He’s been through it all, from being one of the all time standouts as a goalkeeper for T&T to serving as technical director when T&T qualified for the World Cup in 2006. Now 73, Lincoln ‘Tiger’ Phillips is back as the goalkeeping coach for the Women’s team.
Phillips is with the team as it prepares for Tuesday’s qualifying match. He has been working with goalkeepers Kimika Forbes and Tenesha Palmer since the Concacaf Championship a few weeks ago.
Phillips has been highly noted for taking Howard University team built around students from the Caribbean to unprecedented success. In 1971, Howard became the first historically black college to win the N.C.A.A. Division I championship in the United States which to this day is highlighted in US Soccer history.
Now he’s on the verge of being part of another piece of history as the T&T Women’s team seeks to become the first Caribbean country to qualify for a Women’s World Cup.
“To be honest I was just as much surprised to be involved as many people were. I was back in the US working with the University of Loyola Women’s Team for the past three years and then Randy got in touch with me and said to come give him a hand. I was very happy to respond and get back involved to give back in any way because T&T has given me a lot, “ Phillips said.
Looking ahead to the match, he added: “Football is a game you can never forecast but I’m really looking forward to it because I think once we stick to our game and settle down then we can pull it off.”
He also touched on the potential of Forbes and Palmer. “Kimika has the potential and the qualities to become a world class goalkeeper. She works hard and is in a good system in the US.
She has the physical features of a good goalkeeper and she’s improving all the time. Tenesha is young and growing with every bit of experience and she will continue to get better so I’m quite pleased about these two,” he added.