SOCA Warriors caretaker coach Derek King would have felt justified when the recalled pair of Sheldon Bateau and Joevin Jones scored in the team's 2024/25 Concacaf Nations League A clash with Cuba on October 10, but the Warriors are still in danger of relegation from the Nations League top flight after a 2-2 draw at the Antonio Maceo Stadium, Santiago.
Precariously positioned in fifth spot in the six-team group B before the encounter, King's charges needed a win to come out of the relegation zone – the bottom two teams will be relegated to Nations League B – and he made as many as six changes to the starting XI from the goalless draw with French Guiana last month. Jones and the industrious Noah Powder were brought into the midfield, Isaiah Lee was placed alongside 38-year-old striker Kevon Woodley as part of a front two, with defenders Bateau, Shannon Gomez and Justin Garcia being included in a five-man defence which included skipper Aubrey David.
T&T took the lead twice in the contest. But on both occasions, the Cubans clawed back as they earned their third straight draw in this Nations League cycle.
For King and his charges, it's practically back to square one as they remained in fifth spot with two points to show from their three matches. The Soca Warriors lost 4-0 away to Honduras in their first game on September 6, before their drab draw with French Guiana, and this latest result continues their winless run under the caretaker coach who took over from Angus Eve on August 6.
Cuba are fourth with three points. And although the top two teams from the group will advance to the Nations League quarterfinals, T&T's attention must now switch to survival ahead of a rematch with Cuba in Tobago on October 14.
"The result is really disappointing. We had our chances. We really didn't put them away. In the first half, we could have been at least two-three goals up," King told TT Football Association media after the game.
Though the ending was bitter, the game started perfectly for the Soca Warriors, as the 33-year-old Bateau rose highest at the back stick to head in a lovely left-side cross from Triston Hodge in only the eighth minute.
And though Cuba carried most of the momentum in the balance of play with the dangerous duo of captain Maykel Reyes and Dairon Reyes, the Soca Warriors offered a threat of their own on the counter and looked to have destiny in their own hands.
After Bateau's opener, both teams had great opportunities, with Cuba opting for neat, intricate build-ups in the T&T half, and the visitors relying on Jones' guile on the break and the pair of Lee and Woodley up top. In the 12th minute, T&T custodian Denzil Smith tipped a shot from Dairon onto his post, with Maykel somehow blasting a right-footed shot over the bar from point-blank range in the 22nd minute.
Lee and Woodley kept the Cuban defenders honest with their movement, but both players were guilty of wasting great opportunities in a purposeful attack for TT in the 42nd minute. Known as "Showtime," Woodley missed the chance to put T&T in the ascendancy when he dragged a right-footed shot wide of the mark from close range after his teammate Andre Rampersad robbed a lackadaisical Karel Perez of possession in the Cuban box.
After Lee and Jones missed chances of their own at the start of the second half, T&T were pegged back when Smith was beaten by an audacious long-range effort from substitute Rey Angel in the 65th minute.
King had warned the Soca Warriors about the danger the Cubans posed, but those words of caution seemingly fell on deaf ears.
"Goals win matches. And as I told the guys, once we keep the team in the game, they will build in confidence. And that's what happened."
With a response that was almost instantaneous, Jones gave the Soca Warriors a 2-1 lead in the 70th minute with a beauty of a left-footed shot from the edge of the area after Rampersad calmly laid off a precise left-side cross from wing back Ross Russell Jr. With his previous T&T performance coming in a forgettable 6-0 loss to the US in the Concacaf Gold Cup last July, Jones' goal looked to be a worthy winner on his return to national colours.
Unfortunately, the Cubans did not go away quietly. After back-to-back draws against Jamaica (0-0) and Nicaragua (1-1), the hosts had their own motivation, and they equalised in the 75th minute when another substitute, Aniel Casanova, tapped into an empty net after Maykel struck the base of the post from close range.
"Defensively, I think we have some work to do...you could actually see our fitness has some way to go as well but it's a work in progress.
"It's important to motivate the guys. Yet, we have to be ruthless. When we went 2-1 up, I think it was a soft goal to concede...we have to take that responsibility as players on the park."
After retiring from Soca Warriors duty last September, 34-year-old playmaker Kevin Molino made his return to the park as a substitute in the 71st minute. However, Molino couldn't provide the spark needed to give King and T&T their first win in the 2024/25 Concacaf Nations League.
From 9 pm at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet in a few days' time, T&T and Cuba will do battle again. After this next outing, though, T&T could find themselves relegated to Nations League B if they don't get a win over their 165th-ranked opponents.
"This game on Monday is very important for us. We can't afford to lose the game. This game is something we can build on...we need three points."
TEAMS
T&T: 22. Denzil Smith (GK) (21.Adrian Foncette 68'); 2. Aubrey David (capt), 18. Triston Hodge (5. Ross Russell Jr 46'), 4. Sheldon Bateau (16. Alvin Jones 53'), 6. Andre Rampersad, 3. Joevin Jones, 19. Noah Powder (10. Kevin Molino 71'), 8. Isaiah Lee, 18. Shannon Gomez, 17. Justin Garcia, 23. Kevon Woodley (7. Ryan Telfer 46')
Subs not used: 1. Christopher Biggette (GK), 15. Dantaye Gilbert, 9. Nathaniel James, 13. Michael Poon Angeron, 11. Real Gill, 20. John-Paul Rochford.
Coach: Derek King
Cuba: 12. Raiko Arozarena (GK), 22. Orlando Calvo, 5. Dariel Morejon Rodriguez, 4. Carlos Alberto Cavafe, 19. Alejandro Delgado (7. Daniel Diaz 45'), 15. Yunior Perez, 18. Yasniel Matos, 10. Dairon Reyes (2. Aniel Casanova 66'), 13. Karel Perez (16. Rey Angel Rodriguez 46'), 9. Maikel Reyes
Subs not used:
1. Ismel Morgado (GK), 21. Yurdy Hodelin (GK), 3. Mario Penalver, 8. Leandro Mena, 11. Onel Hernandez, 20. Michael Camejo, 23. David Perez.
Coach: Yunielys Castillo
SOURCE: T&T Newsday