Trinidad and Tobago captain Maylee Attin-Johnson was elated with this country’s 1-0 victory over Haiti on Friday night but wasn’t too pleased with the performance of the team and she expects better when they face Guatemala in Monday’s closing Group encounter in Washington.
Needing just a draw to advance to the knockout stage after Kennya Cordner’s 37th minute goal gave T&T three points in Illinois, T&T will be without custodian Kimika Forbes who was ejected in the second half against the Haitians. But T&T gave it their all on the night to earn the win which was followed by United States’ 5-0 whipping of Guatemala.
“It was one of the worst performances we have had as a team,” Attin-Johnson told TTFA Media after the win.
“However we continue to play with grit, determination and heart. Once we continue doing so we will qualify. We have a great coaching staff that will prepare us for the next game. We have some injuries but we have trust in every player that once called upon they will step up and take advantage of the opportunity,” she added.
King, who had been tower of strength in the T&T backline, said she was relieved at the final whistle as T&T were forced to grind out the result with ten players for the majority of the second half against a spirited Haitian outfit.
“It was a great feeling getting those three points and a relief of pressure off our shoulders,” King said.
“We are now one game away from making it to the knockout stage and creating history. I think heart and determination were the key factors for tonight’s win. Especially playing a man down, we really had to come together as a team and fight for one another,” she added.
King noted that the mood in the camp has never been better and the team was expected to settle into Westin Crystal City hotel following their arrival in Washington around 3pm.
“The camp is very positive at the moment. We know we have what it takes to come out victorious again so we are continuing to stay mentally focused and physically prepared for the Guatemala game,” King said.