T&T Loses to Bermuda

[AvroArrow]

Jack Warner is going to have a fit. Where will he get all his money from if T&T doesn't advance?

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/nccamerica/matches/round=250464/match=10000026/index.html

Makes me even more envious of the US's group if T&T gets bounced. Maybe we can see if they'll trade with us.

Edit: Just realized this was being discussed in the broader CONCACAF thread. My apologies.

[jonovision]

If Costa Rica fails to advance (unlikely, but they drew Grenada 2-2 today), Group C will be even weaker than the US group.

[hectorj]

Go to Soca Warriors site. "Jackula" is loathed. I was surprised by the venom as they have obviously benefitted from his importance in FIFA. However, his greed and arrogance is despised widely. They believe many players have been blackballed for having the temerity of asking for their share of the 2006 WC money. Many blame the Bermuda loss on Warner.

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

[Winnipeg Fury]

Football fever!

Bermuda Sun

1,500 tickets already sold for Sunday’s World Cup qualifier against Trinidad

Football fever has gripped the island as Bermuda stands on the brink of one its greatest ever sporting victories.

Caribbean giants Trinidad - who Bermuda conquered 2-1 on their own turf - arrive here this weekend for the return leg. They will be met by an army of red and white as the island unites behind the national team.

At football headquarters yesterday, a line for tickets had already formed by 8am and a steady steam of supporters continued to arrive throughout the day. By yesterday afternoon, five days before the match, more then 1,500 tickets had already been sold. Officials now expect the 4,500-seat National Sports Centre to be sold-out for the first time in four years. Many of those buying tickets yesterday were also buying replica jerseys - so many left the shelves that stocks were expected to run dry by this afternoon. Officials were desperately trying to order more jerseys, but fresh supplies are unlikely to arrive before the big game.

Football legends Shaun Goater and Clyde Best yesterday said they would be among those in the crowd, trying to sing Bermuda to victory. Goater, whose anthemic song 'Feed the Goat' was chanted on terraces across England for over a decade, said: "Make it feed John Barry, feed Khano, feed anyone.... As long as they get fed! We have to make sure we support the players from beginning to end. The crowd can play a huge part. It brings about belief. If you have a crowd that believe in you and you believe in yourself you can pretty much achieve anything. You can bet your bottom dollar that if this was in Trinidad there would be a carnival atmosphere and that is what we need to create."

Former West Ham star Clyde Best said the result was one of Bermuda's best. "It's like a country like Iceland going and beating England - that's how good a result it is," he said. "The guys need to be very proud of themselves. They have done themselves, their families and the country proud. I would advise everybody that is a soccer enthusiast in Bermuda to come out, one for all, and support the team. They got a tremendous result away from home, let's make sure they get another one at home."

Shawnette Somner, who was buying tickets yesterday, said: "Every Bermudian with a pulse should be out supporting the team. We should be so very proud of the team and proud to be Bermudian." Shayla Richardson, who was buying 10 tickets for friends and colleagues at Willis Re, said: "It's going to be a top evening out - everyone will be there - the atmosphere."

Trinidad & Tobago, the Caribbean's top ranked side, qualified for the last World Cup. Their team boasts a plethora of players who ply their trade in top leagues around the world. Against all the odds - and perhaps spurred on by "pub team" taunts from Trini players and newspapers - Bermuda battled their way to a 2-1 win on Sunday. The giant-killing was hailed as a famous victory by the international press.

However, the job is only half done. Star striker John Barry Nusum, who scored the two goals against Trinidad on Sunday, said: "We are definitely looking forward to packing the stadium. Hopefully they'll have to bring in some extra bleachers." Bermuda's victory on Sunday is topped by only a few games in the nation's history, including a 2-1 win against Mexico in 1969 and a 1-0 victory against the U.S. in 1991. Both of those, though, were friendly internationals, meaning the win over Trinidad could well be the best result the island has achieved in competitive football.

Because of the away-goal rule, Bermuda can draw on Sunday, or even lose 1-0, and still go through. A win over two legs will see them enter the semi-final stage of World Cup qualification for only the second time in their history.

Bermuda are seeded to face Cuba, Guatemala and the USA in a four-team group at that stage - provided none of the other so-called minnows cause a major upset.

[SoccerNewf]

My buddy is from T&T. Actually he was there a couple weeks ago and seen England play. You should have seen the look on his face and the reaction when I told him they lost to Bermuda. Priceless.

[Keegan]

I am going to say that Trinidad destroys them. I mean it's Bermuda, the same team our MNT dispatched of within a half hour in Bermuda last year.

Bermuda has an incredibly small population, they only have a couple high school teams and when one of them came over they had to face our 2nd team.

[Jason]

quote:Originally posted by Keegan

I am going to say that Trinidad destroys them. I mean it's Bermuda, the same team our MNT dispatched of within a half hour in Bermuda last year.

Bermuda has an incredibly small population, they only have a couple high school teams and when one of them came over they had to face our 2nd team.

If Bermuda pulls this off, I wonder if anyone will at least partly attribute this to the creation of their USL Div 2 club. Sure it's only in its second year, but it's given a bunch of its domestic players a place to compete together and at a higher level than their local amateur league. I think Puerto Rico has also made strides since the Islanders began.

