Trinidad and Tobago World Cup Team Blog » Group B http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org Chronicling the Soca Warriors' World Cup 2006 adventures in Germany Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:29:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Beaten Again http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/beaten-again.html http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/beaten-again.html#comments Wed, 03 Jun 2009 02:33:08 +0000 nizam http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/beaten-again.html

The Soca Warriors got good licks again from the US, losing points which is very essential to us qualifying for SA 2010. This was the worst performance by this team, there seem to be no vision, plan or strategy developed for this match. I am blaming Maturana as well as his international players who ply their trade in England, they showed no effort or ability and therefore must be accountable for the debacle. Hopefully moving forward there is a plan in place otherwise we will preparing for 2014.

]]> http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/beaten-again.html/feed 0 Selection and Formation http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/selection-and-formation.html http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/selection-and-formation.html#comments Sat, 28 Mar 2009 21:51:40 +0000 nizam http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/selection-and-formation.html
Our next opponent is Honduras forget their last game as this team was under strenght ,our Warriors
must be very careful and not take this team likely. The key in my opinion is team selection to ensure we get the right mix as well as formation I would like to see a 4-4-2 we must not be afraid and play
4-5-1 especially at home we must get max points. Enough is enough no experimenting with players
almost half the starting line up ply their trade in England. Come on Warriors let’s go and get our three points.

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As I watch our soccer team take the play to El Salvador and taught “wow” this would be an easy three points then came the second half for all but five mins that we performed a high level and then all downhill from there I said to my friends here we go again and as most of we Trini’s in Canada says ” you supporting this heart attack team”. The fitness of this team is very,very bad and then we have Stern John as much as I like this guy as a player who told him he can take penalty kicks, we all now he must miss five before scoring one.
I hear the football gurus saying that it is ok for one point in this match,please do they think that the likes of US or Mexico will loose a game in ten mins give me a break. Let’s hope those two points does not make the difference in us not going to South Africa.

]]> http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/two-points-loss.html/feed 0 Write for Trinidad and Tobago World Cup Blog http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/write-for-trinidad-and-tobago-world-cup-blog.html http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/write-for-trinidad-and-tobago-world-cup-blog.html#comments Sun, 01 Jul 2007 21:40:22 +0000 WC Bob http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/write-for-trinidad-and-tobago-world-cup-blog.html Do you have a passion for T&T football? Do you like to write and to share your opinions? Are you already fired up and excited for the 2010 World Cup? We’re looking for someone to captain this blog. This is not a paid position, but you will be rewarded with an admiring worldwide audience that will hang on your every word. If you are interested in joining the World Cup Blog team, shoot an email to bob [at] worldcupblog.org and let him now why you are excellent for the position.

]]> http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/write-for-trinidad-and-tobago-world-cup-blog.html/feed 0 The End Is The Beginning http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/the-end-is-the-beginning.html http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/the-end-is-the-beginning.html#comments Fri, 23 Jun 2006 23:39:29 +0000 Stacy-Marie Ishmael http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/the-end-is-the-beginning.html The Warriors bid farewell to Rotenburg on Wednesday, and last night they touched down in Piarco International Airport in Trinidad to a heroes’ welcome.

Jah Gol, a regular poster on the Soca Warriors Forums, describes the scene:

It was truly remarkable to hear the sound of the people screaming for the Warriors. I’ve never heard anything that loud before. The chants wouldn’t cease, even the formal ceremony was drowned out by an ocean of audible sentiment.

“Sancho, Sancho, Sancho” we shouted in support of the dreadlocked defender. The horrors of Kaiserslautern errors were erased by the fantastic reception at Piarco.

But Trinbagonians are a funny sort of people. Already we are asking, “what next?” Already there are undercurrents of bacchanal, as the inimitable JT describes it over at the Caribbean Beat blog:

Was Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker as good as people thought? Why didn’t he bring on Russell Latapy earlier, what does he have against Latapy (some very weird conspiracy theories here), why didn’t he drop Stern John, why didn’t he start with this one instead of that one? If only, if only … then surely things would have been different? The ominous sound of knives being sharpened. Why hasn’t the government delivered on its promises of largesse to the players, made after their World Cup qualification last November? What happens now, will Beenhakker be retained, will football be taken more seriously by the government?

Therein lies the root of the Trinbagonian psyche. We fete, we forget, we start again.

What next for the Warriors?

No one is quite sure. But rest assured – I’ll find out, and you’ll be able to find me somewhere in the murky depths of the blogosphere.

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s been emotional.

And so, au revoir.

