T&T senior football team winger Levi Garcia had one of his best matches in recent times for Dutch Eredivisie club, AZ Alkmaar, setting up the equaliser in a 1-1 draw with PEC Zwolle on Sunday.
Garcia, who is expected to feature in T&T coach Dennis Lawrence squad for the next two Concacaf Final Round World Cup qualifiers at home to Panama and Mexico on March 24 and 28, respectively, provided the pass for substitute Fred Friday to net in the 81st minute, ten minutes after his introduction to cancel out Ryan Thomas’ 48th minute opener for PEC Zwolle.
The disappointing draw left Alkmaar fifth on the 18-team table with 37 points, and in one of three Europa qualification playoff spots. Feyernoord heads the table with 63 points, five clear of Ajax while PSV Eindhoven is next with 52 and FC Utrecht, fourth with 40.
In France, T&T hopeful John Bostock was cautioned in the 42nd minutes but still featured for the entire 90 minutes in RC Lens 2-0 win over Valenciennes at its Stade Bollaert-Dalelis to move into second spot on the League II standings with 43 points from 27 matches, level with Reims and Strasbourg while leaders Brest has 49 with 11 matches left to play.
Over in Belgium, T&T international Khaleem Hyland and his Westerlo club remained second from bottom of the 16-team standings with 22 points, four above cellar-placed Royal Excel Mouscron after a 4-0 loss at fourth placed Oonstede.
Closer to home, Murcielagos’ the club of T&T trio Jomal Williams, Yohance Williams and Shahdon Winchester edged past Atlante 1-0 in the Mexican Ascenso MX Clausura to improve to a meagre ten points from ten matches, and 15th on the 18-team table.
In the USA, Jonathan Glenn and Kevan George, the newly appointed vice-captain both featured Jacksonville Armada FC battled to a 1-1 draw with Jacksonville University Dolphins
In the Indian I-League, Willis Plaza failed to add to his six goals, two off the leading scorer, but he was not needed as league leaders East Bengal FC whipped Bengaluru 3-1 to stay top of the table with 24 points from 11 matches, one ahead of Aizawl while T&T 36-year-old striker, Cornell Glen’s Mohan Bagan AC is third with 21 points from nine matches.
Still in India, former T&T World Cup striker Anthony Wolfe got the opener, his second of the season in Churchill Brothers blanked Shivajians to go eighth with nine points, two ahead tenth spot Chennai City, and while Mumbai, the club of another former T&T international, 34-year-old Densil Theobald is ninth, also with nine points.
With the US Major League Season set to kick off tomorrow, a number of T&T internationals were also in pre-season action earlier in the week, namely Kenwyne Jones, Cordell Cato, Mekeil Williams, Joevin Jones and Shannon Gomez.
For the second time in three years, Williams and the Colorado Rapids fell at the hands of a Western Conference foe in the Desert Diamond Cup final at Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, Arizona. A pair of goals by Romell Quioto gave the Houston Dynamo a 2-0 victory over the Rapids.