Trinidad and Tobago’s Senior Men’s team will attempt to make a winning start to their Caribbean Cup Finals campaign as they set off on their quest to cop their ninth regional title and secure a spot at the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup when they face off with Haiti from 6pm Today.
The venue is the Antigua Recreation Ground at which an opening ceremony will precede the opener and 8pm kick off between the hosts Antigua/Barbuda and Dominican Republic.
Up to Thursday, the organizers were busy putting the finishing touches on the venue which played centre-stage to Brian Lara’s record breaking innings on two occasions and up to last week attracted visiting tourists who merely wanted to step on the surface on which Lara flourished.
Team captain Jan Michael Williams and his teammates were however almost driven off the same green carpet on Wednesday by the facility engineer who became furious because of the team’s desire to hold a training session.
T&T joint head coaches Jamaal Shabazz and Hutson Charles opted to train on the sidelines, away from the playing area but were forced to scamper for safety when the individual drove his pick up van towards their position.
Another brief discussion took place but T&T continued with their work out which lasted a total of 45 minutes. All this occurred after the coaching staff decided against using an unsuitable venue that was described as “not even good enough for a cow to graze on.”
“It was not the actual face-off we were hoping for on our first day in Antigua,” Shabazz told TTFF Media.
“But we are here to complete a mission and we simply requested some time and space to prepare for the task before us on Friday. We knew it would be difficult in an away country. We did our work at home in Trinidad and we’ll train once tomorrow (Thursday) before going into battle on Friday against the Haitians.”
T&T are based at the Halcyon Cove Beach Hotel along with Haiti, Cuba and Dominican Republic, less than ten minutes drive from the match venue. The conditions have been humid here so far but very much suitable for good play.
“The ground seems to be in good condition and we’ll get ourselves ready for the match,” Charles commented.
“It’s important for us to get off to a good start and set the pace for the rest of the tournament. The players know that. The vibe is good at the moment and we’ll be looking to transfer that onto the pitch.”
Former US-based midfielder Kevin Molino was part other of the team in 2010 that lost the Finals opener 2-0 to Cuba. He’s is hoping to see T&T through to the semi-finals this time.
“I think some of the players are a lot more experienced and have improved since we played in 2010. We know we cannot afford to settle late in the tournament. We have to be on top of our game from the word go. I’m looking forward to a good start,” Molino said.
W Connection midfielder Hughtun Hector netted twice and Devorn Jorsling was also on the scoresheet when T&T pounded Haiti 4-0 in the previous Caribbean Cup qualifying meet between the teams in 2010. But Haiti will be keen to make up for that loss.
“They will be tougher this time and around and we have to be ready for that,” said Shabazz who was in charge of Guyana during their 1-0 loss to the same opponents last month in Grenada.
“They will by no means be easy to overcome and it’s important that we work harder than them and show exactly why we deserve to take the first three points in the group.”
Skipper Williams, Lester Peltier, Joevin Jones, Daneil Cyrus and Jamal Gay were all on the substitutes bench during the 4-0 win and certainly will be looking to play their part in leading T&T to what would be a sixth victory over Haiti in the Regional final dating back to 1998. Haiti have beaten T&T once in this tournament, a 2-1 result in the 2007 Final at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
Up to Thursday, the organizers were confirming which nations would televise the Finals live after an agreement was reached with CMC Sports for live production of the matches. Fans can however access live internet streaming via www.caribbeanfootballunion.org.