T&T Under-20 men’s football team is on the brink of elimination from the Concacaf Under-20 Championship, a qualifier to the Fifa Under-20 World Cup after a narrow 1-0 loss to host Costa Rica in their second Group C match at the National Stadium, San Jose, Costa Rica on Wednesday night.
With the win, T&T remained third on the four-team table with one point from two matches, five behind unbeaten El Salvador, 3-1 winners over Bermuda on Wednesday, and its next opponent while Costa Rica is second with three points. Bermuda, bottom of the table with a point as well, but with an inferior goal-difference of minus-two to T&T’s minus-one.
On Saturday in its final group match, T&T which is hoping to qualify for a third ever Fifa Under-20 World Cup Finals must beat El Salvador, which has already qualified to the next phase in the 3.30 pm encounter at the same venue and they hope for Bermuda to upset Costa Rica in the second match, but by a small margin to stay behind T&T on goal-difference.
In an evenly matched contest, Costa Rica which was stunned by El Salvador 1-0 in their opener, got the lone item off the boot of Randall Leal in the 54th minute, when he slammed a right-footed free kick from 23-yards out.
Speaking after the match, T&T skipper, Jabari Mitchell, who had a tough outing said he felt his team’s performances could be summed up as tale of two halves.
“I think in the first-half we executed our plan perfectly, but in the second-half we started off a little too slow, and Costa Rica got a few more chances than we expected.
“The pressure they created resulted in a foul by us on top of the box and unfortunately they scored from that set play”.
Despite the loss, Mitchell said he was confident his team can get the three points against El Salvador to keep alive its chances in the tournament.
“But we also have to depend on Bermuda to pull off a result for us as well,” ended Mitchell.
Needing to salvage a draw at least, T&T pushed forward and created a few more openings mainly through striker Nicholas Dillon and St Hillaire, who scored T&T’s goal in the disappointing 1-1 draw with Bermuda in their opener.
The best chance fell to Dillon in the 85th minute, but his crisp drive through the legs of two Costa Rica defenders, just missed the inside of the far post with Sequira planted on his goal-line.
Under the new format, designed to increase the number of meaningful, competitive matches, the top two teams from Groups A, B, and C will advance to the Classification Stage, where the Confederation’s four tickets to the World Cup at this level will be determined in round robin play among two groups of three teams each.
The top two teams of each of the two Classification stage groups will qualify as Concacaf representatives to the FIFA U-20 World Cup Korea Republic 2017.
So far three-time defending champions and 13-time confederations winners Mexico and Honduras, champions in 1982 both with six points in Group A and El Salvador have qualified to the main draw Classification stage and they will be joined by three from Panama (six points), USA (three) and Haiti (three) in Pool B and Costa Rica (three), T&T (one) and Bermuda (one).
Teams
T&T: 1. Denzil Smith (20.Montel Joseph 12th); 2. Isaiah Garcia, 5. Taryk Sampson, 4. Shane Sandy, 8. Kierron Mason; 3. Kori Cupid, 13. Micah Lansiquot; 15. Kathon St Hillaire (19. Taofik Lucas Walker 72nd), 10. Jabari Mitchell (capt) (Yellow 80), 11. Noah Powder (Yellow 61) (14. Josh Toussaint 68th); 9. Nicholas Dillon.
Unused substitutes: 6.Simeon Bailey, 7.Morgan Bruce De Rouche, 12.Joshua Sitney, 16.Rushawn Murphy, 17.Stephon Marcano, 18.Joshua Leach.
Coach: Brian Williams.
Costa Rica: 1. Mario Sequira; 19. Yostin Salinas (2. Diego Mesen 41st), 3. Pablo Arboine, 13. Esteban Sibanja; 20. Eduardo Juarez; 4. Ian Smith, 11. Randall Leal (16. Marvin Loria 73rd), 14. Roberto Cordoba (10. Jonathan Martinez 79th), 6. Luis Hernandez (capt); 8. Jimmy Marin, 9. Andy Reyes.
Unused substitutes: 18.Alejandro Barrientos, 7.Kevin Masis, 12.Juan Arguedas, 15.Bernald Alfaro, 17.Jostin Daly,
Coach: Marcelo Herrera.
Referee: Kevin Morrison (Jamaica).
Wednesday’s Results
El Salvador 3 (Roberto Dominguez 21st, Fernando Castillo 65th, Josue Rivera 67th) v Bermuda 1 (Mazhye Burchall 75)
Costa Rica 1 (Randall Leal 53rd) v T&T 0
Standings
Teams P W D L F A Pts
1. El Salvador 2 2 0 0 4 1 6
2. Costa Rica 2 1 0 1 1 1 3
3. T&T 2 0 1 1 1 2 1
4. Bermuda 2 0 1 1 2 4 1
Remaining fixtures
Today
Panama vs Haiti, 4 pm
USA vs Saint Kitts and Nevis, 6.30 pm
Tomorrow
El Salvador vs T&T, 3.30 pm
Costa Rica vs Bermuda, 6 pm