It is more than a game for some

Canada: In World Cup soccer, it’s not just about winning and losing.

You’ll learn that if you talk to Lower Mainland fans of the Trinidad and Tobago World Cup team.

They’ll tell you it’s about national pride. If you watch a “Soca Warrior” game with their followers they’ll show you it’s also about music and dance and their love and passion for the “beautiful game.” And, not the least of all, the World Cup is about scoring more goals than the opposition and moving on to the next round.

Ron Rogers and about 120 other Trinidad and Tobago fans gathered at Burnaby 8-Rinks Thirsty Penguin lounge Thursday morning to celebrate their culture and watch the team play England. While the Brits won 2-0 and dominated the majority of the game, you couldn’t tell that by watching Rogers and the rest of those gathered.

“This is a small crowd because it is a work day,” said Rogers of the gathering organised by the Trinidad and Tobago Cultural Society of BC. On Saturday, when the team played Sweden to a 0-0 draw, more than 400 packed into the lounge to watch it on big screen TVs.

Unlike Canadian fans who sit on their hands when they watch a game, Trinidad and Tobago fans are part of the game, said Rogers.

Instead of playing on the pitch, the fans play drums, cow bells, whistles, tambourines and other percussion instruments.

“That is raw calypso rhythm,” said Rogers of the raucous beat fans sounded out for the entire game.

It’s a beat that has everyone moving to it, waving flags, dancing or swaying in tune with the rhythm. National pride may be at stake, as the team plays against England — former colony masters of the islands — but it feels more like a party is going on here.

That’s partly because qualifying for the World Cup is a victory in itself, said Rogers. The tiny Caribbean country has a population of just 1.1 million, making it the least-populous country to make it to the 32-team tournament. Ranked 47th in the world, they opened the tournament with the tie against 16th-ranked Sweden.

In Thursday’s game, it wasn’t until the 83rd minute that tenth-ranked England was finally able to score. A second goal was added in extra time.

“Just getting to the big dance is something,” said Rogers. “We’re playing excellent. We’re not intimidated. We can defend and we can attack when the opportunity presents itself.”

Canada, which did not qualify for the World Cup, could learn a thing or two from Trinidad and Tobago, he said. They didn’t name their team Soca Warriors because soca is a slang for soccer. Instead, it stands for soul and calypso, two popular musical forms on the islands.

Their music and the game are tied together, just like in top-ranked Brazil where the samba is their ethnic beat.

“Soccer is played (in Canada) but there isn’t the passion,” said Rogers. “We are playing with a blend of passion and skill. They’re also playing with discipline and not scurrying around.”

Trinidad and Tobago’s final first round game is next Tuesday when they take on Paraguay. The game starts at noon.