It was the poorest of lame excuses. But it was the only explanation offered by Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) press officer Shaun Fuentes as T&T coach Francisco Maturana showed his back and walked away from 30-odd reporters following the Soca Warriors' embarrassing 3-0 defeat to the United States in a CONCACAF World Cup qualifier on Wednesday night at Toyota Park, Bridgeview, Illinois.
Trinidad and Tobago had just suffered their biggest-ever defeat to the USA in 17 meetings and Maturana was not in a talking mood. And neither were his players.
T&T captain Cyd Gray simply refused to speak to the media; defender Dennis Lawrence had an upset look after coming all the way from England to sit on the bench; and striker Cornell Glenn, the only man with the courage to talk, offered no excuses.
With his coach shirking responsibility, Glen became the team's spokesman.
"It's going to be tougher, but I think it's going to be a good thing for us as well," Glen said.
"We know that we have to work harder now to get the points...especially against Guatemala. So, we have a job to do, and we have to just forget this game. Put this game behind us, and look forward to the next game."
Following the mid-week victory, the United States have almost certainly qualified for CONCACAF'S Final Round of World Cup qualifying after moving clear atop Group One with nine points.
And Guatemala's 4-1 victory over Cuba has pulled them level with T&T on four points, and ahead on goal difference.
The two teams meet on October 11 in Guatemala, in a showdown which may well determine the final qualifiers in the group.
Glen said despite exhaustive work on a game plan, the Warriors had suffered because of mistakes.
"We just didn't stick to plan, and three mistakes cost us today," he said.
"We started...I wouldn't say poorly, but we didn't start like we wanted to. The first goal we got was exactly what we worked on yesterday. That is one of our weaknesses and it's hard to see that we got a goal like that."
Glen was referring to the soft goal which gave the Americans a 1-0 advantage in the ninth minute.
Michael Bradley's opener was embarrassingly easy, the US midfielder ghosting in unmarked behind the T&T defence to re-direct Landon Donovan's free-kick past keeper Marvin Phillip with a slight touch with the outside of his right foot.
Glen felt that Sunderland midfielder Dwight Yorke's absence was a slight team distraction, but also believed that replacement Osei Telesford did a capable job.
The T&T striker, a former MLS professional, also defended Maturana's decision to use him as the single forward, consequently allowing the American defenders to smother him.
"I like to play with a second striker, but that is the coach's job," he insisted.
"That is the coach's job! We won against Cuba and we almost won against Guatemala using the same system we used against the USA. It was just three mistakes and it cost us. I think we missed a couple of players well. Avery (John) and Dennis (Lawrence) at the back.
If Maturana maintains that his defence is solid, then his midfield is definitely porous.
The Americans exposed Trinidad and Tobago's faults in a big way.
First, none of the midfielders challenged the player with the ball, allowing their hosts time and space to pick off runners up the flanks.
Also shown up were players who refuse to sacrifice for the team.
But, what the Americans exploited mostly was a lack of urgency and poor work ethic.
Before a crowd of 11,452 fans, the Soca Warriors' performance bordered on embarrassing and many Trinidad and Tobago ex-nationals who came from New York, Boston and elsewhere left disappointed.
Unlike Maturana, US coach Bob Bradley liked what he saw of the T&T team.
"It's good to have gotten this round off to such a good start," Bradley said after his squad had registered their third straight victory.
"We found a good rhythm and did a good job moving the ball and finding the little seams in their defence. I think that set the tone for the game. It was a good win, and halfway through this round I think we continue to improve and that·s what it·s all about."
The Americans destroyed Trinidad and Tobago in the centre of the park and particularly on the left side.
But young Defence Force player Aklie Edwards does not deserve as much blame as the man in front of him, Keno Daniel, who barely lifted a foot to help the defender.
The United Petrotrin midfielder spent 90 per cent of the match in no man's land, allowing inexperienced Aklie Edwards to be terrorised on the flank.
At one point, Daniel simply allowed Sasha Kljestian to stroll past him unchallenged, forcing Aklie Edwards into an awkward tackle as the American outpaced him.
Daniel had done the exact same against Guatemala, allowing their number 7 to run at Avery John.
But it was the far more organised Americans who showed up defensive weaknesses throughout the Trinidad and Tobago line-up.
Like any good coach, Maturana usually shields his players from blame. But by sparing the rod, the child is often spoilt.
Former T&T coach, Dutchman Leo Beenhakker, would not have stood that nonsense from wide midfielders Daniel and Carlos Edwards, as the easygoing Maturana is apparently willing to.
The right flank was harder to breach, but only because defender Gray held his end well and prevented Da Marcus Beasley from getting behind him.
Ahead of Gray, Carlos Edwards only sparingly helped his defender.
And, because none of the midfielders regularly challenged the man with the ball, the Americans were able to easily pick out their people.
It came as no surprise when Dempsey gave the USA a second goal, taking Beasley's straight pass behind Keyeno Thomas and hitting a low shot across Marvin Phillip to the far post.
It was only for a ten-minute spell early in the second half that the Soca Warriors competed and forced a few corners.
During that period, when the visitors finally started to run at their opponents, the Americas looked unsettled.
Uncle Sam's Army got a scare in the 53rd minute, when a cross from Gray was deflected by defender Oguchi Onyewu just outside the near post, and from the corner defender Steve Cherundolo cleared the ball off the goal-line.
Trinidad and Tobago did have the ball in the American goal in that period, substitute Anthony Wolfe netting from an off-side position, after US keeper Tim Howard only parried a stiff shot from Glen.
But after surviving a spell of pressure, Ching put the ball in an unprotected net in the 57th, pushing the American lead to 3-0.
Once again, it came from a defensive error, T&T central defender Thomas' laboured jump allowing Onyewu a header onto Beasley's free-kick.
Keeper Phillip pushed the ball into the air, but the rebound fell to an again unmarked Ching.
Disappointed, their egos battered and bruised, Trinidad and Tobago's Soca Warriors carried the same long look as they did a year ago when Costa Rica whipped them 4-0.
But, they have since bounced back with a series of good victories.
Statistics say otherwise, but I'll make a brave prediction that T&T will defeat the USA when the teams meet again in Port of Spain on October 15, just four days after the Guatemala showdown.
TEAMS:
USA: 1-Tim Howard; 15-Heath Pearce, 3-Carlos Bocanegra-capt., 5-Oguchi Onyewu, 6-Steve Cherundolo; 17-DaMarcus Beasley, 12-Michael Bradley (4-Rico Clark, 67), 16-Sacha Kljestan, 8-Clint Dempsey (7-Eddie Lewis, 78); 10-Landon Donovan, 11-Brian Ching (9-Eddie Johnson, 67)
Subs Not Used: 18-Brad Guzan, 2-Frankie Hejduk, 13-Maurice Edu, 14-Danny Califf
Head Coach: Bob Bradley
T&T: 1-Marvin Phillip; 3-Akile Edwards, 5-Keyeno Thomas, 9-Makan Hislop, 8-Cyd Gray; 17-Keon Daniel, 4-Osei Telesford, 2-Clyde Leon, 7-Carlos Edwards; 12-Densil Theobald (14-Anthony Wolfe, 46), 13-Cornell Glenn
Subs Not Used: 18-Jan-Michael Williams, 6-Dennis Lawrence, 10-Andre Toussaint, 11-Jason Scotland, 15-Kerry Baptiste, 16-Julius James
Head Coach: Francisco Maturana.