Eve pleased with Guyana exercise

Eve pleased with Guyana exercise

Trinidad and Tobago head coach Angus Eve has admitted he has been given a lot to think about by the performances of some of his locally-based players during their two-match sweep of Guyana in their international friendlies at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo on Monday and Wednesday nights.

On Monday, T&T got its first win in four matches in 2024 via goals from debutants, 22-year-old Ezekiel Kesar, in the 28th, and Kevon ‘Showtime’ Woodley, ten minutes later in a 2-1 win over the Golden Jaguars who got a 47th-minute item from Kelsey Benjamin.

And on Wednesday at the same venue, midfielder Michel Poon-Angeron, 23, playing his 13th match broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute after the Guyana defender failed to clear a Jabari Mitchell attempt before Kesar robbed Guyana defender Terique Mohammed of the ball and found an unmarked Woodley who fired home off a defender in the 77th.

Guyana’s best chance fell to substitute Simeon Moore a minute from full time, but after latching on to a weak back pass from substitute Matthew Woo Ling, he wrong-footed defender Josiah Trimmingham, only to be denied a reflex save from goalkeeper Denzil Smith, low to his left.

For both coaches, T&T’s Eve and Guyana’s T&T-born Jamaal Shabbaz the matches served as key opportunities for their mostly home-based players ahead of the start of their respective Second Round of Concacaf 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers early next month.

The ‘Soca Warriors’ will open their Group B five-team round-robin Second Round of World Cup qualifiers at home to neighbour Grenada on June 5 at Mucurapo from 7.30 pm followed by an away clash with the Bahamas on June 8 at St Kitts & Nevis Football Association Technical Center in Basseterre.

T&T will then complete their four-match schedule in 2025 with a home encounter against St Kitts & Nevis on June 6, followed by an away outing to group favourite Costa Rica while Guyana will kick off its Group D series away to Panama in Panama City on June 6 before entertaining Belize in Bridgetown, Barbados on June 11 while they also face Nicaragua and Montserrat.

Speaking after his team’s 2-0 win over neighbours Guyana via goals from Michel Poon-Angeron, and veteran striker Kevon ‘Showtime” Woodley, his second in as many matches against the same opponents, the 52-year-old Eve said, “As I said before the games were about exposing young players and maintaining the players that are in and around the player’s pool, and I thought that was the most part important part to give players the opportunity and grasp it with both hands. Tonight’s game especially I thought the first half was excellent again without scoring the chances that we got, and technically I think it could have been a bigger scoreline, but we will take the win.”

With the World Cup qualifiers kicking off next month Eve said he most definitely was able to get out of the two matches what he wanted as he looks to finalise his team.

He said, We had just about five days with the guys two days before the first match and a day in between, and another opportunity to play.

So for us trying to impact what we are trying to impart and to see them try to execute it on the field I was very happy for the most part except for the second half of the first game, and I thought that we were very consistent in our play today (Wednesday), but again we give away some sloppy chances, and we have to eliminate those problems when we play big teams.”

Eve said he would not only praise Kesar and Woodley, but added, “I would throw Matthew Woo Ling, and Daniel David in as well because I thought they were excellent and they took the opportunity that they got tonight (Wednesday) and in the previous game. And I thought when we brought them on the second half, they changed the game and we got a bit more tempo and more penetration, so I’m very happy for these guys as they got the opportunity and I thought they grasped it with both hands.”

He added, “I also thought defender Trimmingham (Josiah) was good at the back, he was solid, and you know Raymond (Andre) was very consistent and I thought Isaiah Garcia who came on and played right back because Alvin Jones) had an injury, so we sued Liam Burns in the first match and Isaiah (Garcia) in this match, and I thought the four goalkeepers did well, with what they had to do in the matches and time, so there were a lot of positive performances.

Looking ahead to the June 5 qualifier at home against Grenada at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, and three days later away to the Bahamas at St Kitts/Nevis Football Association Technical Centre in Basseterre, Eve says that he has been giving some food for thought by several players over the course of the two matches versus Guyana.

Asked who the players that impressed enough to be in consideration for team selection, Eve, a former national captain replied, ‘A number of players, but I’m not going to say it here right now, but yes a number of them give us something to think about.

In terms of the team preparations for the matches against Grenada and Bahamas, he said it will be difficult with the limited time allotted to do so.

He explained, “The guys will be with their clubs until the end of the month in the local league (T&T Premier Football League) wrapping up soon with three of four matches to go inclusive of the knockout matches and the foreign-based players are still in season as well and we will get them when the window is open at the end of the month. So we have to tell the Guyana Football Federation thanks for coming on board to help us with the preparation as well.”

TEAMS

T&T: 21.Aaron Enill (GK) (22.Denzil Smith [GK] 46th); 2.Isaiah Garcia, 5.Josiah Trimmingham, 17.Justin Garcia (capt), 6.Andre Raymond; 18.Kevon Goddard (15.Simeon Bailey 86th), 8.Michel Poon-Angeron (16.Matthew Woo Ling 74th); 14.Jabari Mitchell (9.Ezekiel Kesar 74th), 10.Duane Muckette (13.Daniel David 74th), 4.Shervohnez Hamilton (7.Isaiah Lee 46th [20.Lindell Sween 80th]); 19.Brent Sam (23.Kevon Woodley 46th).

Subs not used: 3.Ross Russell Jr, 11.Adriel George, 12.Robert Primus.

Coach: Angus Eve

Guyana: 1.Jamine Cumberbatch (GK) (22.Amari Thompson [GK] 80th); 14.Curtez Kellman, 3.Kevin Layne (21.Cedric Osborne 82nd), 19.Quincy Adams; 16.Nicholai Andrews, 6.Darron Niles (8.Chris Macey 61st), 17.Daniel Wilson (capt), 2.Leo-Orion Lovell (15.Ryan Hackett 61), 4.Terique Mohammed (20.Amos Ramsay 80); 11.Kelsey Benjamin (7.Marcus Tudor 61), 9.Anthony Smith (23.Simeon Moore).

Subs not used: 18.Simon Emanuel (GK), 10.Stephen McDonald, 12.Solomon Austin, 13.Bevan Baker.

Coach: Jamaal Shabazz