]]> http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/the-end-is-the-beginning.html/feed 18 Memories Remain http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/memories-remain.html http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/memories-remain.html#comments Wed, 21 Jun 2006 15:53:28 +0000 Stacy-Marie Ishmael http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/memories-remain.html I have loved this game ever since I first kicked (well, tripped over) a football in my backyard in Trinidad, at an age when crawling still came more naturallly than this awkward two-leggedness.

I’ve played various sports at different levels, but none have ever come close to usurping football’s throne. Perhaps I inherited this love (though alas, not the skills) from my grandfather, John “Bull” Sutherland, one of T&T’s greatest forwards. I’ve lost my voice dozens of times after cheering and jeering at countless Intercol and Secondary Schools’ Football matches in T&T; I’ve been to various editions of the Copa Caribe tournament, and was present at almost every match when Trinidad hosted the Under-17 FIFA World Championship, where I witnessed Tevez’s skills first hand.

I was five years old when the Strike Squad, as our team was known then, came agonisingly close to qualifying for the 1990 World Cup. In the 17 years since that 1-0 loss to the USA, I have endured the agony of 5-1 losses to Guatemala and experienced the rapture of our first ever World Cup qualification. I’ve seen the wonders that a Dutchman can do, and watched Dwight Yorke’s transformation from Casanova to Captain. I’ve seen Russell Latapy light up a midfield and Shaka Hislop save a nation.

For the first time, I’ve been able to cheer my country on at football’s greatest event. My heroes – our heroes – from Luton and Wrexham, Jabloteh and New England Revolution, took on Barcelona, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United and showed them all what it means to be a Warrior.

The Soca Warriors are going home without a goal and without a trophy, but they are not going home empty handed. They take with them the love of millions, the passions of a small country with big dreams and the respect of a whole world.

Vibes it up my Warriors, now and forever.

]]> http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/memories-remain.html/feed 9 Not With A Bang http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/not-with-a-bang.html http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/not-with-a-bang.html#comments Wed, 21 Jun 2006 06:59:47 +0000 Stacy-Marie Ishmael http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/not-with-a-bang.html At half time I was down but not out.

At full time that Warriors were down 2-0 and out of the World Cup.

Till 2010, then.

Or at least – till tomorrow.

(Brent – doh study it, you are still and always a Warrior. Carlos – you are my player of the tournament. Birchall – you are a Trini, a Warrior, a hero in midfield. Latas – your magic will live on in my heart forever. Dwight – you are a great, great captain. Beenie – giwwe four more years nah man. Stern – I have some serious words for you.)

]]> http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/not-with-a-bang.html/feed 6 Time To Put On Your White Clothes http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/time-to-put-on-your-white-clothes.html http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/time-to-put-on-your-white-clothes.html#comments Tue, 20 Jun 2006 13:04:48 +0000 Stacy-Marie Ishmael http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/time-to-put-on-your-white-clothes.html One of my all-time favourite soca songs is called Glow, by Alison Hinds and David Rudder. It is six Carnivals old, having been released back in 2001.

The song is a tribute to the popular “Glow” fete in Trinidad, the premise of which is that everyone wears white in a venue lit by ultraviolet lights. The effect is ethereal.

“Wear white, aim for higher heights, wear white, only white we wearing tonight”

Tonight we’re wearing white against Paraguay.

Come on Warriors – higher heights await.

]]> http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/time-to-put-on-your-white-clothes.html/feed 15 Gray Days http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/gray-days.html http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/gray-days.html#comments Tue, 20 Jun 2006 05:49:50 +0000 Stacy-Marie Ishmael http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/gray-days.html Defensive stalwart Cyd Gray is injured, and will miss our game against Paraguay tomorrow.

It’s a good thing we’ve got Avery John back following his two game suspension.

Fingers crossed that there are no other injuries in the Warrior camp before kickoff tomorrow!

]]> http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/gray-days.html/feed 3 Do or Die http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/do-or-die.html http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/do-or-die.html#comments Tue, 20 Jun 2006 05:48:52 +0000 Stacy-Marie Ishmael http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/do-or-die.html

Every day our coach, Leo Beenhakker, keeps reminding the squad that our job is not yet over. We’ve already proved we’re not whipping boys but we want more. Recording Trinidad & Tobago’s first World Cup win is the minimum goal we’ve set ourselves. Then, if the gods are our on our side, who knows?
To beat Paraguay we need to be more ruthless up front. We must take every chance, every half-chance and every sniff of a half-chance. Stern John’s looked brilliant in training but he’s had a quiet tournament and I know he wants to put that right.

(Excerpt from Carlos Edwards’ latest column for the Guardian UK)

We going to fight, with all we might – 90 minutes of red, black and white…

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