The Trinidad and Tobago national under-20 team ended their preparations for this week's CONCACAF World Youth Championship qualifying series with a 1-0 loss to a nine-man El Salvador squad at Plymouth, Tobago on Monday evening.
They will hope for better results from this Saturday when the hosts open their qualifying campaign for the 2009 U20 FIFA World Cup against Costa Rica at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya although the score summaries, over the past week, was hardly the most notable thing about coach Zoran Vranes' squad.
First, here is the good news. Rarely has there been a national team as worthy of the sobriquet "warriors" as Vranes' tykes.
Strong, fast and aggressive, there are no passengers among this industrious bunch and, against El Salvador, the Trinidad and Tobago players were often first to the ball and the last teenager standing after a tackle.
But there was something about the sight of a defender regularly hoofing the ball 60 yards towards his frontline while his midfielders, instead of seeking a short pass in space, scurried forward in search of a knock down-or "second ball"-that did not sit comfortably with the Tobago patrons.
Vranes has had his squad intact for more than a year and fought T&T Pro League clubs to release their starlets into his care for competition in the less-heralded bmobile Super League, while he also had a tour to Brazil. There will be no excuses if he fails to produce a competitive line-up.
Because, while his team seems in good physical condition and has healthy spirit, they are likely to need more cunning than they displayed in Tobago to advance from a group that comprises Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico.
El Salvador, who were three players short at one point due to two red cards and an injury, kept their team compact and waited for the inevitable long balls without fear of being stretched wide or opened up by a dynamic dribble.
To his credit, Vranes highlighted the problem that his squad failed to properly address on Monday.
"We were going forward too early," said Vranes. "We needed to be more patient and we helped them to defend their goal easier When something is not working, you have to change."
Vranes suggested earlier that six-foot two Germany-based striker Jamal Gay was the answer to their problems as his height and strength would give focus to their long ball game. But their final warm-up match may have shown that CONCACAF's more respectable teams will not be outfoxed so easily.
For all the grumbling about the hosts' tactics, the young Warriors were always in the game and at least showed strength in reserve. Vranes started without most of his regular players and got some solid performances, not least from midfielder Marcus Joseph, left wing back Aubrey David and muscular defender Uriah Bentick.
But the only goal went to El Salvador as captain Gilberto Baires' effort deflected off a defender and looped decisively over Andre Marchan in the 25th minute.
El Salvador intended to leave their mark on more than the score card. The Central Americans were largely on the receiving end, two days earlier, and perhaps there was a touch of revenge in their approach on Monday. By the final whistle, though, referee David Nelson had booked a remarkable ten players-six from El Salvador-while two of the visitors were ejected for a second bookable offence.
Trinidad and Tobago made eight changes at the interval but their only two chances came when they had a numerical advantage. Both fell to striker Trent Lougheed who sent one header wide while the other was clawed away by goalkeeper Oscar Arroyo.
But their direct approach did not suitably unsettle a short-staffed opponent. And some Plymouth patrons were also unimpressed with Vranes' guidance.
"This team have a bad John coach?" asked one spectator. "Like all he teach them to do is fight."
Vranes hopes the public is firmly behind his squad once the tournament kicks off this weekend. There are some admirable traits within the Warrior camp too. But fluidity and imagination, from these showings, are not among them. There is less than a week for the host nation to fine-tune "Plan B".