FIFA experts applaud Soca Warriors

The latest commendation has come from favourable reviews presented on their performances by members of the FIFA Technical Study Group.

The Soca Warriors first gained the attention of the world football community when they held Sweden to a goalless draw in their opening Group “B” in Dortmund on June 10.

Hungarian Gyorgy Mezey analysed this first match for the FIFA Study Group while Costa Rican Rodrigo Kenton and former national footballer/cricketer Alvin Corneal did the report on the England and Paraguay matches respectively.

The reports were also welcomed by newly appointed national coach Wim Rijsbergen as he sets out a path for the continued development of the team and local football.

“We saw a Trinidad and Tobago side that played to their maximum, perhaps as well as they have ever played at such a high level. They showed remarkable spirit and relied on excellent organisation, even after they were reduced to ten men,” Mezey said about the match against the Swedes.

He singled out Busch “Man-of-the-Match” Dwight Yorke as a key figure in the team’s performance, and highly commended the goalkeeper Shaka Hislop who was drafted into the starting line-up minutes before kick-off.

“In the middle of the park, Dwight Yorke’s display was a decisive factor, as he was like a second coach on the pitch for his team. Not only was Yorke’s positioning impeccable, but he also made the right choice whenever he touched the ball. An exemplary captain, he was an inspiration to all his team-mates,” stated Mezey.

“As for Sweden, despite creating numerous chances, they just could not get the better of the opposition’s defence to apply the finishing touch they needed. Shaka Hislop in goal thwarted them repeatedly, but overall, they were rather disjointed, which helped Trinidad and Tobago obtain this historic result,” he reported.

Costa Rican Kenton felt the Soca Warriors were defensive but rightly so against a well organised and powerful attacking England outfit in the clash on June 15 in Nuremberg.

“Trinidad and Tobago played very defensively and cautiously, spending almost the entire match trying to neutralise their opposition. They were very well-organised and were always looking to break via Stern John and Kenwyne Jones,” the Costa Rican commented. “Then on the other hand, you had England, who put Trinidad and Tobago under pressure from the off and consistently kept pressing down the wings. England were obviously the stronger team. Their superiority told in the end.

“Trinidad and Tobago spent 80 percent of the match with five across the back. That obviously isn’t very attractive, but you have to bear in mind that they were up against a very strong team with a lot of potential, and they did the best they could. There’s nothing wrong with those kind of tactics,” Kenton asserted.

Corneal however was scathing in his criticism of the team’s last preliminary round match against Paraguay on June 20 in Kaiserslautern.

“Right from the beginning, Trinidad and Tobago looked both nervous and over-ambitious. There was too much emotion and too little structure to their game. They defended too deep and couldn’t put any pressure on the opposition. Paraguay took advantage of this lack of confidence and let their greater experience shine through,” Corneal stated.

“Paraguay’s opener in the 25th minute was a very unlucky own goal by Brent Sancho, and this made Trinidad and Tobago even more shaky. Coach Leo Beenhakker’s team seemed to be in shock, and Paraguay totally dominated the rest of the half, keeping possession, spreading the ball wide and snuffing out any half-chances,” Corneal claimed.

“The second half was the complete opposite of the first. Trinidad came back out with renewed spirit and put Paraguay under real pressure. The Caribbean team created a number of chances, looking particularly dangerous down the flanks and firing in quick crosses.

“Nonetheless, Paraguay still looked a threat on the break, in particular 23-year-old Bayern Munich midfielder Julio Dos Santos, who launched numerous counterattacks and proved to be very much the linchpin of Anibal Ruiz’s midfield,” Corneal reported.