As first impressions go, Kevin Goldthwaite's initial look at Trinidad & Tobago wasn't a good one.
"Customs were terrible," the New York Red Bulls defender said. "It just took us a long time, long flight with a layover in Miami, long trip. But it's nice. We're staying at a great hotel and coming here we're pleasantly surprised with the stadium and the surface."
The Red Bulls were scheduled to train at Manny Ramjohn Stadium at 11 a.m. on Wednesday in preparation for Thursday night's CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round clash with W Connection, but it took the bus two hours to arrive from Port of Spain to the stadium on the south of the island.
Once they arrived, the team spent much of their training session in the 10,000-seat stadium practicing in the rain. Welcome to Trinidad, indeed.
"It's a nice stadium. The surface isn't the best, but it's better than we anticipated," Goldthwaite said. "We understand the weather is going to be tropical so it's going to be like it is today, stormy and humid."
The defender is expected to return to the Red Bulls lineup Thursday night after missing four games with a groin injury. Recently signed Austrian winger Ernst Obster is also available to make his Red Bulls debut.
In fact, with the exception of Costa Rican fullback Carlos Johnson, who could be back on the field for the return leg after recovering from a broken foot, and forward Mac Kandji (hamstring), Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio will have a full squad to choose from.
"We're finally in a good position to select a team tomorrow," Osorio said. "No disrespect to any of the players, but in the past trying to do a team selection from 13 or 14 available players was a tough task. Going into tomorrow's game we have 18 players to choose from, which is very good."
And expect Osorio to go with his best XI, as well. With New York all but mathematically eliminated from playoff contention in MLS and having already been ousted in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, all that's left to play for this season is the CONCACAF Champions League.
"For the short story that this franchise has, I think it's important that it's written in the right way," Juan Pablo Angel said. "Hopefully we make the most of it. Knowing that all the circumstances have been very difficult for us this year. This could be a great chance for us."
Indeed, Osorio is hoping his club leaves its league-worst 2-15-4 record and 12-game winless streak back in the USA.
"This is a new competition and we need to take this as a great opportunity to start winning some games and restore the image of the club," he said. "Hopefully we can do that tomorrow night."
While the Red Bulls qualified for the Champions League by playing in last year's MLS Cup, W Connection booked its ticket by beating the Puerto Rico Islanders in the Caribbean club championship.
While the majority of its players are Trinidadian-based, the club, which currently in fifth place in the Digicel Pro League, also has several players from Brazil and Colombia.
"They really admire Brazilian football," Osorio said. "They play 4-4-2 with a box in midfield. Either that or they play with a diamond in the middle, but they seem to be very strong centrally. As is the case with most Caribbean teams, very skillful players, very physical, capable of doing some creative plays on their own."
The return leg of the aggregate series will be played next Wednesday at Giants Stadium with the winner advancing to Group D to face Pumas UNAM (Mexico), CSD Comunicaciones (Guatemala) and the winner of the series between Liberia (Costa Rica) and Real CD Espana (Honduras).
"I definitely hope we all take this game as an opportunity for us to make something out of the season," Angel said. "This is the first time this club is representing MLS internationally. We've got to make sure we do it right. We're carrying the Red Bull flag for the first time outside this country in a very important competition."
Video of the New York Red Bulls training at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium - Click Here.
Red Bulls hoping for a change in tide.
By: Randy Bando (ttproleague).
MLS club Red Bulls New York are hoping surface from its current domestic slump when they tackle TT Pro League club W Connection in their first leg of the CONCACAF Champions' League on Thursday night at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium, Trinidad (8:05pm TT Time).
Domestically the Red Bulls confidence is said to be at a low according the MLS reports.
Red Bulls sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with just 10 points after 21 matches. Its last outing ended in a crushing 4-0 defeat against Colorado Rapids on Saturday.
Now Coach Juan Carlos Osorio turns his eyes on their CONCACAF Champions' League debut in hopes of a turn around.
"We come here with the hope that we can turn our season around," said Osorio at a post training interview on Wednesday at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium.
"We have a very strong team with a lot of players coming back into the squad at full fitness," added the Colombian. "We believe that we are a lot better than what the results show."
