‘Soca Warriors’ reign as kings end

THE EDITOR: The glorious reign of the Soca Warriors as a dominant force in Caribbean Soccer was broken on that fateful Sunday evening of March 30 at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium induced by Cuba’s emphatic 3-1 victory over the Calypso Boys.

As the consequence, the bright prospect of TT chances of advancing to the CONCACAF Gold Cup waned into anxiety and disappointment. It is imperative that the TTFA review the Warriors’ football image, its vulnerable fragility and susceptibility towards other regional opponents, if this country is seriously contemplating to qualify for the 2006 World Cup  finals in Germany. Incredibly, the standard of footaball has declined significantly. In contrast, Ian Porterfield, the former Scotland coach, gave our football some optimism with sensational victories over Canada and Mexico leading up to the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, that resulted in TT leading the preliminary standings. Expectations of greater success were then high, which were followed by an unprecedented wave of patriotic support for the national team. Understandably, public support has faded which is reflected in the poor support the national team has been receiving lately.

Quite recently, the Warriors suffered defeats by St Lucia and Martinique. Moreover, if there was a victory it was always questionable. For instance, in the 1-0 victory over Guadeloupe. Can you imagine a team of highly rated professionals playing against a team rated over a hundred in the FIFA ratings playing a conservative 5-4-1 formation? As a direct result Collins Samuel who is endowed with great speed and skill found it difficult to adjust to the highly defensive tactics employed by Najjar. Obviously, Stern John was not pleased and there were problems as a result of players being placed in awkward positions on the field. The Cubans were better prepared technically.

With a fresh display of confidence that spanned from the 2002 World Cup, Cuba’s football is gradually achieving exceptionally high standards. Their memorable goalless draw against the highly athletic South Koreans, champions of Asian football, served as an expedient to greater accomplishment. In that tournament, the Americans escaped with 1-0 victory against them. They have underlined their dominance over TT soccer. Their under twenty team destabilised the Junior Soca Warriors’ hope of progressing to the Junior World Cup via a 2-0 victory in Cuba last year. The TT team is now positioned precariously in the playoff against Martinique and Honduras which was inextricably linked to the gross miscalculation of Najjar for excluding some key technical, locally based players.

It was refreshing to see that they were recalled. Players, namely, Ancil Elcock, Arnold Dwarika and Reynold Carrington. Ancil Elcock has a capacity to play as a left and right back in defence and by extension he likes to attack down the flanks drawing defenders unto himself thus creating space and scoring opportunities in the opponent’s central defense. In addition, Reynold Carrington has vast experience and can be utilised as an attacking and defensive midfielder. Gifted with dribbling ability, Arnold Dwarika can dramatically change the course of an entire game once he acquires his perfect rhythm. Clearly, there were many more local-based players with versatile abilities omitted by Najjar for mysterious reasons.

Now confronted with the difficult task to motivate the players to qualify for the CONCACAF Gold Cup in Mexico and the USA, the new technical staff must be aware of Patrick Percin of Martinique who is most likely to unsettle the TT defence with his agility, speed and sudden change of pace. Also they should be aware of the Hondurans, especially Carlos Pavon, the captain, a deadly striker with enormous offensive power along with his speedy Italian-based teammates. Spearheaded by Alvin Corneal, a FIFA instructor, the technical staff was given sufficient time to prepare the team for this crucial encounter. This playoff will serve as a great challenge to the Warriors and the technical staff. However, TT should take comfort in the unconvincing 1-0 triumph over Honduras in October 2001. Success must be of high priority in the minds of the players with the tournament just a few days away in Martinique. It is incumbent on the technical staff to ensure that the players are mentally, physically and technically prepared.

Compelled in this playoff, is indeed another miserable setback for the warriors and this misfortune has become an inseparable symbol of our football. But victory for the Cubans at Marabella who qualified for CONCACAF Gold Club was a significant achievement, a period of unquestionable joy and fulfilment of their ultimate destiny.

LAWERENCE MITCHELL
Sangre Grande