Trinidad and Tobago’s Senior footballers succumbed to Jamaica on penalty kicks but a second place finish at the Caribbean Cup Finals is still a proud achievement and leaves a lot to anticipate going forward.

That was the feeling of head coach Stephen Hart at the end of the match in which a Khaleem Hyland missed penalty gave Jamaica the 2014 title after both teams battled to a scoreless draw before a partisan Jamaican crowd at the Montego Bay Sports Complex. This was the second straight runner up finish for T&T after losing 1-0 to Cuba in the 2012 final.

There was disappointment all around in the T&T dressing room and at the team hotel afterwards but Hart told his players that they must take the experience with them and use it to their benefit going forward.

“It was not the result any of us wanted but as a team and as the head coach of the team I thought the overall match was a good measuring stick for us and a good one for us as it relates to our preparations for playing World Cup qualifying matches away from home in a few months,” Hart told TTFA Media.

“I was proud of the way the players handled the conditions throughout the competition and especially tonight. Some people may argue that it wasn’t our best performance and fair enough. Maybe the fans back home deserved to see a better game but this was a final against the hosts and Jamaica being a team with an impressive home record, it was never going to be an easy contest. And the game showed us that.

There were some good moments for us and particularly near the end when we could have stolen it with a late winner. This is exactly what we are going to face when we are on the road for our World Cup qualifiers,” Hart added.

As he looked back at the game, he stressed the need for more international games for the country.

“We just didn’t get our rhythm going and most of the times we lacked that final telling ball that could have created more scoring chances for us. I’m not making any excuses but the schedule of four games in eight days didn’t help us and yes Jamaica showed more energy than us at times but they were at home and several of their players are playing ninety minutes of top flight football every week, Some of our players are not getting that at the moment and it’s something we will look at and work on.

“And of course we have to get a regular schedule of training camps and warm up matches if we are to find ourselves in a position where we can safely maintain a high level or consistent level of play for long periods,” Hart said.

Kevin Molino had T&T’s best opportunity in the 23rd minute but his right footer missed the upright after Kenwyne Jones laid it up for him from an incoming cross.

Jamaica kept pressing for the go ahead goal but T&T kept it solid at the back to deny the hosts. Leyton Orient midfielder Jobi McAnuff had some good looks at goal but his finishing was a let down.

T&T appeared jaded as the second half progressed and Jamaica also took their game down to walking pace at times but the hosts were determined not to let down their fans while T&T searched for something inspiring on the pitch. It almost came in the dying stages of regulation time when Guerra connected with a loose ball but his shot went inches wide to the dismay of the T&T players both on the field and on the bench.

Jones muffed the opening penalty and when Jan Michael Williams stopped one to bring T&T back in it after Molino, Guerra and Joevin Jones clinically converted their kicks, the Racing Genk then skied his attempt over bar to give Jamaica the Cup.

T&T are through to the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2015 but while Jamaica are through to the Gold Cup as well as the 2015 Copa America (by invitation) and the 2016 Centennial Copa America. T&T can still qualify for the 2015 Copa America but will have to do so by finishing as one of  the two play-off winners from among the four highest finishers in the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup not already qualified, or finish winners of the 2015 Gold Cup.

“We’ve made progress. I’m proud of my team. We’ve got work to do but we’re in the Gold Cup so all is not lost. We have some internal problems to be fixed and we’ve got programs to plan and implement. We’ll be fine because we’ve got a capable, committed squad and we also have some players to add who were not in this tournament,” Hart ended.

Teams

Trinidad and Tobago: 21.Jan-Michael Williams; 2.Justin Hoyte, 26.Aubrey David, 6.Daneil Cyrus, 3.Joevin Jones (Yellow 42); 14.Andre Boucaud (Yellow 50) (5.Kevan George 105th), 8.Khaleem Hyland (Yellow 48); 23.Lester Peltier (13.Cordell Cato 67th), 10.Kevin Molino, 7.Hughtun Hector (11.Ataullah Guerra 82nd); 9.Kenwyne Jones (capt).

Unused substitutes: 1.Marvin Phillip (GK), 24.Adrian Foncette (GK), 12.Radanfah Abu Bakr, 15.Jamal Gay, 16.Shahdon Winchester, 17.Leston Paul, 18.Yohance Marshall, 19.Carlyle Mitchell, 27.Jonathan Glenn.

Coach: Stephen Hart.

Jamaica: 1.Andre Bake; 7.Hughan Gay, 5.Alvas Powell, 6.Jermaine Taylor, 20.Kemar Lawrence; 15.Je-Vaughn Watson, 17.Rodolph Austin (Yellow 30) (capt); 11.Dane Richards (16.Joel Grant 56th), 10.Jobi McAnuff; 18.Simon Dawkins (12.Demar Phillips 71st), 21.Darren Mattocks (9.Michael Seaton 93rd).

Unused substitutes: 13.Ryan Thompson (GK), 2.Nyron Nosworthy, 3.Craig Foster, 4.Upston Edwards, 8.Nicholay Finlayson.

Coach: Winfried Schäfer.

PENALTIES

1-0 Jermaine Taylor (Jamaica), Good
1-0 Kenwyne Jones (Trinidad & Tobago), Saved
2-0 Jobi McAnuff (Jamaica), Good
2-1 Attaullah Guerra (Trinidad & Tobago), Good
3-1 Demar Phillips (Jamaica), Good
3-2 Kevin Molino (Trinidad & Tobago), Good
3-2 Michael Seaton (Jamaica), Saved
3-3 Joevin Jones (Trinidad & Tobago), Good
4-3 Rodolph Austin (Jamaica), Good
4-3 Khaleem Hyland (Trinidad & Tobago), Missed

Jamaica claims Caribbean Cup crown on PKs.
CONCACAF.COM

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica – Jamaica captured the Caribbean Cup title for a sixth time, outlasting Trinidad & Tobago 4-3 on penalty kicks after the final ended in a scoreless draw on Tuesday at the Montego Bay Sports Complex.