Perhaps Jack Warner will want to add a T&T club to the USL next season. Sounds crazy but you never know.

Jason

[Cheeta]

quote:Originally posted by Keegan

I am going to say that Trinidad destroys them. I mean it's Bermuda, the same team our MNT dispatched of within a half hour in Bermuda last year.

Bermuda has an incredibly small population, they only have a couple high school teams and when one of them came over they had to face our 2nd team.

All true.

Yet, they just beat Trinidad & Tobago in Trinidad.

I am going to say the most boring game of football to ever be played is about to take place in Bermuda and the Bermuda fans are going to love almost every second of it.

Not going to pick a result though. But I hope it's Bermuda's day. That would be grand.

[CanadianSoccerFan]

I'm assuming they're just going to park the team bus in front of the goal and hang on for dear life for 90 minutes. I can't see them being able to beat the Trinis straight up now that their opposition finally has motivation.

[Guest Dave]

Yep... 5-3-1-1 anyone :-)

If they pull it off (the 0-0 draw or 0-1 loss) I will be very happy. Couldn't happen to a more deserving fella than Jack "Hide The Silverware" W!

[Grizzly]

I think Bermuda has a chance to pull off the upset. The T & T team is still suffering from Warner's dispute with the players and several of the better Trinidadian players are not being selected. More than half of the current players are playing in the Trinidadian league and the team is probably half way between an A team and a B team. I think the squad's morale is probably pretty low with a coach being told what to do by Warner and the players not happy to play for Warner. Feelings have been further damaged by Warner's plan to play their home games outside of Trinidad in the next round probably because he thinks he can make more money this way. Warner is also having disputes with the government of Trinidad. Hopefully if Bermuda can win this tie, it may go some distance in helping get rid of Warner.

[Winnipeg Fury]

Game starts in a couple of hours, GO BERMUDA !

Bermuda Sun:

Defending country and honour

Shakir says it will be humbling for Trinidad when Bermuda beats them

Bermuda skipper Omar Shakir is preparing for an onslaught from the Soca Warriors as his team attempts to make Trinidad pay for the disrespect they showed after Sunday's shock victory.

Shakir and his central defensive partner Kofi Dill go back into the trenches this weekend braced to withstand the full force of Trinidad's attacking power.

And they will take to the field on Sunday night with the taunts of the Trini press - who could not quite believe they had been beaten in the first leg on Sunday - ringing in their ears.

"They have put extra pressure on themselves by not giving us any respect before the first leg and then not giving us any credit afterwards," said Shakir.

"They expected to sweep us aside. I believe they did underestimate us, but they won't make the same mistake again, so we are in for a much more difficult game.

"It would be very humbling for them to be beaten by lowly Bermuda given what they think about us at this point. They won't want to go back to Trinidad with their tails between their legs."

Dill, who expects Sunday's clash to be the toughest match of his career, said the jibes from Trinidad only served to increase the determination in the Bermuda squad.

"It definitely motivates us. Even after we beat them it was like they still didn't believe we should be on the same field. I couldn't understand how they were saying that when they lost.

"I don't know what they're going to say after Sunday because we're definitely going through."

The pair, both of whom battled frantically to keep Trinidad at bay on Sunday, know they are in for another long evening of defensive duty.

"I'm ready to do it all again and I'm ready to do more," insisted Dill, who fought through cramp on Sunday to keep the Trinis at bay until the final whistle.

Shakir added: "Trinidad have got a point to prove - they are going to come at us much harder. They have got to - after all the stick they have been giving us.

"We are prepared for the onslaught that's going to come and we're pretty confident we can withstand it."

Shakir and Dill as the central defenders will be the men charged with shackling Trinidad's arsenal of attacking talent.

And though they recognize the likes of Southampton's Stern John and Jason Scotland of Welsh side Swansea City will be gunning for them, they are ready for the challenge.

"It's going to be a battle. It's going to take hard work and concentration for 90 minutes. It will be a hard game. I don't expect that we'll have long periods of domination and possession because of the quality they possess.

"But we have our own abilities and qualities that put us in with a good shout. If we match the hard work and effort we produced on Sunday - and I think we will - we can go through."

Dill said the support of the people had enhanced the sense of belief that already existed within the squad.

"After a result like that on Sunday the belief is there, everybody believes we can do it.

We've got the whole of Bermuda behind us and we'll give it our best shot.

"Walking through town we've got so many people speaking to us, telling us congratulations and wishing us luck.

"I wish they had a way to get more bleachers in there and get fans behind the goals as well."

Neither Shakir nor Dill is used to getting too much glory. It's always the case in football that the guys who put the ball in the net steal the headlines.

But the skipper won't lose too much sleep over that, as long as Bermuda gets through.

"Defenders take personal pride in their performance. There's a few exceptions but the personalities change as you go from the back to the front. Defenders tend to be more humble.

"We'll have plenty more defending to do if we go through, but we're up for it."

[Winnipeg Fury]

Bermuda 0-2 T&T

Soca goes through....

[Daniel]

Feck.

[Tintin]

Fork