Trinidad and Tobago’s Senior Men conceded goals on either side of the half as they went down 3-1 to hosts Ecuador in Wednesday’s International Friendly at the Estadio Banco del Pacifico in Guayaquil.

With both teams using their encounter as preparation for their upcoming World Cup qualifying assignments, T&T looked the part in a first half which saw the teams taking a 1-1 scoreline to the dressing rooms at the half. T&T had two debutants in their starting team with Santa Rosa FC forward Keron Clarke cutting his teeth in T&T colours and defender Kevon Villaroel coming in for the first time.

Juan Luis Anangonó punished T&T for a defensive lapse with the go ahead goal in the 21st minute and Carlyle Mitchell, captaining the national team for the first time, rose to head home the equaliser for the visitors in the 40th minute from a Hughtun Hector right side free kick. But Ecuador turned on the pressure after the break, backed by their boisterous home fans, going on to add goals in the 73rd minute through a penalty by Fernando Gaibor before substitute Jacob Murillo sealed the win with a goal in stoppage time.

T&T had their fair share of moments in front of goal with Mexican-based winger Jomal Williams lashing one over bar from the left of the goal in the 27th minute and Clarke’s right footed effort which goalkeeper Esteban Dreer blocked with his legs after Hector slipped one through for the Santa Rosa man.

T&T gave up a penalty after soaking up pressure from the hosts as they searched for the go ahead item. Alvin Jones was adjudged to have fouled Ayrton Preciado and the resulting penalty was properly dispatched for a 2-1 lead.

Before Ecuador go their third item, substitute Willis Plaza had an effort blocked from close range.

Head Coach Dennis Lawrence spoke after the match, saying that both teams were evenly matched in the first 45 but the momentum swung in the home team’s favour after the break.

“I thought the first half was well contested by both teams and a little more even, especially in terms of how we got on the ball and how we played. There were some good moments for us but Ecuador produced a much better performance in the second half and they put us under some pressure. They took control of the game. We kept ourselves in the game but they got the penalty and of course a late goal. For us, the idea is to have the local players together and give them the opportunity to come to a place like Ecuador which has a very good team and make sure we get the experience.

“We used this game as preparation for our upcoming World Cup qualifier and we’ll leave here with that in mind and obviously continue to do our work in relation to what is ahead of us,” Lawrence said.

The T&T squad will return home on Thursday and Lawrence will resume preparations in August ahead of the September 1st World Cup qualifier against Honduras at the Ato Boldon Stadium.

Teams

Trinidad and Tobago: 1.Marvin Phillip (GK); 15.Alvin Jones (Yellow 72), 5.Carlyle Mitchell (capt) (Yellow 38) (8.Nathaniel Garcia 46), 3.Triston Hodge, 2.Kevin Villaroel; 6.Curtis Gonzales (Yellow 41); 7.Nathan Lewis (20.Tyrone Charles 84’), 23.Leston Paul (Yellow 4) (17.Jared London 83’), 13.Hughtun Hector (14.Hashim Arcia 83’), 9.Keron Clarke, (19.Willis Plaza 71’).10.Jomal Williams (11.Sean De Silva 64’)

Unused substitutes: 22.Andre Marchan (GK), 18.Maurice Ford, 12.Neil Benjamin Jr.

Coach: Dennis Lawrence

Ecuador: 12.Esteban Dreer (GK), (22.Hamilton Piedra [GK] 81); 6.Pedro Velasco, 14.Darío Aimar, 5.Fernando León (Yellow 49), 4.Christian Cruz; 15.Pedro Quiñónez (capt) (16.Francisco Cevallos 63’); 8.Fernando Gaibor (20.Jordan Sierra 80), 10.Gabriel Cortéz (11.Matías Oyola 46’), 7.Ayrton Preciado (9.Jacob Murillo 80’); 19.Erick Castillo, 13.Juan Luis Anangonó.

Unused substitutes: 1.Máximo Banguera (GK), 2.Luis Cangá, 3.Luis Segovia, 8.Luis Ayala, 17.Romario Caicedo.

Coach: Gustavo Quinteros

Highlights: - Ecuador vs Trinidad y Tobago 3-1 RESUMEN y GOLES (Amistoso 2017)

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T&T fall 3-1 to Ecuador amid general apathy; local tv stations snub game.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).

