After a very dramatic shootout, Trinidad & Tobago came out victorious over a very well organized French Guiana to secure qualification to the Concacaf Gold Cup 2021. The victory comes as a welcome change for the “Soca Warriors” and will not be able to sit down for very long to enjoy it because the first game is just four days after the French Guiana game.
While this is a very good result for Trinidad & Tobago considering all the problems that the country is facing, the task at hand could not be more difficult. Angus Eve and his men, many of which do not have the ideal match fitness due to the lack of football taking place in Trinidad & Tobago domestically, must now get ready to face a very difficult group A which contains Curacao, Mexico and El Salvador. The fact is it is quite impossible for Angus Eve to do much in terms of physical preparation in such a period of time. The issues are further compounded by the fact that captain Khaleem Hyland and young Judah Garcia the brother of AEK Athens man Levi Garcia came off injured in the last game. Also, Aubrey David suffered a very brutal injury to his face in the game against Montserrat which is most definitely giving Angus Eve further headaches.
All the teams in group A are very strong teams on their own and also have players who have been playing more regularly so match fitness is definitely going to be an issue. Many questions are being asked by fans and local media about the availability of Levi Garcia and Joevin Jones, Kevon Molino was a welcome return for Trinidad & Tobago but many fans of the team would be pondering what a difference it would make if all three of these star attackers were available.
Angus Eve and Trinidad & Tobago can celebrate and rightfully so tonight but once again another challenge presents itself in just 4 days time. Anyone who understands the issues that plague Trinidad & Tobago football will understand the magnitude of the task at hand. The fans of Trinidad & Tobago are notoriously demanding but sometimes due to lack of information do not grasp the problems and multiple mechanisms required for a national team to perform at the highest level. While this is quite an exciting time for the national team, the time for celebrating is quite short and make no mistake this team is most definitely far from ideally prepared. Something the coach and his staff is very much aware of but will have to face anyway.
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