Osorio and his 18-man travelled across the Atlantic to the twin island republic of Trinidad and Tobago and arrived on Tuesday night.
Red Bulls enjoyed a midday training session on Wednesday under cool conditions at the Marabella venue in preparations for Thursday night's match against the Caribbean powerhouse W Connection.
"We understand that we are playing against a very good team tomorrow (Thursday) night. They have really good players like number 10(Jonathon Frias) and 11(Andre Toussaint). Their attacking four can score goals individually and collectively so it will be a tough task," continued Osorio who is familiar with football in T&T.
It’s not the first time for Red Bull New York against W Connection. In 2005 under their previous name New York Metro Stars they visited Trinidad and had friendly matches against Pro League clubs San Juan Jabloteh and W Connection registering 3-2 and 1-0 wins.
Red Bulls are hoping not to suffer the faith of fellow MLS compatriot New England Revolution in last season's CONCACAF Champions' League. The Revs were booted out of the preliminary round by TT Pro Leauge club Bmobile Joe Public on a 6:1 aggregate score.
However Osorio and the Red Bulls will be more concerned over restoring faith in themselves when they tackle W Connection from 8:05pm at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium on Thursday and again on August * when they host the Pro League club in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions' League preliminary round.
"Hopefully we do well as a team in this competition and show everybody that we are a better football club. It is also a good opportunity to prove to ourselves that we are capable," said the Red Bulls Colombian coach.
"I'm sure the W Connection players will be coming to show MLS what they are capable of," added Osorio, making reference to former Joe Public striker Gregory Richardson against Revolution last season. "We are not taking this lightly. It’s a great challenge."
Connection confident of Champions' League Group stage.
By: Randy Bando (ttproleague).
W Connection wants to grab everything that comes its way this season and there are no doubts over the Pro League club's ambitions in the 2009\2010 CONCACAF Champions' League.
Connection cruised into the preliminary round of the Champions' League automatically after being crowned the CFU Club Champions defeating Puerto Rico Islanders 2-1 in the Final.
Fellow Pro League outfit and CFU Club Championship semifinalist San Juan Jabloteh also made it into the preliminary round of the CONCACAF Champions' League.
W Connection are against MLS club Red Bull New York and Jabloteh against Panamanian giants San Francisco FC in the home and away series which begins this week.
Jabloteh left Trinidad on Tuesday for Panama to face San Francisco FC on Wednesday night at the Estadio Agustín Muquita Sánchez while Connection are preparing the stage to host Red Bull New York on Thursday at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium from 8:05pm.
Connection have had their ups and downs in their domestic League championship and are currently sitting in fourth position on the Digicel Pro League standings—which is a good position but not the position the Stuart Charles Fevrier coached side prefers.
But despite their fluctuating results in the League, they are a confident bunch ahead of their CONCACAF Champions’ League preliminary matches against the Red Bull New York.
Owner/President of the club David John Williams said, “We have started slow in the (Digicel Pro) League but we went on to win the CFU Club Championship and the Lucozade Sport Goal Shield and that says it all.”
W Connection captain Elijah Joseph admitted that Connection are confident saying, “We have a good chance because right now they (Red Bull New York) are on a down low. We have been preparing for this for the past weeks and are in the best possible readiness. We are all confident at the moment and with the international exposure through television for this match, we will all come out and give out best.”
However the St Lucian says that his team expects a stern contest adding, “We expect to get a really tough match although they are at a down. They will be coming at us seeing that they are trying to pick themselves up.”
Connection will be hungrier than ever celebrating a decade as a professional club this year and they have already shown that in the CFU Club Championship and their domestic Lucozade Sport Goal Shield knockout.
Coach Stuart Charles Fevrier has been rated as one of the Caribbean’s and there are no doubts that he will have his team well prepared for the Americans.
Fevrier will have key strikers Jonathan Frias, Andre Toussaint, Matthew Bartholomew, defender and captain Elijah Joseph, defender Renato Pereira, midfielders Christian Viveros, Gerard Williams, Hughtun Hector and attacking wingback William Da Silva Oliviera available for Thursday’s clash.