BRENT SANCHO and Keith Look Loy have both expressed their disappointment in the lacklustre efforts of the Trinidad and Tobago football team, against Honduras on Tuesday and Costa Rica last Friday, in their respective FIFA World Cup CONCACAF Zone Final Round qualifiers.
On Tuesday, T&T were beaten 3-1 away to Honduras at San Pedro Sula while, last Friday, they were defeated 2-0 by Costa Rica at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo.
However, both Sancho and Look Loy, in respective telephone interviews yesterday, noted that T&T coach Stephen Hart was not entirely to blame for the team’s struggles, as the players also have to take stock for the team’s display. Focusing on the Honduras match, Sancho described the result as “disappointing”.
The current Central FC chief executive officer noted, “I think, when you look at the way the Honduras team started, they never gave us a chance to settle, which is expected when you’re playing these types of teams, especially (away), they would play at a very high tempo.
“We didn’t start well,” continued the former national defender. “We had a better second half.
Although we got a goal (courtesy Carlyle Mitchell) from a better start in the second half, (we) could not sustain that throughout the period.
All and all, I’m quite sure that Hart would have been a bit disappointed with the way we played in total. We played in spurts. There is a lot of work to be done between now and March.” Trinidad and Tobago will host Panama on March 24 and Mexico four days later, when World Cup qualification resumes.
Despite the poor start, Sancho believes T&T can still qualify as he reminisced on the 2006 campaign where T&T reached Germany after registering just one point from their first three games.
“I think there is where Hart’s work will start, being able now to modify and change things around, which I’m sure he’s spoken about, as it relates to the (forthcoming) games that we have still around the corner,” he added.
Look Loy, the current FC Santa Rosa president and coach, admitted that the Honduras result “puts us in a deep hole already, after two games, even if there are eight left.
“When you look at the performance of our team, you don’t know, on average, where the five wins we need to get, are coming from.” The outspoken Look Loy was quick to point out several problems in the etam.
“Fitness is one, the players looked very tired at the end of both matches. The team selection is another, I think the public is fairly well-convinced now that (captain and centre forward) Kenwyne Jones does not have a place on the starting team.
That’s my view. As we saw (on Tuesday) and against Costa Rica, (Trevin) Caesar and (Willis) Plaza present a better option; they’re more mobile, better on the ball and they offer more to the team.” He added, “we have the question of team tactics and tactical indiscipline.
The worst culprit in that regard was (right back) Daneil Cyrus, who was giving away goals every match. Honduras had studied our games and they came after him from the first whistle.”