Mexicans boot out W Connection

W Connection Manager Raymond McLean, speaking yesterday in the wake of his team’s 6-5 aggregate loss to Mexico’s CD Toluca, said his team’s rhythm was thrown off in the match.

This he said was brought on by the way they played in the first 15 minutes of their CONCACAF Champ-ions Cup return match on Wednesday at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella. “We got our act together however in the second half and due to tactical changes we were able to get a goal,” McLean said. Connection valiantly fought back to salvage a 3-3 tie with the Mexican powerhouse, but the draw was not enough and the TT side was still eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions Cup. McLean reiterated that the first fifteen minutes dictated the pace of their game and conceded that Toluca were formidable opponents who played to win and got the result they deserved.

The Connection manager said that things could only get better and having secured a place in next year’s competition his team was going to be better prepared because of this year’s experience. Playing in front of an enthusiastic home crowd, W Connection looked an unfocused side in the opening minutes and were fortunate not to find themselves behind by at least two goals. It was no surprise then when Toluca’s Ariel Franco put the Mexicans ahead in the 15th minute when a flat-footed Connection defence allowed him to put one past goalkeeper Alejandro Figueroa from the left of the penalty box.

The half-time talk seemed to work as Connection leveled in the 46th minute, a neat finish by Saint Lucian international striker Earl Jean from close range keeping the dream of an incredible upset  alive. Connection however suffered for their untidy work at the back and fell behind once again as  Jose Manuel Cruzalta shot firmly past Figueroa in the 61st minute to give Toluca a 2-1 lead. In the 66th minute the tie was all but over when Franco notched his double with a deflected shot that hit home. But Connection didn’t lay down and die however and in the 68th minute Silvio Spann converted a penalty after substitute Kerwyn Jemmott was indiscriminately hauled down in the area.

Playing off the bench Titus Elva missed a glorious opportunity to level terms when his effort from point blank range trickled wide of the right post but George Isaac, another substitute scored the goal of the match when he moved inside the box on the left and drilled a shot into the roof of the net to tie the score at 3-3 but Connection could not grab the one more goal they needed. In the first leg in Toluca, W Connection were just 20 minutes from a famous victory with a 2-0 lead, but the current Mexican Primera Division champion scored three late goals to carry a slim advantage into Wednesday’s return match.