Soca Warriors beaten 4-0 by Honduras in the opening match of the Concacaf Nations League

sport

3 days ago

AHEAD OF the Soca Warriors' opening match in the 2024/25 Concacaf Nations League Cycle A against Honduras on September 6, striker Ryan Telfer urged the team not to show fear in the hostile environment and interim coach Derek King assured that his team would take three points from the game.

When referee Tori Penso blew her whistle after 90 minutes, Trinidad and Tobago had been swept off the pitch at the Estadio Nacional Chelato Ucles in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, suffering a heavy 4-0 defeat.

With an attacking 4-4-2 formation, with the Canadian-based duo Reon Moore and Ryan Telfer playing together up front and Andre Rampersad and Dutch-based attacking midfielder Dantaye Gilbert in central midfield, TT got off to a promising start in attack.

The visitors combined well in the attacking third with Gilbert and winger Real Gill and created a number of early chances. The diminutive Gill fired over the bar after a typically enterprising run in the 17th minute and two minutes later Telfer's shot on goal was blocked by a defender after Gill found Moore free outside the box.

Although they showed courage on the ball in tight spaces in midfield, the visitors still seemed vulnerable on the other side due to sloppy ball losses and a lack of concentration in defense.

Halfway through the first half, Honduras came into their own and increased the intensity of the game in a way that TT seemed unable to cope with.

The hosts went into halftime with a 2-0 lead after Alexander Lopez and Kervin Arriaga scored just before the break, but they fired a few warning shots before breaking the deadlock.

In the 20th minute, TT left-back Andre Raymond was saved by goalkeeper Denzil Smith after misjudging the trajectory of a ball in the box and allowing flanker Edwin Rodriguez to get past him. Seconds later, Honduras captain Antony Lozano shot narrowly wide of Smith's goal with his right foot after Rampersad lost the ball in midfield.

Smith is known for his save-making skills and made a brilliant save with his feet in the 36th minute when Rodriguez volleyed home a cross from the tricky Lopez from the left.

Three minutes later, Lopez had his moment of glory when he beat Smith with a long-range shot following a deflection off Rampersad. Lopez was a constant thorn in the Soca Warriors' defence and he provided the assist for Arriaga, who made it 2-0 with a right-footed volley from the edge of the box in first-half stoppage time.

Right defenseman Alvin Jones was injured during the game, and he and his teammates were angry that Penso allowed the game to continue.

King said his team were well organised at both ends of the pitch in the first 35 minutes and that they conceded two “easy goals” before the end of the half.

“I think every time we put the ball down and played and got into the gaps and stuff like that, we created chances,” King told TT Football Association (TTFA) media.

“I think they more or less believed in themselves that they could compete with the teams in Concacaf.”

In attack, the guests could hardly pose any problems for Honduras after the break, and in defense they also left a lot to be desired.

Attempting to play with a high back line, TT narrowly avoided embarrassment just seconds after the restart when Rodriguez was adjudged offside before firing past Smith.

However, in the 54th minute, Rodriguez and Honduras managed to break through the Soca Warriors' high line when he calmly slotted in at the far post after Luis Palma easily beat the offside trap before crossing from the left.

Honduras' third goal was initiated by a three-man substitution by King: Shortly before the hour mark, Triston Hodge, Nathaniel James and Noah Powder came on for Gilbert, Moore and Raymond.

The substitutions did little to change the dynamic of the game, although James and Powder put goalkeeper Edrick Menjivar under pressure with their long-range shots – they were the Soca Warriors' only two shots on goal in the game.

In the 86th minute, substitute David Ruiz sealed the scoring for Honduras in style, playing a one-two with Rubilio Castillo in the TT half and directing a left-footed shot around Smith's desperate dive.

A heavy defeat in Tegucigalpa has left the Soca Warriors bottom of their Nations League group. King and his squad have a chance to make amends on September 10 when they host French Guiana at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago, kicking off at 7pm.

On September 6, French Guiana also suffered its first Nations League match with a 0-1 defeat against Nicaragua.

King knows his team cannot afford another poor performance.

“I also have to applaud all the players for their efforts… Tuesday (September 10) is a very important game. We need three points and we are playing at home.”

“This is international football. We have to stay focused, disciplined and have the right attitude. If we are organized like that, I think we will get three points.”