T&T Under-20 Soca Warriors are in for a tough match when they come up against the USA in a must-win Group A match-up on the final day of qualifying matches in Concacaf Championship qualifier at the Montego Bay Sports Complex, Jamaica this evening from 6.30 pm TT time.
The tournament is a qualifier to the Fifa Under-20 World Cup carded for New Zealand later this year.
Two successive defeats to Guatemala (0-2) and Panama (0-1), left the T&T Under-20 outfit with four points from as many matches after they started with a 2-2 draw against the host Jamaica and a 5-1 whipping of Aruba.
However, their chances of qualifying to the playoffs all seemed lost following the loss to Panama (1-0) in which striker Kadeem Corbin and midfielder Akeem Humphrey were both shown red cards.
But T&T captain Shannon Gomez and his team-mates were handed a lifeline as the competition rules seem to be favouring the young "Soca Warriors."
Now, instead of having to secure a win by an eight-goal margin because of their inferior goal difference to the USA, a win by any margin in today's contest will push T&T to seven points, same as the Americans and into the playoffs based on a better head-to-head result.
This bit if of news brought renewed hope to the T&T camp as King said it has given his team a lot of hope going into the match.
"We really felt that it was all over after the loss to Panama. The players were really down and disappointed because they had high hopes of doing well here. When we heard that we can still advance into the playoffs it lifted the spirits of everyone on the team," he added.
In addition to being without Humphrey and Corbin, the top scorer and "Most Valuable Player" award recipient at the Caribbean Football Union Under-20 Championship which T&T won on home soil last September, 3-0 over Haiti, King will also be sweating over the availability of midfielder Duane Muckette, who is nursing a hamstring injury and Keon Goddard, who is recovering from an ankle blow.
Despite those setbacks, King still expects T&T to go all out in the must win encounter against a USA team that has grown in confidence after their previous 2-0 win over Jamaica.
"We will be missing a couple players because of the red cards but we are still very much hopeful of giving it our best. We know what USA has to offer. I think if we can stay disciplined and compact and be smart in our approach and take our chances, then we can still pull off a win and go through," King said.
US coach expect fight from T&T
"We know them very well and we've watched all their matches. T&T is a very good team. I think they've been very unfortunate in this group, because I think they're probably a team � just like we are � they're a team that should be fighting for that second or third spot. I like their team. I think it's going to be an incredibly difficult match for us. But that's the way it goes; it's going to be tough for both," Tod Ramos, the USA coach.
T&T senior men's team head coach Stephen Hart has been with the team in Jamaica and the US too have been getting advice from US senior men's coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who said the team's struggles in their opening two games was an indication of Concacaf becoming tougher every year.
Klinsmann � who Skyped with the Under-20 team, said "It's not an easy path," he said. "It's a very difficult path coming through Concacaf. We know that, coming through World Cup qualifiers, and the Gold Cup is not easy. Everybody is pretty close to each other. [The Americans] gotta go through that.
"I think the talent pool is good," he added. "We can only help and develop wherever we can, and then hope they get the job done. But I'm very positive they'll get it done."
Panama (12 pts) and Guatemala (10 pts) meet in the earlier match and a draw will qKadeem Corbin...shown red card.ualify Panama straight to the World Cup in New Zealand while a win for Guatemala will see them advance. Both teams are already guaranteed a place in the playoffs should either of them lose this match.
On Monday, Mexico (4-0-0, 12 points) qualified a third straight time for the Fifa Under-20 World Cup and 14th overall with a 3-1 win over El Salvador (1-2-1, 5 points) at the Montego Bay Sports Complex.
The result gave the Tricolor an insurmountable lead atop the Group B table and the automatic ticket that it provides to New Zealand 2015.
Honduras moved into second place in the group with a 3-2 victory over Haiti to boost its record to 2-1-1 and seven points while the Haitians fell to 0-2-2, and in the day's opener, Frank Lopez scored two goals as Cuba (1-1-2, 4 points) revived its campaign with a 2-1 Group B triumph over Canada (1-0-3, 3 points).
It was the Cubans' first win of the competition, while Canada lost for the third straight time after opening with a victory over Haiti.
standings
Current Concacaf Under-20 Championship
Group A
Teams P W D L F A Pts
Panama 4 4 0 0 8 0 12
Guatemala 4 3 1 0 6 1 10
USA 4 2 1 1 11 2 7
T&T 4 1 1 2 7 6 4
Jamaica 4 0 1 3 2 7 1
Aruba 4 0 0 4 1 19 0
Group B
Mexico 4 4 0 0 17 2 12
Honduras 4 2 1 1 8 7 7
El Salvador 4 1 2 1 7 8 5
Cuba 4 1 1 2 5 15 4
Canada 4 1 0 3 6 8 3
Haiti 4 0 2 2 6 9 2
Remaining Concacaf Under-20 Championship fixtures
Today (January 21)
Group A–Panama vs Guatemala, 4 pm
USA vs T&T, 6.30 pm
Jamaica vs Aruba, 9 pm
Group B–January 22:
Cuba vs El Salvador,4 pm
Honduras vs Canada, 6.30 pm
Haiti vs Mexico, 9 pm
January 24
2nd Play-in Seed vs 3rd Play-in Seed, 3 pm
1st Play-in Seed vs 4th Play-in Seed, 6 pm
1A vs. 1B, 9 pm?