1000 dollars!

[Sam]

Fly all the way from Saudi for 1000 dollars!

Want $4000 US for a 7-0 lost in a friendly game.

Killers...

[maxg]

Fly all the way from Saudi for 1000 dollars!

Want $4000 US for a 7-0 lost in a friendly game.

Killers...

Supposed the players did exactly as to the extent of their instructions. If your boss put y'all to work as a team, some fellas not really up to par, but you all do exactly as the boss instructed, is it the workers fault the end product wasn't up to a satisfied quality. If the workers did their best job with the info given, shouldn't they be paid ? Did the Manager/business lose funds because of the outcome or they made the same regardless of the outcome ? What the workers should have done was negotiate their payment in advance, with bonuses based on result of work, as they might be doing now. Maybe they need a workers union to negotiate set fees. Don't see how they negotiating after the fact doh, unless they organizing for the future.  I always thought this was already done. If it was, then we could only be talking going forward.