TTFF NEWS - 'Warriors' aim to bounce back in Windy City

 ‘Warriors’ aim to bounce back in Windy City
Issued by Shaun Fuentes, TTFF Media Officer in Chicago, September 8, 2008

Trinidad and Tobago's national footballers had their first training session under rainy conditions at the Toyota Park Training Pitch on Monday evening and spirits were on the rise again as they look ahead to Wednesday’s 2010 World Cup Qualifying match against United States at Toyota Park

T&T will have the services of defender Makan Hislop following his one match suspension but influential midfielder Dwight Yorke who captained the team in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Guatemala did not travel to Chicago and will not play on Wednesday..

Yorke met with Maturana on Saturday night after the match and indicated that he wanted to avoid any conflict in the matter, saying that it was best if injury be given as the  reason. However, while admitting he held high amount of respect for Sunderland manager Roy Keane, Yorke did inform the T&T management team that the Irish man had ordered his recall via a text message. It is understood that Keane wanted the player back in Sunderland before Thursday in order for selection for Saturdays Premiership clash away to Wigan Athletic.

Keane however made no request for Carlos Edwards’ early return. Edwards travels back to Sunderland on Thursday following the encounter with the USA a night earlier.

Defender Avery John is also out on a double yellow card suspension but Aklie Edwards returns from a four match suspension to fill that void in the left back position.

"We will play our game as we intend to which is to try to be positive and attempt to get the three points. No game is easy and circumstances change but you have to be ready and we will do our best to be ready for Wednesday," Maturana told TTFF media.

"Nothing is a guarantee in football but I believe that we can achieve anything once we go about it in the right way. This we will try to do especially after what for us was a disappointing way to end the game versus Guatemala," he added.

T&T midfielder Keon Daniel, scorer of three goals in T&T’s past two qualifying matches, said the “Soca Warriors” are not counting out the possibility of leaving Chicago with something to show on the points table.

“I think we were disappointed with the way the game ended on Saturday but the spirit isn’t down in the camp. As a matter of fact the guys are all feeling good and I feel we can pull something off on Wednesday. It’s going to be hard but the gap is closing and Wednesday will be a nice way to show it” Daniel said.

“My performance so far has been down to hard work and belief and I think I can say the same for the rest of the team. I don’t usually take shots from the outside but the coach has had me doing it a lot in training and I’m starting to believe more in myself. I got the ball, looked up and saw the chance and I went for it. The result was a goal but I felt too that I was responsible for Guatemala’s goal because of the tackle that led to their free kick even though I never touched the player but that’s how it goes. Hopefully we can make up for it.”

Wednesday’s game will be televised live on ESPN and former T&T goalkeeper Shaka Hislop is part of the commentary team. The match will also be broadcasted live on Radio 105 FM and I95.5fm.

US head coach Bob Bradley said he wants three points on Wednesday.

“It will be interesting to see how the results go on Wednesday. Obviously it will be our goal to get three points in our first home game for the round (against Trinidad and Tobago)” Bradley said after his team edged Cuba 1-0 in Havana on a Clint Dempsey 40th minute goal on Saturday.

On whether he is considering altering his two holding-midfielder strategy, he added :
”Again, in the movement of the game I don’t consider that they are both holding midfielders.  We encourage movement.  We encourage the idea that one can move out and join in [the attack], but when the ball turns over we feel that their ability to work together is important to make it difficult for the other team and to cut down on their chances.

“Like most teams in the world, we have attacking players who have the freedom to be moving and active, and we feel with Clint (Dempsey), DaMarcus Beasley) and Landon (Donovan) in those kinds of positions the idea is still that we can find them in good positions, get the right numbers and be dangerous.”

US captain Carlos Bocanegra also sees three points on Wednesday as nice cushion, saying “Two wins for us doesn’t get better than that, so that’s what we’re building on. We’re going home now to Chicago so we’re excited. If we get three more points there we’ll set ourselves up nice.”
   
T&T Squad in Chicago:Marvin Phillip (W Connection), Jan Michael Williams (Ferencvaros), Keyeno Thomas (Joe Public), Julius James (Toronto FC, Dennis Lawrence (Swansea City), Carlos Edwards (Sunderland), Cyd Gray (Clico San Juan Jabloteh), Keon Daniel (Petrotrin), Andre Toussaint (W Connection), Jason Scotland (Swansea), Cornell Glen (unattached), Anthony Wolfe (North East Stars), Densill Theobald (Caledonia), Clyde Leon (United Petrotrin), Osei Telesford (Puerto Rico Islanders), Kerry Baptiste (Joe Public), Akeil Guevera (North East), Gyasi Joyce (Caledonia AIA), Makan Hislop (United Petrotrin), Aklie Edwards (Defence Force).