It was Game One of the Beenhakker Era in Trinidad & Tobago, and it would be Game Last if he didn't put up 3 points.
But Beenhakker put him on the field anyway, in a new-look 4-4-2. The centerbacks were familiar faces Marvin Andrews and Dennis Lawrence, but Avery John was preferred over Marlon Rojas at LB, and Atiba Charles went to RB. The midfield had Whitley/Seaton and Birchall in the middle, Carlos Edwards on the right, and Densil Theobald replacing Leslie Fitzpatrick on the left. John was joined by Dwight Yorke, now at striker instead of attacking midfielder. There was a worry at keeper: with Shaka Hislop in Europe working on his club career, and Clayton Ince with a sore back, it was third-choice Kelvin Jack, who had been shaky-to-frightful back in the semifinal round.
For Panama there was just as much pressure, but fewer good signs. With goals very hard to come by, Cheché Hernández replaced the slumping José Luís Garcés with Luís Tejada, he of the historic chilena against Mexico. Defense was suddenly a problem too. With Felipe Baloy suspended, the original plan had been for Carlos Rivera to play in the middle and Luis Henríquez to make a comeback at left back. But Henríquez got hurt, which meant Rivera had to go out to the left and Joel Solanilla had to fill in at centerback. And maybe the biggest problem of all was the uniforms. T&T wears red, so Panama had to go to the second strip: white shirts and a distinctive blue short, but no substitute for the kit that had made the red tide famous.
In the first 20 minutes T&T was tentative, and Panama held midfield control. Julio Medina, as always the most dangerous of the Panamanians, was giving Whitley (unless it was Seaton) significant trouble. But soon the Warriors caught their stride, and the defensive weakness started to show. Carlos Rivera was repeatedly embarrassed by Carlos Edwards, who looked dangerous every time he got the ball. With Birchall going all out in the middle, and T&T playing the Beenhakker possession game with some flair, it looked like a new team indeed.
But it wouldn't be T&T without Stern John blowing a chance, and when he missed a tap-in on a cross from Edwards, you could hear flushing noises all over the stadium. But in the 34th minute Charles took a throw-in on the right, it was Yorke's turn to beat Rivera and cross--and miracle of miracles, there was the bulky John to poke it unartistically but unmistakably past Donaldo González. Buy that man an extra cheeseburger!
Down 0:1 at the half, Panama stepped up the pace, with Garcés in for an ineffective Roberto Brown. Now they were dominating midfield, and the blue-and-white tide bore a strong resemblance to the red. But they had the same old problem: no width in attack. With Phillips and Medina cutting inside to try to make things happen, and little help from the fullbacks, the middle was just too clogged. And yet…two months ago against Mexico, things had looked the same, and the result was a goal for the ages. Could it happen again?
Yes, indeed--but a goal of quite another sort. And for the other team. In the 71st minute, with Panama pressing, T&T got possession and the counterattack was on. Andrews, Charles, Lawrence, John on the left wing inside the Panama half--and suddenly there was the unimaginable sight of Dennis Lawrence racing into space and heading for the goal, calling for the ball. Dennis Lawrence is a central defender. He's eight feet tall. One of his nicknames is "Giraffe," except giraffes are faster and more graceful. The last time he had streaked down the field alone towards goal was at the age of six--in his dreams. But there he was, and John, mindful of the occasion, hit him in stride. He galloped into the right side of the penalty area--marvelous! He slowed down, faked a shot, twisted Solanilla out of his shorts--brilliant! He switched the ball from his right foot to his left--beautiful! And then, alone in front of the keeper, with a nation watching in delirious disbelief, he stroked it into the far side of the net--oh, exquisite! Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaká, you guys taking notes?
The 2:0 final anchored Panama in last place. It had been a discouraging performance: there was little connection between midfield and attack, and the only real scoring chances came from long range. Four games gone, with only one goal from open play--and that had been Tejada's miracle. At least they could wear the red kit home to the USA.
As for T&T, well, you can imagine the ecstasy at socawarriors.net, even without Lawrence's masterpiece. The lads passed the ball around, the back line held firm, Yorke still had plenty of energy, the white boy and the mystery man were the long-awaited answer in midfield. Even Kelvin Jack made a couple of saves. A win, a real live win in the Hexagonal! And a coach, a real live coach in Leo Beenhakker! Mexico was next, but nothing could dampen the euphoria. Surely you remember Russell Latapy's goal that beat the Tri back in 2000?