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T&T mesmerised by Haitian magic

The Hasely Crawford Stadium fell under a Haitian spell on Friday evening.

Trinidad and Tobago's 1-0 loss to Haiti in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Under-16 Youth Tournament semi-final round might have prompted a hasty exit by spectators at the final whistle.

Instead, local fans stood in the aisles transfixed as over a dozen Haitian teenagers put on a dance exhibition that seemed to match their football performance for creativity, enthusiasm and, above all, audacity.

Jules Sandy, the game's lone scorer, celebrated his goal by bringing his finger to lip in a gesture to the home crowd and, at Surinamese referee Enrico Wijngaarde's final whistle, the Haitians indulged in some teasing hip movements in front the Trinidad and Tobago technical area that could be viewed as provocative. A post-game brawl between Argentina and Germany at the 2006 World Cup was ignited by far less.

But there was no denying that the young Soca Warriors had been mastered. "Haiti was more mature in their game," said national youth teams' coach Anton Corneal. "There were times when we had them on their back but they were mature enough to handle the pressure and play themselves out of it, especially in the second half."

It has been a tough week for Trinidad and Tobago football fans still basking in the country's historic showing at the Germany World Cup, just two months ago.

First, the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation's (T&TFF) decision to scrap September friendlies against senior Mexican and Colombian teams suggest, correctly or not, that new coach Wim Rijsbergen does not have a squad worth fielding without his overseas contingent. It is a point that might prompt a cringe from Pro League CEO Dexter Skeene.

And Trinidad and Tobago's failure to top a four nation Caribbean group that did not include English-speaking rivals Jamaica would further sting local pride as does a continuing failure to produce a youth team capable of seizing one's breath. There were some shouts for Corneal's dismissal as the game headed to a predictable defeat although the youth team coach pointed out that he has done better than most in recent memory.

Two years ago, coach Nigel Grosvenor's under-16 outfit fell to Cuba by a 6-2 goal aggregate score in the final Caribbean qualifying leg while Ron La Forest's team ended bottom of a group that comprised Bermuda, Guyana and St Lucia in 2002.

In the past 15 years, Trinidad and Tobago appeared at the final CONCACAF group stage just twice--1999 and 1991--and, on both occasions, finished last and without a win. Still, Corneal promised that his team will do better next April in the final World Cup qualifying phase.

"We need to step up the program physically," he told the Sunday Express, "and play against competitive teams more often, not once, every two months, so the players know what it is like."

Corneal, an assistant to former head coach Leo Beenhakker at the 2006 World Cup, pointed out that the Warriors significantly closed the gap between themselves and respected international opponents like Sweden with just five weeks of intensive training.

Dutch coaches Rijsbergen and Jan Van Deinsen are, according to Corneal, playing an active role in an attempt to perform a similar job with the youth team.

It will be interesting to observe Haiti's mettle against Mexico in this afternoon's 4 p.m. final at the Hasely Crawford Stadium but the French-speaking islanders seemed a good yardstick to gauge the merits of Corneal's squad on Friday.

Trinidad and Tobago kicked off without the injured trio of Leston Paul, Stephen Chang and Daniel Cyrus--the latter confessed a back injury during the warm up--and were soon second best to the Haitians.

Corneal abandoned his 4-4-2 system to match Haiti's 3-5-2 in an effort to tame his opponent's midfield prowess while defender Brenton Balbosa was asked to stay close to Haitian captain and playmaker Joseph Peterson in Trinidad and Tobago's defensive third of the field.

The coach must have feared the worse when Peterson, the eventual man of the match, instigated an opening goal for Haiti after just 10 minutes. Haiti's skipper sent Normil Valdo clear down the right flank and his cross was teed up by St Victor Ulterguens for Sandy to finish with composure. Sandy wheeled away to face the home crowd with finger on lip. It was a signal of intent. Haiti were there to conquer not charm.

And yet there was something about the slick ball movement and deceptive shimmies from the Haitians that touched a chord with the Port of Spain crowd who alternated cheers for the home team with murmours of approval for the visitors.

Corneal claimed "four or five" scoring opportunities for his side but they came mostly from set pieces. Once the ball rolled, the Haitians were superior.

Peterson's clever turns in midfield and Valdo's penetrative runs down the right touchline were highlights of Haiti's offensive game while Saint Cyr Widner was commanding as a midfield sweeper.

In red, white and black strip, the central defensive trio of Robert Primus, Ryan O' Neil and Sheldon Bateau admirably managed an intense workload and there were flashes of potential from midfielders Kevin Molino and Chike Sullivan and forward Daniel Joseph.

Corneal has eight months to transform this raw material into a world class product. But Friday belonged to Haiti.