Head coach of the National Football Team Leo Beenhakker continues to gather his thoughts and ongoing planning for this country’s remaining 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign.
With the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup aside now with T&T exiting at the end of the first round, Beenhakker says that the “good news for us now is that it all depends on us.”
The Dutch-born coach admitted being disappointed with the manner in which T&T went home, referring to a less than impressive performance in the 2-0 loss to Colombia. But he isn’t perturbed by it.
“The good news for us is that everything depends on us. It’s not a situation where we are out of the World Cup running. That’s what we are here for and that is where the focus remains. Everyone knows what they can do. We realize that we stand a really good chance of getting to the Finals and so does Costa Rica, Panama and Guatemala. These are three teams that we still have to play and they are in no way better than us but we must prepare well and go all out for it,” Beenhakker told TTFF Media.
“It is a situation now where we have to give it that little extra to realize this ambition we all have of taking Trinidad and Tobago to a World Cup. It’s not beyond us and it all starts again from our next game against the United States.”
Beenhakker will have the majority of the squad, including the overseas-based pros at his disposal inside the last week before the August 17 match against the USA in Connecticut. Currently, two of the team’s players, Brent Sancho and Brent Rahim are on trial at English Championship Division side Brighton and MLS club LA Galaxy respectively. Sancho played a solid 70 minutes for Brighton in a 4-2 win over Conference side Lewes on Sunday. The rest of the team returned home on Friday, a day later than scheduled on American Airlines and also had all luggage left back in Miami before collecting the following day at Piarco.
Meantime, in the midst of the Gold Cup elimination, there’s one youngster who was still a proud T&T citizen in Miami this month.
He had been hoping to spend the extra time seeing more of his “Warriors” in action at the 2005 tournament but instead, young Cheyenne Hector was in Miami only for a couple extra days following this country’s exit simply to spend some holiday time seeing more of the buzzing City..
He could definitely fit the title as the most avid young supporter of the T&T National Senior team having admitted that he prays every night to realize his own dream of seeing the “Warriors” on the World Cup stage in Germany next year. A big dream it is but Cheyenne, dubbed the “Small Magician” on the popular Socawarriors.net message board started off with a small dream when he got the ticket of his lifetime so far to see T&T play at the Gold Cup all thanks to CONCACAF President Jack Warner who was deeply touched by the young man’s love for the game and moreso Leo Beenhakker’s team.
Young Hector, a student of St Mary’s College, has been used in TSTT advertisements with his father Gary for T&T’s World Cup campaign and after being turned down by his guardians on a request to see the “Warriors” live at the Gold Cup, he made one last attempt by forwarding an email to TTFF Media the day the squad arrived in Fort Lauderdale for the start of a training camp earlier this month. The same mail was forwarded and discussed with TTFF special advisor Jack Warner who had no hesitations about funding Hector’s Gold Cup experience.
“It was a dream come true for me,” Hector told TTFF Media. “I am one of TnT’s biggest fans and I attend every single TnT home game. It has only been my second dream to go and see TnT play in a Gold Cup, my first of course (and I think surely yours) is to go and see us play in a World Cup which we will be in Germany 2006!”
Young Hector was accompanied on the trip by his father Gary, an avid fan of football and a known local musician. Both have also appeared on TSTT football ads and were only so happy to give out TSTT memorabilia to the T&T fans at the matches played at the Orange Bowl Stadium, Miami.
The experience left Hector hoping for better days ahead with the “Warriors” following the 2-0 loss to Colombia which meant Leo Beenhakker’s team did not progress to the quarter-finals.
“It was disappointing for me but I am still extremely grateful for the experience and I would like to thank Mr Warner for presenting me with this opportunity of a lifetime. I’m still banking on seeing my team play in Germany next year,” Hector added.
He also presented tokens of appreciation to Warner and TTFF Media, including a German Dictionary.