‘Warriors’ battle Mexicans today

THE CONCACAF Semi-final Round Group “C” encounter between Trinidad and Tobago and Mexico will be contested at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, from 6 pm today as scheduled, despite the passage of Hurricane Ivan over sister isle Tobago yesterday. For the Mexicans in particular, the news will come as a welcome relief, as their clash against St Vincent last Saturday was cancelled as the Vincentians were unable to get a flight from the United States to Mexico, due to the threat of Hurricane Frances.

Both the TT and Mexican squads were forced to cancel training sessions at the Hasely Crawford Stadium due to the inclement weather. But the visitors were able to hold a practice session yesterday on the training field after arriving on a charter flight on Monday night. They had a request to training on the stadium field turned down yesterday by Jack Warner, FIFA vice-president who is a special advisor to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation. The TT outfit welcomes back captain Angus Eve, who was suspended from Saturday’s 2-1 win over St Kitts. Eve will replace his CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh teammate Stokely Mason in the 18-member team.

Commenting on yesterday’s turn of events, Eve noted: “We’ve not allowed it to get the better of us and the focus remains the same. Hopefully, we can make it even more frustrating for the Mexicans.” Team coach Bertille St Clair was upbeat in his approach to the fixture, stating “we want to keep the momentum going and this is our first match of the round at home. So obviously we don’t want to give up any advantage.” “Our guys have been working hard to get better at their game and all we are asking is that the nation comes out and give them that support.” Veteran midfielder Anthony Rougier will also miss the match as he is yet to return from trials in China. The referee for today’s encounter is Mauricio Navarro of Canada.

TEAMS —
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: Kelvin Jack, Clayton Ince (goalkeepers); Marlon Rojas, Marvin Andrews, Brent Sancho, Dennis Lawrence, Kenwyne Jones, Derek King (defenders); Angus Eve, Andre Boucaud, Arnold Dwarika, Brent Rahim, Densil Theobald, Silvio Spann (midfielders); Cornell Glen, Stern John, Errol McFarlane, Jason Scotland (strikers).
MEXICO: Moisis Munoz, Oswaldo Sanchez (goalkeepers); Carlos Salcido, Hugo Sanchez, Javier Rodriguez, Hector Altamirano, Salvador Carmona, Ismael Rodriguez (defenders); Gonzalo Pineda, Mario Perez, Pavel Pardo, Israel Lopez, Antonio Naelson, Luis Ernesto Perez, Jose de Jesus Arellano (midfielders); Adolfo Bautista, Sergio Santana, Jared Borgetti, Daniel Osorno (strikers).