In a year which has been distraught with various levels of confusion in the business of football, an opportunity has been created for the purpose of reviving what appears to be a lost interest in the sport. Los Angeles is today preparing to witness a group of teams, Mexico, Honduras, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago battle for two top places to enter the semifinal stage. Angus Eve is enthusiastic about his team's chances and bemoans the fact that he had to omit some good players who have served well. Despite the training camp which brought some much needed practice, there was hardly sufficient preparation for the squad, and the next week will tell its own story. The talent of the players is not in question, if only because many were exposed for a considerable period of time at home primarily, then Tobago for three matches, and Fort Lauderdale for the final touches with which the coach seems well pleased. Few could make a good case for the absence of much stronger opponents, comparable to the likes of the USA, Mexico and others.
It must be said that Eve tried his best under the circumstances, especially as he kept losing key players to foreign clubs while the squad was desperately trying to develop some tactical connect. He may have been able to see his opponents sparingly, but not enough to form adequate strategy that will bring the big ones to their knees. As I arrived in Los Angeles yesterday afternoon, the presence of the "Latinos" is clear, maybe not all are Mexicans and Hondurans, but they are quick to let the world know that their teams will be fully supported. Not having qualified for an Olympic games before, the anxiety to see this young team succeed is uppermost in my mind, if only because there may be a resurgence of our national program. Having seen the 1996 squad with an array of splendid players falter in the final round when we blew an opening match against Costa Rica in Edmonton, Canada, the reason for optimism cannot easily be entertained. As I walked through the streets of LA, the temperature in late afternoon still has a lingering chill from the disappearing winter. Fifty one degrees Fahrenheit is certainly not the type of weather our lads would relish, added to which a three-hour time change can make hash with sleeping patterns, eating times and the late arrival of players like Shahdon Winchester, Jeromie Williams, Kevin Molino and Sean DeSilva.
I have long learnt that super star players can only be deserving of that description when they can bring a high level of cohesion amongst their fellow players to produce good results. Nevertheless, I will be guided by the positive comments of the coach, as he was well poised to assess these players, regardless of what time they joined the team. Of great consolation is the fact that many of these players were party to two youth World Cup finals and a few national senior caps as well. We shall have to play these odds in our favour when we compare the exposure their opponents, bar Mexico, whose U-23 squad actually played in the Copa America competition, while their U-20 team was flexing their muscles in the PanAm games last year. As we sit and witness the performance today, offer a thought to the challenges that are ahead from teams which would do anything to enter the Olympic Games in London next July.