El Salvador		Trinidad & Tobago
		Silvio Spann (8')

Concacaf Gold Cup

Date	Venue	Location	Attendance
2007-06-06	Home Depot Center	Carson, CA, United States	21344

Spann's super strike fails to save T&T slip

For the second straight match, Trinidad and Tobago’ new look “Soca Warriors” had a bright start turned into dull end to proceedings as they suffered a 2-1 defeat to El Salvador in their opening Group B encounter of the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup at the Home Depot Center, Los Angeles on Thursday night. Skipper Densill Theobald and his charges got the best possible start when midfielder Silvio Spann’s beauty of a free kick on the left turned out to be an immediate contender for goal of the tournament. Spann stepped up after Darryl Roberts was fouled and later admitting that he changed his mind at the last second, sent a right footer from 40 yards out up into the top right corner off the woodwork to send T&T 1-0 ahead on eight minutes before a crowd of 21,344. The goal sent the T&T contingent wild at the Home Depot and spurred Spann on. The W Connection player, now coming back into the team after an injury lay off, had some teasing corners from the left which caused the El Salvador defense all sorts of problems, one of them coming off the woodwork. But T&T  failed to capitalize on the start and should have punished their opponents as the half progressed. Forward Gary Glasgow was guilt for a couple misses on goal as T&T were allowed loads of room in the middle of the park at many points of the match. The extra bit going forward and insufficient resistance cost them even a point in this one. Defender Seon Power started nervously and almost cost T&T when in the second minute he casually played onto Eliseo Quintanilla whose left footed crack had W Connection’s Jan Michael Williams pushing out to his right. A couple minutes later T&T hit back, this time it was Joe Public’s Glasgow collecting and eluding his man before hooking  a low left footer slightly to the right of goalie Juan Gomez but he was up to the test. A rash challenge from Roberts cost him a caution and forced Ramon Sanchez to replace injured Carlos Menjivar in the process. But the Sparta Rotterdam would make up soon after when he went down in a tackle allowing Spann to strike in spectacular fashion, silencing the vast El Salvador crowd with it. Joe Public’s Noreiga went in wildly on a challenge allowing Quintanilla to get through on the inside right but fortunately for T&T his effort went over. Skipper Theobald hurried over after the play to calm down the lanky stopper as T&T sought to keep its shape. Spann’s left side inswinger in  the 21st came back off the far post and then on 35 minutes Glasgow hit over bar after being played in by Caledonia’s Theobald. And Roberts then had a useless call for penalty when he beat his man but was tumbled over as he tried to move inward on goal. El Salvador got their equalizer in the 38th minute. A left side cross was punched out by Williams rather than held and the loose ball felt right in the path of Quintanilla who floated it back in allowing before the ball was nodded down for substitute Sanchez to side foot past a motionless Williams. T&T’s didn’t lose all its composure  but couldn’t convert its combination of passes into goal threatening plays. And El Salvador waited on their turn to nick it. In the 59th minute a Spann right side cross bubbled off a defender but Glasgow was slow to react s the ball was scrambled away for a corner. Five minutes later Quintanilla had Williams parrying once again. Glasgow’s night wasn’t going to plan and all he got was credit for his final effort. A neat ball played in by Petrotrin’s Romauld Aguillera saw the striker control well before seeing his right footer saved low by the ‘keeper. Connection forward Andre Toussaint and Joe Public midfielder Kerry Baptiste were introduced as T&T went in search of the go ahead goal. Baptiste had a pinpoint right side cross for Toussaint in the 6-yard but under pressure, his header went over. Instead it was the Central Americans finding the eventual winner in the 81st minute. An  attempt at a pass out by Keyeno Thomas for Power after Ramirez’s initial shot was blocked, allowed Dennis Alas to step in and punish T&T from close range. The late introduction of Superstar Rangers striker Errol McFarlane couldn’t help T&T salvage a point. Next up on Saturday at 2pm is the Americans who began its campaign with a narrow 1-0 win over Guatemala.   T&T – 21.Jan Michael Williams, 6. Nickcolson Thomas, 20.Anthony Noreiga. 17.Seon Power, 5.Keyeno Thomas, 2.Romauld Aguillera, 15.Andrei Pacheco, 14.Darryl Roberts (9.Errol McFarlane 84th), 16.Silvio Spann (8.Kerry Baptiste, 73rd), 18.Densill Theobald, 12. Gary Glasgow (11.Andre Toussaint, 67th). Subs not used – 1.Daurance Williams, 4.Dwayne Jack, 7.Trent Noel, 13, Christon Baptiste. El Salvador – 1.Juan Gomex, 18.Alexander Rosales, 2.Leonel Guevara, 5.Jose Henriquez, 19.Alfredo Pacheco, 17.Dennis Alas, 8.Carlos Menjivar (14.Ramon Sanchez 8th) 7.Victor Merino,21.Eliseo Quintanilla, 11. Ronald Cerritos, 16.Cesar Larios (23.Jose Martinez, 63rd)

LINEUP
21.	Jan-Michael Williams
20.	Anthony Noreiga 45 '
17.	Seon Power
5.	Keyeno Thomas
6.	Nickolson Thomas
2.	Romauld Aguillera
15.	Andrei Pacheco
16.	Silvio Spann
	73' Kerry Baptiste
7.	Densill Theobald (capt.)
12.	Gary Glasgow
	67' Andre Toussaint
14.	Darryl Roberts 5 '
	84' Errol McFarlane
SUBSTITUTES
4.	Dwayne Jack
8.	Kerry Baptiste
9.	Errol McFarlane
11.	Andre Toussaint
1.	Daurance Williams
13.	Christian Baptiste
7.	Trent Noel
COACH
	Wilhelmus Rijsbergen
SUBSTITUTIONS
67'	Andre Toussaint for Gary Glasgow
73'	Kerry Baptiste for Silvio Spann
84'	Errol McFarlane for Darryl Roberts
YELLOW CARDS
5'	Darryl Roberts
45'	Anthony Noreiga