Trinidad and Tobago under-17 men's football team coach Shawn Cooper said his team must lift their standard in their final Concacaf qualifier against Costa Rica on February 16 if they are to have a chance of advancing to the 2025 Fifa Under-17 Men's World Cup in Qatar.
On February 13, TT's under-17 team hammered Sint Maarten 9-0 at the Estadio Nacional in San Jose, Costa Rica in their group B encounter. The result momentarily took TT to the top of the group with seven points.
Also on February 13, Costa Rica were held to a 2-2 draw by Guyana in a gripping and tense encounter in the second game of a double-header.
That result propelled Costa Rica (seven points) to the top of the group on goal difference, with Guyana (five points) occupying third spot. Costa Rica have a goal difference of +17, with TT's goal difference standing at +11.
With only the eight group winners in the Concacaf qualifiers advancing to the Under-17 World Cup in November, TT will need a victory to secure a spot at the global event when they meet "Los Ticos" from 9 pm (TT time) at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, Alajuela on February 16.
Although TT scored nine goals against St Maarten, including five goals in a wild 12-minute span to end the contest, Cooper was far from pleased with the overall performance.
"As I said, any (number) of goals today would not have mattered, it's the performance of the team that matters. At the end of the day, we have to play Costa Rica and it's a do-or-die (situation)," Cooper said after the match.
[caption id="attachment_1138968" align="alignnone" width="1024"] TT under-17 men's football team midfielder Caden Trestrail (R) takes on Sint Maarten's Jamaly Fontenelle during their Concacaf World Cup qualifier at the Estadio Nacional in San Jose, Costa Rica on February 13. - Photo courtesy TTFA [/caption]
"(Costa Rica) are very dynamic and they're a very well-oiled team. They look very experienced and well-prepared. It's going to be a tough game, but we're up for it."
St Maarten conceded 19 goals in their first three matches, but TT initially struggled to break them down as they played at a slow pace and also played too many misplaced passes as they tried to breach their rival’s defence.
TT eventually broke the deadlock in the 36th minute, when striker Josiah Kallicharan slammed past goalkeeper Sudesh Singh after defender Adam Pierre penetrated the St Maarten defence with a raking diagonal ball.
"I thought we took too long to settle down and then we didn't exploit the high line they were playing. We just tried to overplay and complicate the game," Cooper said.
"I thought we could have assessed the game better on the football field.
"As players, coaches give you a plan, but when you go out on the field you're the ones who have to dictate what goes on on the field. You play within the system, but the opposition may present a different game plan to what the coach had planned."
Kallicharan netted a hat-trick by the 73rd minute, to add to his double from the previous game against British Virgin
