Soca Warriors coach Stephen Hart and captain Kenwyne Jones were both pleased with the crowd support shown by locals for T&T's 2018 World Cup CONCACAF Semifinal Round qualifier with St Vincent and the Grenadines at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo on Tuesday.
In recent times, T&T crowds have tended to stay away once the Soca Warriors were not playing a top team like USA or Mexico, and leading up to the match on Tuesday last, Hart and Jones both called on the public to ensure the event would be a memorable one for all who were in attendance.
And it proved to be a memorable night indeed as Tobago-born striker Trevin Caesar scored a late second-half double coming off the bench after Sheldon Bateau, Joevin Jones, Kenwyne Jones and Kevin Molino had all netted in the 6-0 blow-out of St Vincent andThe Grenadines in their CONCACAF Group C Semifinal Round qualifier.
The win lifted T&T to ten points from four matches at the top of the group, three more than USA while Guatemala has six points, and St Vincent and The Grenadines, bottom of the pool without a point.
Following the match which was witnessed by 13,193 spectators Hart said, "We definitely are grateful for the support showed by all the fans who showed up in their numbers to express their love and support for the team".
"And we want this to continue. This is just our second game of home. We have another big one in September and hopefully beyond that, there will be more games for you to back the team. Even when we are not playing but rather preparing for our challenges we will appreciate the support of our fans," Hart added.
Skipper Jones echoed similar sentiments, saying "It was a good feeling for all of the players to see the fans show up regardless of whether it was Mexico, USA or St Vincent. At the end of the day, we need the support throughout and it is always good to feel that your people are one hundred percent behind you.
"After the first game in St Vincent, we had to check ourselves. We maybe had some excuses for not putting in the performance in St Vincent that we needed but then coming back at home on a better surface in front of the home crowd and obviously getting back to the basics that we are accustomed to, obviously the performance would be better. Even in St Vincent, the type of football we played in the first half could have yielded us the amount of goals we had tonight.
Tonight (Tuesday) we were patient and very precise in some of our passing and we pulled off the goals. We came out and gave the fans what they wanted. They would not have seen a goal fest like that for a long time. Some of the football we played tonight was absolutely beautiful.
"Like I said in previous interviews, we have our goal in mind and we are going to keep our feet on the ground and continue to work hard and try to achieve the goals that we set out for ourselves. We have one game at home and one game away and when the time comes we are going to focus on that. It's important that we do that because we have not been to the hex in a while and with the potential of the group, I can see us possibly qualifying for the World Cup," Jones said.
The T&T Football Association (T&TFA) has extended a heartfelt thank you to all the patrons who showed up on Tuesday night to offer their support to the Soca Warriors as well as those who supported in spirit while viewing the game on the television screens at their homes or the various sports bars throughout.
In a media release from the local federation it was stated: The T&TFA, under the leadership of President David John-Williams, also wishes to thank all existing partners, match day staff, members of the protective services and the media for its support, and of course the members of the national senior team for its winning performance.
The T&TFA will now look ahead to the preparations of the senior team for its next World Cup qualifier in Port of Spain against Guatemala on September 2nd and against the USA at Everbankfield, Jacksonville, Florida on September 6.
The Local Organization Committee, under the chairmanship of T&TFA Vice President Ewing Davis is also expected to review the operations of Tuesday's match and plan ahead for upcoming international matches.The senior men's team will also meet Uruguay in an international friendly on May 27th.
Meanwhile, the T&T Futsal team will also play Honduras in a Concacaf playoff in May while the Soca Warriors Under-20 team is preparing for upcoming Caribbean Football Union Under-20 qualifier and the Women's Warriors youth teams also have upcoming competitions.