TRINIDAD and Tobago senior men’s football team coach Derek King believes the Soca Warriors have grown over four preliminary matches of the 2023-2024 CONCACAF Nations League (CNL).
In the first match, T&T appeared overwhelmed away to Honduras when they were blanked 4-0.
They then drew matches against French Guiana (0-0), Cuba (2-2) —both of which they probably should have won— before defeating Cuba 3-1 on Monday night to preserve their status in the CNL League A for next season.
“What we saw today is progress,” said King at the post-match press conference.
“We saw a team that was hungry, a team that really wanted these three points. We went out there and we played some good football. I think the first half alone we could have been five (goals) up.”
Having held Group B winners Jamaica (0-0), third-placed Nicaragua (1-1), and fourth-placed T&T (2-2) to draws in their first three matches, Cuba were losing for the first time, and thus is relegated to League B.
King said it was a great feeling to keep the team at the highest level of CONCACAF competition for a second successive year.
“What we saw, so far, since I am have taken over, is that the team is playing football,” stated King, adding, “We create chances and stuff. We just were not putting away our chances and goals in matches.”
King hopes the Soca Warriors would more consistently maintain the high performance of the first half, when they scored twice, dominated possession, and could have scored several more.
Kings’ instructions to the Soca Warriors was to dominate and not to allow Cuba a chance, and thus keep them in the match.
He also set a few traps for the Cubans, in preventing their defenders from linking with the midfield, and having teenager Dantaye Gilbert and Joevin Jones pressing the ball higher up the field.
“We set up perfectly in the first half, so that they couldn’t move the ball as they wanted,” King explained. “We set the trap and as soon as we push them one side we intercepted the ball and got goal-scoring opportunities.”
Of Gilbert, King said: “He was pretty good.” Gilbert opened the scoring and in the process recorded his first international goal.
King also echoed praises on veteran Joevin Jones, who since returning to the Soca warriors set-up got on the scoresheet in both matches against Cuba.
Playing further up front, American-born Noah Powder was also quite good, as was Canada-based Andre Rampersad with both Shannon Gomez and Ross Russell Jr out wide.
But King also acknowledged that all was far from perfect in the second half, as they allowed Cuba to score from another defensive breakdown.
“First-half we created the goal-scoring opportunities. Second-half, we were a bit slopping, especially defensively,” noted King. “So, that is things that we have to continue working on, especially at the top level.”
Having led by two goals at half-time, King would have been satisfied with each team netting once in the second half had his Soca Warriors not been so unhitched defensively in the final session.
“I told the players the key for us is to at least draw the second half,” said King. “(But) you know, we started (the second half) a bit sloppy, giving away goal-scoring opportunities for Cuba. They took one.
“I think, you know, that’s where the maturity steps in,” King deduced. “We have to continue working if we want to compete against the top teams in CONCACAF.”
“It’s important that we continue working as a unit,” he added. “You know we have a local team in training and we continue working with them, you know, both physically, mentally. We had a few local-based players who made a team, and I think I’m very proud of that,”