Well, it is Monday July 4...some will recognise this date as America's Independence Day but for me the big magician, and my son, the small magician, this date means we have just this one day to pack and organise ourselves to leave sweet T&T and head off to Miami to witness the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Why are we doing that? Why would someone take on such expenses to go and support the Trinidad and Tobago national football team in some unknown tournament? Well, simple, we call ourselves "the Faithfulista". We go to see every T&T football match in T&T, all age-groups, women's and some Pro and Super League games. I have been following T&T since 1973, and my son, well, I guess he had no choice, he started in 1995.
Last year we had our first taste of travel to see T&T vs Northern Ireland. So what if it was only in Tobago? It was a cool little one-day trip. Left on the first flight, like 7 a.m. Got some breakfast around Store Bay. Went to Pigeon Point, chilled, met some British folks there, some Dwight Yorke conversations, Boro fans, Swindon, Westham. Both my son and I support Man United in England so we took some stick for that as well.
Then hooked up a ride for the game at.yes, the Dwight Yorke Stadium. And there even was a second half appearance by ..yes, Dwight Yorke the first time in three years since he last wore the great red shirt so the scoreline read Northern Ireland 3 T&T 0 and yes we were awful on the day but the Faithfulista had a great time (except the bloody result) and we were back in our beds in Trinidad by 9 p.m.
Well, we are quite aware the US of A is no Tobago trip. So with some last minute Trini-style planning and collecting some outstanding cash here and there, and some objections from the boss, Mrs. Magician, we leap into the unknown not knowing what the progress of the Warriors (T&T) will be.
To my surprise, a lot of people don't know what the CONCACAF Gold Cup really is, well think UEFA European Championships (the one in which Greece shocked the football world last year), the Copa America (Brazilian penalty kicks win over eternal rivals Argentina), the African Cup of Nations (hosted and won by Tunisia) and the Asian Cup, which was won by Zico"s Japan. So the Gold Cup is this region's premier tournament and was also conceived by a Trini (Jack Warner, president of CONCACAF). The winner of the Gold Cup also qualifies for the 2007 Confederations Cup, the same one you followed in Germany with such passion last week with those Brazilians.
Again, so do you still think it's a little unknown tournament?
The records will show T&T competing in their fifth Gold Cup with a 0-1 semi-final loss to the eventual champs Canada in 2000, our best showing. That Bertille St Clair-coached squad included players like Yorke, Anthony Rougier, the little magician Russell Latapy, Arnold Dwarika, David Nakhid, the late Mickey Trotman and Jerron Nixon...it was Trotman's golden goal strike versus Costa Rica which took T&T to the semi-final.
So here we are, 2005...in the middle of our all important World Cup qualifiers for Germany 2006, with a new high profile Dutch coach, Leo Beenhakker, known to all as "Don Leo", about to tackle the best of CONCACAF, plus two invited teams in Colombia and 2010 World Cup hosts South Africa for the right to be called CONCACAF's finest. So here is the big question: Would you rather be Gold Cup champs or World Cup qualifiers for Germany 2006 our answer is BOTH. Yes we greedy, why not? dreamers?...maybe, but you know what? One game at a time, and that first group A game is on Wednesday July 6 versus old foes, Honduras, then Panama on Saturday and T&T's last group match versus Colombia on July 11.
The other two groups are USA, Canada, Costa Rica and Cuba in group B; and Mexico, Guatemala, South Africa, and Jamaica make up group C. The top two teams of the group plus the two best 3rd place teams advance to the quarterfinals on July 16 and 17 in Boston or Houston with the semi-finals (July 21) and final (July 24) billed for Giants Stadium in New Jersey.
Well, I have been to Miami before and also New Jersey and New York, but with some goals from Stern John, Cornell Glen, Silvio Spann, Aurtis Whitley/Otis Seaton or Carlos Edwards or some fancy outside right foot strike from "me mum" Chris Birchall and stout defending from Dog, Tallest, Avery, Atiba and Sancho, and of course some luck from the footballing gods, we have a chance to visit Boston or Houston for the first time, so come on T&T "we want ah goal". The thing is, the further T&T advance in the Gold Cup, the more expensive it gets for us. Travel, food, liming accommodation etc. But you know what?...this is what makes my days special, family, T&T, football, music, Brian Charles Lara, Latas, Ames, Brown, Burns, Manswell and Sinette, Rudder, Sparrow, bank payments, roti, calalloo...
We know a lot of people waiting to pound us if T&T exit after the group stage... "Das wha allyuh spen allyuh money on, ah tell yuh da team eh good " Say what, we know what the big picture is-the big picture looks something like Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich or Frankfurt, so this football travel trip for us is a warm-up for the real road test on the Autobahn. By that time all the doubters of T&T football will be there also with dey face paint and all that but for the Faithfulista...a journey is...a journey
Well, I hope we can share some great travel and football experiences with you readers over the next couple weeks. No predictions, we will leave that for the beautiful game itself. By the way do they have Crix and doubles in Miami? We trying to keep costs down later from the Faithfulista.
"Wherever we go everybody know we name 'T&T, T&T, T&T'".
The Faithfulista are trying to string some passes together!