Caribbean World Cup Dreams
By Bille Anthony Sinclair
Although the best prospects
for Caribbean success in the World Cup effort lie with the Trinidad
& Tobago (T&T) team, the recent game with El Salvador
places their World Cup 2010 FIFA final quest in doubt. Indeed,
El Salvador—a team of young, feisty players—made a
strong case against T&T with a gritty battle ending in a 2-2
tie.
According
to the collective wisdom of experts and a consensus of sports
pundits before the game, the Salvadorian contest was viewed as
a sure victory for the seasoned “Soca Warriors”. Of
course, they underestimated the fortitude of the Salvadorans.
Early on, El Salvador gave two early scores to T&T, with Carlos
Edwards and Dwight Yorke providing the 2-0 lead in the first half.
The Warriors were able to hold off the pugnacious Salvadorians
and maintained the lead until Osael Romero delivered both the
initial score and then added the tying goal. Fortunately for T&T,
the superb defensive play of Warrior keeper Clayton Ince kept
El Salvador from advancing to an outright win.
Even though this was a vigorous
challenge to the relative supremacy of the Soca Warriors, they
still have the talent and gravity to push themselves all the way
to the South Africa final. In addition to the notable skills of
Yorke, Edwards, and Ince, the Warriors can look to the scoring
of Stern John. Kenwyne Jones, Gary Glasgow, Densil Theobald, Avery
John, and Marvin Andrews; who all round out the Warriors attack
and winning formula.
The game was an integral piece
of the final round of the six nation qualifying event for FIFA
World Cup 2010. Certainly, T&T as the premier Caribbean team
must clean up its act and avoid critical errors, if they are truly
serious about staying alive and having a chance to make it to
the World Cup finals.
Whether or not T&T has
the savvy to pull off another win on their historic journey is
anybody’s guess. However, if the Warriors remain patient
and rely upon their well-tested maturity and resilience—the
hallmark of their athletic reputation—anything is possible.
