T&T seniors face Canada in Fort Lauderdale friendly

T&T last played against Antigua/Barbuda in a friendly there in February, winning comfortably 4-0 with Devorn Jorsling scoring a hattrick and will be looking to complete a third successive win over the Canadians following up on their 2-0 and 4-0 victories in 2002 World Cup qualifiers back in 2000.

An Angus Eve wonder strike and a clever Dwight Yorke finish did the trick in Edmonton while a Russell Latapy bullet strike was the highlight of T&T’s 4-0 win at the Queen’s Park Oval. But Canada will surely remember their 1-0 win over T&T in the 2000 CONCACAF semi-final which preceded their win in the final.

Interim T&T head coach Hutson Charles will be looking to see how well his players shape up ahead of the upcoming Digicel Caribbean Cup qualifiers as well as a friendly away to Puerto Rico next month.

The likes of Slovak-based forward Lester Peltier and Orlando City midfielder Kevin Molino is sure to add some spark to the T&T attack while Vancouver Whitecaps defender Carlyle Mitchell and Seon Power possess the necessary experience to hold things steady at the back for T&T.

Philadelphia Union midfielder Keon Daniel and striker Darryl Roberts will also give Charles some extra options with midfielder Clyde Leon, Devorn Jorsling and Hughtun Hector also capable of making things difficult for the opponents. Under 23 duo Joevin Jones and Daneil Cyrus are also in the mix with Jan-Michael Williams and Cleon John both capable of holding guard in the T&T goal.

“It’s a warm up game where we will be looking to see the conditions of the players and also to see how well they combine before we put the team together again for the Digicel Cup,” Charles told TTFF Media at the Sheraton Suites Plantation Hotel, ahead of a 7pm training session at the match venue.

“Some of the guys have the experience at this level and have been here before but we are also rebuilding so there’s young Kareem Moses who has been drafted in and we have other guys like Richard Roy who will obviously want to show what they are capable of doing. Just having them here with the squad is a plus for their development. “

Looking at the match itself, the former Defence Force man noted: “Canada has been doing well in the World Cup campaign and we expect nothing less than a stiff challenge from them which is also good for us because we want to be playing matches that will also benefit our preparations for later down the road. All the same, we are also playing to win so I expect the boys will go out there and try to play good football and get a result as well.”

Racing Genk midfielder Khaleem Hyland did not make the trip due to club commitments and efforts to draft in Leston Paul and Sean De Silva with the former recovering from an injury and the latter having college commitments.

Canada’s Trinidad-born head coach Stephen Hart believes T&T will give his team a good run on Wednesday. " “I thought (Trinidad and Tobago) would present us something similar to Panama with their physique and the pace that they play.

I think they've got some very good players called in and it's a matter of how long they've been together, how much time they've been together. I think, if you look at their program, they'll be looking at it over a four-year period where I'm looking at it over the next month,” Hart said.

"It gives us a chance to come together and keep talking about what our objectives are [and] what our aims are. In terms of the game itself, it'll be more about looking at individual performances, who can fit in where, maybe try something different and see who can give us a little more flexibility in the squad."

Canada defeated Cuba 1-0 and drew 0-0 with Honduras in their two World Cup qualifiers thus far. Their squad for Wednesday includes uncapped Uruguay-based forward Lucas Cavallini, experienced FC Dallas midfielder Julian De Guzman, German-based defender Marcel De Jong and Swedish-based midfielder Nik Ledgerwood.

International cricket has been a regular at the Central Broward with the T&T T20 team playing here earlier this month and based on feedback up to Tuesday, an impressive contingent of T&T fans is expected to be in attendance to show their support including some former players and athletes including Ato Boldon. Kick off time is 7pm.

Hart looking for good performances against T&T
ctvnews.ca

In the unpredictable world of international soccer, Stephen Hart knows it's always good to have a solid backup plan.

The Canadian men's soccer coach said he's using Wednesday's upcoming friendly against Trinidad and Tobago to see if any players catch his eye before two crucial World Cup qualifiers against Panama next month. While Hart says his roster for the qualifiers is pretty much set, he needs a Plan B in case he needs to replace a projected starter due to injury or poor form.

"I know the squad I would like (against Panama) -- let's put it that way," Hart said after his team's final training session before Wednesday's game. "But there are too many outside factors for me to be thinking about that at the moment.

"I think (the friendly is) an opportunity for those players who didn't get in the recent international games to get into the squad."

Canada, second place in its World Cup qualifying group, is looking to build on a road win over Cuba and a draw with Honduras in June. A top-two finish will move Canada onto the final round qualifying.

Panama currently sits first in the group. Two good results in the next qualifiers would propel Canada to top spot, while two losses could prove fatal.

The squad that's been assembled in Florida is made up largely of North American-based players. Foreign-based players like Simeon Jackson, Olivier Occean and Atiba Hutchinson have remained with their clubs as most of the biggest leagues in Europe are about to open new seasons.

That has opened the door for veteran midfielders Terry Dunfield (Toronto FC) and Patrice Bernier (Montreal Impact), who were left off the roster in June, as well as some members of the under-23 team that came within one game of qualifying for the London Olympics before losing out to eventual gold medallist Mexico.

"I was in the stands for the Honduras game and I was one of the fans yelling 'come on boys just stick it away' but we had three or four good chances," Dunfield said of the 0-0 draw with Honduras. "The boys did fantastic last month and if anything were a little bit unlucky not to come away with the six points."

Forward Lucas Cavallini turned a few heads in the Olympic qualifying tournament. When Canada pulled off a 2-0 win over the favoured United States in Nashville, Cavallini, currently based in Uruguay, scored Canada's second goal of the night.

Given Canada's continuing struggles putting away chances, a fresh face on offence could be worth a look.

"The key thing for me as a striker is to score and if you keep scoring and keep scoring then they keep calling," said the 19-year-old Cavallini. "For me that's the main objective."

Hart was the assistant coach for Canada in Olympic qualifying and was impressed with what he saw in Cavallini. He says the young striker could possibly find his way into the lineup against Panama if he looks sharp against Trinidad and Tobago, ranked one spot behind No. 79 Canada by FIFA.

"If a young man comes in and gets a run and has a good performance it will boost his confidence and it might just sway the selection," Hart said.

The team trained on Tuesday in hot and humid conditions nearing 40 degrees. While the weather isn't likely to be as punishing next month for the first of the games at BMO Field, Hart's still hoping they can get some of that hot weather that Southern Ontario has enjoyed for most of the summer.

"The reality is it will be better if there is some heat in Toronto because it will prepare us better for Panama," he said. "I don't think it will be cold enough to affect Panama. We'll take whatever comes. We know it's going to be hot in Panama. There's no getting away from that but we'll be prepared for that."