Trinidad and Tobago were well beaten but not disgraced in Guayaquil tonight as the Soca Warriors were undone by two late strikes in a 3-1 loss to South American hosts Ecuador.

Ecuador scored first through forward Juan Luis Anangonó in the 21st minute only for Carlyle Mitchell to equalise with a brilliant header in the 41st minute. Midfielder Fernando Gaibor put the home nation back in the driver’s seat with a successful penalty kick in the 73rd minute before substitute Jacob Murillo settled the friendly contest with a stoppage-time insurance item.

It was the third straight loss and fifth successive outing without a win for Trinidad and Tobago National Senior Team head coach Dennis Lawrence although he is likely to see the bright side of a loss away to a nation ranked 31st in the world by FIFA—47 places higher than the two-island republic.

Both teams were not at full strength as the exhibition game was played outside the FIFA international match window although Ecuador used four players from their last Russia 2018 World Cup qualifying match.

The Ecuadorians are sixth in CONMEBOL at present and two points shy of a FIFA Play-off berth. They next travel to Brazil on 31 August before hosting Peru on 5 September.

The Warriors host Honduras on 1 September and then head to Panama on 5 September—although Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president David John-Williams suggested there might be two more friendlies before then.

John-Williams has already confirmed that their upcoming World Cup qualifier against Honduras will be played at the smaller Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva and pointed to diminishing enthusiasm from local fans as the main reason for ditching the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port-of-Spain.

The local football body might find further justification for the venue change in the local television stations’ apparent lack of interest in broadcasting tonight’s match even at an alleged cut-price deal that would have seen them only concede airtime—rather than cash—to the TTFA.

In Trincity Mall, for instance, the Bootleggers Sports Bar management refused to allow even one screen to show the Trinidad and Tobago contest, all five of their television sets instead beaming a pre-season friendly between Manchester United and Barcelona.

DirecTV did offer the game on its own channel 617 after it turned out that—despite an earlier Wired868 report—Flow Sports had not committed to broadcast the friendly.

The Warriors had their own problems as they fell behind after just 21 minutes, Mitchell failing to decisively deal with a cross and Anangonó pouncing on his loose touch to open the scoring.

Unsurprisingly, Trinidad and Tobago spent long periods chasing the ball but midfielders Jomal Williams and Nathan Lewis did offer an attacking threat in the first half and the former player almost conjured up an equaliser with an outrageous curling effort in the 27th minute after eluding one defender.

Mitchell, who was also booked in the first half, then atoned for his earlier error with a splendid flicked header off a Hughtun Hector free-kick that zipped into the corner for the equaliser.

The India-bound defender was replaced at half-time—and it is worth remembering that tonight’s affair in Guayaquil was his first high-level game since a muscular injury five months ago.

The young men in red, white and black gear might have conjured up an unlikely go-ahead item in the 66th minute, when striker Keron Clarke reacted smartly to latch on to a clever Hector pass only to be denied by the legs of Ecuador custodian Esteban Dreer.

A full-time employee at WASA and lower-league player with FC Santa Rosa, Clarke has already caught the attention of the football public after his assertion that, as a Seventh Day Adventist, he would rule himself out of the Honduras qualifier which it is carded to be played on the Sabbath.

Clarke struggled at times tonight—as did most of the squad with the possible exceptions of Hector, utility player Curtis Gonzales and defender Triston Hodge—but there were some glimpses of the sharpness of body and mind that earned him a starting place ahead of India-based striker Willis Plaza.

At 1-1, though, the scoreline did flatter Trinidad and Tobago as Ecuador created at least two clear scoring opportunities before they were offered a late penalty kick. Right-back Alvin Jones complained bitterly that he had got the ball but he took a piece of opposing attacker Ayrton Preciado as well.

And Phillip, who was not blameless in the sequence that led to the spot kick, was well beaten by Gaibor.

Lawrence made four late changes to give his bench a taste of the atmosphere but Ecuador benefitted as Murillo blasted home from inside the area after a dizzying exchange of passes.

