T&T vs Guatemala – Concacaf Nations League
T&T vs Guatemala – Concacaf Nations League
Trinidad and Tobago men’s football team coach Angus Eve says the Soca Warriors will be treating their 2023/4 Concacaf Nations League A game against Guatemala like a final when the two teams meet from 9 pm on Friday at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo.
TT currently sit atop the six-team Nations League group with a maximum six points from two matches and will be looking to secure a top-two spot which guarantees a quarter-final place. Panama and Guatemala (both four points) are second and third respectively.
“We haven’t done anything as yet,” Eve said, as he addressed the media in a pre-match press briefing at the match venue on Thursday.
“We see this game as a final. We see it as a game that we need to win – and not lose – so that we can first maintain our position in (Nations League A). And then, the possibility of us going on to the quarter-finals with a win is great. The guys understand the expectations.”
Eve has “mixed feelings” about the absence of the injured striking pair of Malcolm Shaw and the Greek-based Levi Garcia, as both players give TT a “strong, physical presence up front.”
However, he said: “Winning those first two matches has now given us the freedom to express ourselves a bit more. We are going to take the game very seriously and be in a positive frame of mind. The boys want to do well for their country and we’ll be going into the game with no fear.
“The most important thing for us is to qualify for the quarter-finals and stay in Nations League A and maintain our rankings. We’re close to doing that and everything else will be a bonus at this stage.”
TT were knocked out of the group stage at the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup. Meanwhile, Guatemala advanced to the Gold Cup quarter-finals before falling 1-0 to a Jamaican team that defeated TT by a 4-1 margin in the tournament’s group stage. TT and Guatemala had their own tussle before the Gold Cup, as the Soca Warriors got a 1-0 friendly win on June 11 courtesy of an Alvin Jones penalty.
Eve said a lot has changed since then, and he credited the 103rd-ranked Guatemalan team for their 1-1 draw with Panama in their Nations League encounter on September 10. TT are ranked 98th.
“I think they are well-coached. The Fifa rankings are a bit deceiving because (Guatemala) were having some issues for a little while. Ranking means nothing. They drew with a Panama team that got to the Gold Cup final. They themselves got to the quarter-finals and we were booted out at the group stage.”
Like Eve, Guatemala coach Luis Fernando Tena paid respect to his opponents. He said Guatemala were the underdogs heading into Friday’s encounter.
“I know it’s going to be a difficult game. TT has had a good tournament, inclusive of the game against El Salvador. It’s going to be a bit harder,” Tena said via a translator.
“They are presently on a good course. We understand that TT will be the favourites. In football, there is also time for surprises.”
Tena expects the hosts to set up defensively.
“It’s a key game for us. We know that TT wants to win to qualify for the quarter-finals. Even a draw wouldn’t serve us well. A draw may benefit TT better than us because they already have six points.
“I think it will be a similar match like TT versus Curacao. I think TT has a defensive style of football which we will be playing against. They are very solid in defence and they also know how to play very well with their quick players up front.”
In their first game of this Nations League A campaign, TT eked out a 1-0 victory over Curacao at the Hasely Crawford Stadium thanks to a late goal from 19-year-old striker Nathaniel James. The 2023 TT Premier Football League (TTPFL) top-scorer has moved to Jamaican champions Mount Pleasant Football Academy alongside his TT teammate Kaile Auvray. Eve sees great potential in the teenage attackers.
“You are seeing the potential of the young men Nathaniel and Kaile,” Eve said. “These young guys are the future of the team and they are getting the opportunities now.”
Eve also spoke about the qualities of 34-year-old AC Port of Spain winger Tyrone Charles, a surprise inclusion in the 23-man squad.
“We looked at Tyrone in the final of the TTPFL Cup against Defence Force and he has been very consistent in the league,” he said. “We saw him transfer to AC Port of Spain without scoring many goals in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup. I think he has enough to add something to the group.”
Eve says his team will go after three points, but they will do it their way.
