It was not the beauty of the ancient land of the Pharaohs, neither was it the bobbing and weaving of the world’s most adventurous motorists.
It was more like the passion and resilience of the millions of Egyptians who invited the football world to experience the value of support, the ability to give and take a beating, and most importantly, to add some level of respect on and off the field by a people who understand what major confrontation can be, if not tempered by strong character and discipline in public places.
To the young Soca warriors, the experience may have been very foreign to them, but the environment allowed for them to be part of an Egyptian society, which reflects rituals and behavioral patterns that are unfamiliar to what they are accustomed.
This may well have brought out the enthusiasm and commitment which we have been able to recognise from the players, rapidly turning them into true professional competitors, comparable to many of their opponents.
To many, the absence of a victory in three matches may not be counted as more than moderate participation in a high quality football scenario where only the winners retain their place in the limelight.
It is wise to define these performances as part of a successful journey towards the aims and objectives of a developing country where every positive image be seen as examples of an attempt to serve as a catalyst for those who wish to follow in the same path.
The larger countries, whose main objectives are dictated by winning a trophy or medal, features which add to their already established moments of success, have been under pressure from the lesser recognized countries, T&T being one of them. Some may think that the draw for this tournament may have been kind to the Warriors, despite the fact that the host country Egypt was the first obstacle.
This guided the preparation of the squad with tours to England, Turkey and Cyprus. It was good thinking by the technical staff and TTFF advisor Jack Warner to choose these venues, simply because climate and field conditions bore similarity to the venues in Egypt.
The six-hour time change which would have affected their eating, and sleeping habits, was dealt with by the decision to be in the same time zone for the better part of one month before the start of the tournament.
Those who followed the friendlies which they played, may have reflected the quality of their preparation and although they were not all winners, the reports from the analysts who saw them, were satisfied that T&T was not out of their depth in this competition.
The Egyptians created an atmosphere which consisted a new brand stadium, the likes of which, when filled to capacity and the presence of their president, will be the absolute recipe for them to drive a nervous opponent to a wall and start on a winning note.
They had achieved their goal, but not without an assertive and strongly charactered effort from the soca warriors, who responded to a goal deficit, equalised and brought a deafening silence to the Egyptians present.
The inexperienced complacency emanating from the half time break, saw the host get two soft goals, before they faced a relentious and organised T&T which was orchestrated by the entry of Jamal Clarence and the former Mucurapo midfielder Molino.
The styles of these youngsters brought about a more concerted cohesion in midfield and saw some glaring chances reach almost to the ultimate target of getting some goals. The appearance and performance of Jake Thomson, born of a Trini dad, set tongues afire, as he cruised up the right side with the professional efficiency of a teenaged Cafu.
The kid can play and his services from the flank offered some challenging opportunities some of which may have been better dealt with by well directed headers. Count Glenroy Samuel as the man of the first match, because he worked diligently to keep the scorecard to a bare minimum with some outstanding saves in the first half and throughout the match.
Italy never expected the twin Island state to make them fight for points, knowing the reputation of the current world cup champions.
Apart from two moments of dormancy, the Vranes Zoran coached squad took the opposition apart and had it not been for an indecisive referee’s judgment and two simple misses in the last part of this game, Italy may well have been having to fight for points in order to enter the second round.
Paraguay had defeated the Warriors four to nothing some seven weeks ago in Venezuela, and to them, victory over T&T was inevitable. After 90 hard fought minutes, the South Americans failed to even appear to be superior, except when some of their artistic midfielders produce some brilliance and made some penetrative passes.
Young Gonzales ensured that he was in full control while Khaleem Hyland, Leston Paul and Cyrus showed their worth and forced the opposition to be dispossessed more often than not. Historically, the drawn result was special to our youth football, even more than the dogged, if not totally attractive play.
Some claim it was not a classic display. Correct! But who would wish to match a South American team with any effort to produce midfield chemistry through precise short passing.
This game needed the long passes from defence to the two strikers, in order to eliminate the effectiveness of the midfield stars of Paraguay. It worked and simply because this unusual type of game forced Paraguay to adjust their inimitable style and find another pattern.
It failed and the result did not send T&T to the next round, but it brought a great degree of satisfaction to a nation which need various types of achievements from the youth of our nation.
Be proud of the team and the country. We are becoming more and more respected by the soccer world. Well done, T&T.