The friendly affair was followed by the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup final, which pitted T&T’s Caribbean rivals Jamaica against tournament hosts the United States. Jamaica eventually succumbed 2-1 after a 88th minute winner by US midfielder Jordan Morris.

Trinidad and Tobago did not even qualify for the competition. But then it is the Warriors and not Jamaica who are four games away from a possible World Cup place—even though the ‘bandwagonists’ might have already averted their attention.

(Teams)

Trinidad and Tobago (4-1-4-1): 1.Marvin Phillip (GK) (captain); 15.Alvin Jones, 5.Carlyle Mitchell (8.Nathaniel Garcia 46), 3.Triston Hodge, 2.Kevon Villaroel; 6.Curtis Gonzales; 7.Nathan Lewis (20.Tyrone Charles 84), 23.Leston Paul (17.Jared London 83), 13.Hughtun Hector (14.Hashim Arcia 83), 10.Jomal Williams (11.Sean De Silva 64); 9.Keron Clarke (19.Willis Plaza 71).

Unused substitutes: 22.Andre Marchan (GK), 18.Maurice Ford, 12.Neil Benjamin Jr.

Coach: Dennis Lawrence

Ecuador (4-1-3-2): 12.Esteban Dreer (GK), (22.Hamilton Piedra [GK] 81); 6.Pedro Velasco, 14.Darío Aimar, 5.Fernando León, 4.Christian Cruz; 15.Pedro Quiñónez (captain) (16.Francisco Cevallos 63); 8.Fernando Gaibor (20.Jordan Sierra 80), 10.Gabriel Cortéz (11.Matías Oyola 46), 7.Ayrton Preciado (9.Jacob Murillo 80); 19.Erick Castillo, 13.Juan Luis Anangonó.

Unused substitutes: 1.Máximo Banguera (GK), 2.Luis Cangá, 3.Luis Segovia, 8.Luis Ayala, 17.Romario Caicedo.

Coach: Gustavo Quinteros

Preparation is key for the Soca Warriors.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).

Six practice sessions after a relatively long rest from their encounter with Costa Rica and coach Dennis Lawrence has expressed satisfaction with the readiness of the selected players.

Compare this with his contenders in the HEX, where the teams have played in the Gold Cup. Mexico in particular, was able to get two top teams playing in international competitions during the same period, and reached the semifinal of both the Confederations and Gold Cups.

Our lads must now pay ultimate attention to their single friendly in order to grasp the benefits for which it is intended. I have to assume that the coaching staff has been making a study of Honduras, Panama and Mexico, with the hope that they could reverse the results from those that defeated them in the first round.

In a nutshell, we are approaching these matches against the eight ball, mainly because of our lack of sessions. We were also unable to correct errors made in the last match. I suppose that theoretically, we are expecting to see a continuation of the efforts they have shown in recent times.

But practice makes permanent and continuity in a positive manner, brings out the performances we all need. Actually, the unavailability of newcomers Shahdon Winchester and Nigel Daniel through injury.

This is an essential opportunity for Nathan Lewis, Willis Plaza, Tyrone Charles and Hashim Arcia to show their real worth, especially on the away circuit. I bemoan the fact that the team was not given at least three friendlies during the rest period. How nice it would be if the powers that be can approach teams like Jamaica, Martinique and Venezuela for matches prior to September 1st.

My analysis which is based upon the performances of the Gold Cup Competition and our targets, should be Honduras, Panama, and USA. None of these teams appeared to have produced the quality which spells victory for them against the Soca Warriors. USA has been struggling to fit newcomers into their squad to retain their competence, and this could make them vulnerable. Their moderate midfield of Xusi, Jones, Bradley, and the ageing Dempsey will find some difficulty to gain points easily. Panama started the Gold Cup well, but lost their rhythm and maybe their ability to produce the fighting spirit which was previously their main strength.

Honduras did not start the Gold Cup well. But the team improved and their final game was sending a signal that they could be even better the next time around. Our national selection must consist of players who are fully committed to the job and will provide the intensity which is needed for victory. Whatever the game plan, there is need for proper understanding and most of all the will to not change the pattern because of one or two mistakes.

Ecuador will expose some of our mistakes and I hope that they are corrected with the game itself. Good luck.