Gray: Lessons learnt in Japan

The Tobago-born Gray feels the experience will be helpful to the players looking ahead as the team is reconstructed for the future.

Gray led the team in the absence of an injured Dwight Yorke while several young players made their international debut.

Among them were W Connection’s Clyde Leon and Caledonia AIA’s Stephan David who started in midfield while striker Kendall Jagdeosingh and Connection’s Andre Pacheco made second half appearances.

CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh midfielder Kerry Baptiste also got some playing time while goalkeeper Jan Michael Williams of W Connection held his own, returning after an absence of close to three years.

The “new” Soca Warriors fell behind to two first half goals scored by Brazil- born Alesandro “Alex” Santos.

However, the Caribbean footballers didn’t blink as they held together and made the Japanese team work hard and scoreless in the second half.

“I think it was a beneficial experience for us,” Gray said when the team arrived home in batches on Thursday and Friday.

“There were a few of us with the World Cup under our belts but the match gave some of the youngsters a taste of international football and when you consider that, the end result and performance wasn’t so much of a bad one.

“I think it’s good that they got the chance to play in the end and with that type of mix, I hope that they will take something positive from the experience with the senior players and keep on improving.

“They also would have realised that the international game is not easy at all,” said the former Joe Public player.

Jabloteh forward Anthony Wolfe, who was a member of the 24-man World Cup Finals squad, got his first start in a major international in Japan.

He pointed out that the experience of being in Germany with the Soca Warriors helped him in Wednesday’s clash which was played before a crowd of 50,000 and at times presented an intimidating atmosphere for the visitors.

“I can tell you that at the start I had a lot of butterflies because we were out there as a new-look team and we were up against it,” Wolfe said.

“But even though I didn’t play in Germany, the experience of being with the senior guys alone helped me out and I was able to settle and play the game.

“Even though we went behind early and then ended up with a loss I think there were some good parts for us and the other young guys will have an experience to take with them,” said the Manzanilla native.

As for ’keeper Williams, he was part of the 2001 Under-17 team before making his debut for the national team in a 0-0 draw with Botswana in June 2003. He now knows what Shaka Hislop and Kelvin Jack have endured standing between the uprights.

“This definitely was the biggest match of my career so far. I have toured and played with the Under-17s before and then I went with the national team to Africa where I made my debut but this tops it off.

“We had a lot of young players and I think when you see it that way then the result doesn’t look that bad. I felt we could have come away with something but the early goals put us down and we had to work our way back from there.

“Overall though I am a bit pleased and all of us who made this trip are a bit eager now for more action and I think with more training and matches, we will get it right,” said the former St Anthony’s College custodian.

Head coach Wim Rijsbergen is expected to maintain a core of players along with several who are based overseas for the next international match at home against Mexico on September 2.

The launch of the 2006 Digicel Caribbean Cup takes place in Jamaica on August 17 and TT will then know their schedule for the tournament which also serves as a qualifying phase for the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup.