Jamaica ‘outplay’ Trinidad and Tobago U14s, Theobald eyes rebound in CFU semis

Trinidad and Tobago were dealt their first loss of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Under-14 Boys’ Challenge Series when they were beaten 2-0 by Jamaica in their tier one, group A match at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago on August 19.

The teams came into the encounter level on six points at the group A summit, but the young “Reggae Boyz” separated themselves from the hosts and got a deserved win, courtesy goals from Davion Clarke and Carlondo Morris.

TT coach Densill Theobald told TT Football Association (TTFA) media his team was outplayed by a “much stronger” Jamaican opponent, but he still believes his team can go all the way to claim the challenge series crown.

The hosts will progress to the semifinals alongside Jamaica, and they rounded off the group phase with a match against the third-placed St Kitts and Nevis after press time on August 20.

TT got comfortable 3-1 and 5-0 wins in their first two matches against Aruba and St Kitts and Nevis respectively, but the test from the Reggae Boyz proved to be a different kettle of fish.

On August 23, TT will play their semifinal and Theobald is eager for his team to bounce back from the Jamaica loss in a comprehensive manner.

“I feel confident in the boys. I haven’t lost confidence in them, but I could say Jamaica was a much stronger side than us,” Theobald said.

“We’re looking forward to the semifinal. We will have two days before our semifinal where we will be able to gather the boys and refocus and continue to work on concentration and focus.

“All is not lost, and we still have all to play for. We’re looking forward to winning it all.”

Physical, strong and direct in their play, Jamaica grabbed the lead in the 28th minute when Clarke curled a beautiful right-footer into the top corner to beat goalie Christian Telfer after receiving a pass from Kyle Hussey on the end of a flowing move.

Jamaica looked dangerous in their forays into the TT half, and attacker Kevaughn Hollaway nearly made it 2-0 at the end of another slick move when he struck a right-footed shot over the bar after getting a pass from Clarke in first-half stoppage-time.

TT have shown a penchant for playing out of the back, and they were punished in their first game on August 17 when Aruba profited from a loose pass. Against Jamaica, a sloppy back pass was punished once again when the sturdy Morris picked off an errant delivery from defender Lucas Shaw in the 37th minute, before taking on two defenders in a lovely solo run and passing a left-footed shot past Telfer.

Morris’ solo effort oozed class, and it underscored Jamaica’s dominance in the contest.

“It’s hard to take any positives from this game. I think we were outplayed…I think we have to put up our hands and face the reality,” Theobald said.

“I think it’s a good wake-up call. It happened where we still have the opportunity to look forward to a semifinal and hopefully a final.”

The visitors should have added to their lead in the 56th minute, but two attackers got in each other’s way as a dangerous free kick from Clarke was hit well wide of the mark.

Near the hour mark, TT fashioned their best chances of the game, as a right-side cross from Shaw was tipped onto the bar by goalkeeper Marcodean Spence, with Samuel Balfour spraying an effort over bar from the ensuing corner.

The young Reggae Boyz ended the game with ten players, as substitute Samari Cousins was shown a red card after a needless tackle from behind on TT captain Sebastian James.

Theobald was happy to get a bad performance out of the way at this stage of the tourney.

“The boys will realise for themselves that there’s a lot of work to be done. I’m really happy about this, not in terms of the result because I’m disappointed we lost, but I’m really happy it was an eye-opener for them,” Theobald said.

“We’re looking for a morale booster in terms of confidence leading us into the semifinal game. We don’t know who it will be but of course it will be one of Puerto Rico or French Guiana from the next group.”

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