“We’re going to play the game to what we seek. There are different styles and thoughts on how football should be played.
“We are not producing top-class players – meaning our players haven’t been playing at the highest level for a very long time. We have to use the resources we have and we have to use the players we have. We believe that we have to play a particular style to get the results. Hence the reason we have six points today.”
From 9 pm on Friday, Guatemala and TT will stake their claim for a Nations League quarter-final spot.
Eve calls for belief as squad announced for Guatemala
Trinidad and Tobago’s men’s football coach Angus Eve has made an open call to citizens of TT to come out and support the Soca Warriors at Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo on Friday, as they face their biggest Concacaf Nations League A group test against Guatemala, from 9pm.
Eve made these remarks at the start of the team’s training camp at Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella on Monday.
Eve also announced his 23-man squad, which saw three changes from the previous international window.
Right-back Alvin Jones replaces Shannon Gomez, striker Real Gill is in for Malcolm Shaw and left winger/forward Tyrone Charles dislodged Brent Sam from the team list. Both Gomez and Shaw are nursing minor injuries.
Six foreign-based players – Noah Powder, Aubrey David, Kareem Moses, Andre Raymond, Ryan Telfer and Andre Rampersad – are expected to arrive in Trinidad on Tuesday, to join Eve’s camp.
TT won their two opening group A matches against Curacao and El Salvador, and are now chasing three wins on the trot, to book a spot in the Concacaf Nations League A quarterfinals.
“I think these guys deserve your support – by what they did, the effort they’re giving. Nobody expected us to win the games. Winning, however, has boosted their confidence.
“But what people have seen with this group is their willingness to fight for the country, the jersey, and more importantly, the messages these guys are sending out.”
Eve said players and staff sometime look at comments on social media, and are taken aback by the public’s negativity. While he acknowledged they’re not a perfect team, he said patriotism and positivity go a long way.
“They (team) don’t believe the people are supporting them….We’re in a rebuilding stage. It’s young players; we have 18 and 19 year olds here.
“They’re going out there and putting their best foot forward…They look at social media – I don’t – and they see: ‘We’re going to get five (goals),’ and ‘We’re going to get eight,’ – that’s not people supporting the team.
“It’s sad for us to be thinking like that as a community, especially with these guys who really trying to do something for the country,” he added.
Among the squad are forwards Reon Moore, Nathaniel James and Tyrone Charles; midfielders Kaile Auvray, Duane Muckette, Kevon Goddard, Neveal Hackshaw, Kristian Lee-Him and Michel Poon Angeron.
The other defenders are Justin Garcia, Jesse Williams, Kareem Moses and Ross Russell Jr while goalkeepers Christopher Biggette, Jabari St Hillaire and Denzil Smith were also called up.
“This is the first day that we have the group. We still have six players to come in because they played over the weekend. Thank God they didn’t pick up any injuries so they’re good to go.
“We’re in transition. When this group of players come in, there was a little cloud over them. And I think it hampered us in the first half of the first match (Curacao), second half we were better. And we were even better in the second match (El Salvador) at home.
“They got a little more confidence and believe they should be here. Without some of the senior players who have given this country so much, this is their time to shine,” he said.
On their opponents, Eve is well aware of their threats and weaknesses and is hoping he can exploit them with a home advantage.
On Tuesday, they travel to Curacao to play the host nation, in their final group match at Ergilio Hato Stadium.
“We want to win the game and it’s not going to be an easy game. Guatemala made the Gold Cup quarter-finals, very decent unit, unbeaten in the zone so far. They have a lot of competent players, well-coached, so we’re taking nothing for the granted.
“Our first remit in this rebuilding stage was to stay in the A (League). Now that we have the opportunity to do something bigger, we’re going to try to grasp it with both hands.”
Two more wins affirm them a spot in the quarter-finals, where lies regional powerhouses Mexico, USA, Costa Rica and Canada. TT must finish with the top two nations of group A to seal a spot in the quarters.
