There was almost a wince on the face of Trinidad and Tobago Head Coach Angus Eve when he realized that Sunday’s 3-0 victory over Saint Kitts and Nevis in Group A was the country’s first Concacaf Gold Cup group stage win since the 2015 edition.
Eights years later, Eve and the Soca Warriors are dead set on making sure that the 2023 Gold Cup will be the moment in which Trinidad and Tobago “re-establish themselves” on the big stage in the region.
They certainly looked the part on Sunday, led by DF Alvin Jones, who scored right before halftime to give Trinidad and Tobago a 1-0 lead in the match at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Speaking with Concacaf.com after the match, Jones echoed his coach’s sentiment on the 2000 semifinalists and 2013 and 2015 quarterfinalists restoring their place among the top dogs in the Caribbean and in the Concacaf region.
“Trinidad and Tobago have been off the map for quite a while. One of the things the coach brought when he got the job was that he wanted us to be a force to conquer the Concacaf region and the CFU region. As you can see, we've been doing some great work and it's showing off,” said Jones.
Jones typically does not score a lot of goals for Trinidad and Tobago. His tally on Sunday, which was a sensational volley after bringing a pass down with his chest, was his fourth as a member of the Senior Men’s National Team and his first in eight Gold Cup matches.
However, his recent domestic form this season with Club Sando in Trinidad and Tobago had Jones feeling very confident going into this Gold Cup.
“I've been playing back home, and I have seven goals in 10 games. I'm in a pretty good scoring form and I just try to lead that up into the competition and I got a goal today,” said Jones.
It has to be said though, his goals with Trinidad and Tobago are nothing short of spectacular. In a memorable 2-1 win over the United States on the final matchday of the final round of Concacaf World Cup Qualifying for Russia 2018, Jones scored a cracking goal from 35 yards out for the winning score.
The goal versus the U.S. remains his favorite, but it certainly does not take away the importance of Sunday’s strike.
“The USA one is a history one, but today, it's a great goal. It’s going to build the team and give the team confidence. We have to keep going and get more. I think my goal was a very important goal to grow the confidence in the team for us to go and get more goals,” said Jones.
As always, representing his country is of the utmost importance to Jones and scoring for his country in such a prestigious tournament like the Gold Cup is a feeling that is almost indescribable.
“Representing my country is everything. I'm going to put my body on the line, I put my life on the line for my country, so every time I step on that field, I give my all, I make up my mind to walk off having left everything behind. It's an honor and pride in representing my country,” concluded Jones.
SOURCE: Concacaf.com