Khaleem Hyland missed on the Soca Warriors’ last attempt after Rodolph Austin applied the pressure by converting on the host’s fifth try.

Both sides had already sealed berths in next year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, but the Jamaicans earned an added bonus of direct qualification to the 2016 Centennial Cup America.

The tightly-contested encounter between a pair of evenly-matched teams produced precious few scoring chances before the hour mark.

Jamaica’s Jobi McAnuff had the best in the 19th minute.  The Leyton Orient standout missed the right post by the slightest of margins after swopping in to follow-up on an effort by Dane Richards that goalkeeper Jan-Michael Williams did well to save.

In a 56th minute bid to loosen up the middle, team captain Austin cranked an attempt from 35-yards out that perhaps came closer than even he initially anticipated.

Reggae Boyz forward Darren Mattocks, who scored in each of the first three games, was frustrated with himself for not making better contact on an 81st minute header.

The Trinidadians found a new gear with minutes left in the second half as Daneil Cyrus headed over the crossbar off a corner kick, while second-half substitute Ataullah Guerra’s low drive from 25-yards out skipped just beyond the right post.

McAnuff nearly netted in the 93rd minute, but didn’t realize he had more time to shoot and hurriedly fired over the crossbar from just inside the box.

Jamaica and Trinidad, which has won a record eight Caribbean championships, completed the competition with the same unbeaten records at 2-2-0.

Coach Hart, Eve share mixed feelings
By JONATHAN RAMNANANSINGH (NEWSDAY).

STEPHEN HART, coach of the Trinidad and Tobago “Soca Warriors”, shared mixed feelings after his team’s 4-3 penalty-kick Caribbean Cup Finals loss at the hands of a visibly better Jamaican outfit when the competition climaxed at the Montego Bay Sports Club, Jamaica, on Tuesday night.

The unsettling result saw the squad, captained by Kenwyne Jones, miss out on a golden opportunity to secure a place in the 2016 Copa Continental Cup (Copa America) which will now feature the regional presence of the Jamaicans going up against some of South America’s top-flight teams. This was the second consecutive runner-up finish for T&T after losing 1-0 to Cuba in the 2012 final.

Though daunted by Tuesday’s night’s loss, Hart still congratulated his players on their achievements and anticipates a bright future for national football.

After the match, there was disappointment all around the T&T dressing room and at the team hotel. However, Hart sat down with his prospects and insisted that they must take the experience with them and use it to their benefit going forward.

“It was not the result any of us wanted but as a team and as the coach of the team I thought the overall match was a good measuring stick for us and a good one for us as it relates to our preparations for playing World Cup qualifying matches away from home in a few months,” Hart said.

The former Canadian coach revealed that he was proud of the way the players handled the conditions throughout the competition. He admitted that the T&T team may have not been as impressive as compared to previous matches but still hailed the Jamaicans for their better display in the same breath.

“Maybe the fans back home deserved to see a better game but this was a final against the hosts and Jamaica being a team with an impressive home record, it was never going to be an easy contest. And the game showed us that. There were some good moments for us and particularly near the end when we could have stolen it with a late winner.

This is exactly what we are going to face when we are on the road for our World Cup qualifiers,” Hart added. As he looked back at the game, Hart stressed the need for more international games for the country. Another factor highlighted by seasoned coach was that the Soca Warriors had a heavy schedule of four games in eight days which may have suppressed their energies going into Tuesday’s final.

“We just didn’t get our rhythm going and most of the times we lacked that final telling ball that could have created more scoring chances for us.

I’m not making any excuses but the schedule of four games in eight days didn’t help us and yes Jamaica showed more energy than us at times but they were at home and several of their players are playing ninety minutes of top flight football every week, Some of our players are not getting that at the moment and it’s something we will look at and work on,” he added.

“And of course we have to get a regular schedule of training camps and warm up matches if we are to find ourselves in a position where we can safely maintain a high level or consistent level of play for long periods,” Hart said.

Delivering a similar opinion yesterday was former national captain Angus Eve, who was an analyst during the live broadcasts of the latter matches for the Jamaican sports channel Sportsmax for the final. Eve credited the T&T’s defensive strategy but indicated that the team lacked the final touch to find the back of the net.

“Credit to Hart and the team for the work leading up to the final,” said Eve yesterday. “Personally, I think we didn’t use the wings as much and Jamaica made sure to take advantage of that. They were all over the midfield and kept command. When it comes down to penalty kicks, it’s a king of lottery sometimes and the Jamaicans showed that they were better on the day.”

Both T&T and Jamaica are through to the Concacaf F Gold Cup 2015. Jamaica however, will be present at the 2015 Copa America (by invitation) and the 2016 Centennial Copa America.

T&T can still qualify for the 2015 Copa America but will have to do so by finishing among the two play-off winners among the four highest finishers in the 2015 Concacaf Gold Cup not already qualified, or finish winners of the 2015 Gold Cup.

“We’ve made progress. I’m proud of my team. We’ve got work to do but we’re in the Gold Cup so all is not lost. We have some internal problems to be fixed and we’ve got programs to plan and implement. We’ll be fine because we’ve got a capable, committed squad and we also have some players to add who were not in this tournament,” Hart ended.