PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – A competitive Group F of the Digicel Caribbean Cup will get going here tonight, with hosts Trinidad and Tobago under pressure to dominate.
They face a feisty St Vincent and the Grenadines in the feature match of the doubleheader at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium, with Haiti and Guyana doing battle in the opening game at the same venue.
With Sports Minister Anil Roberts already demanding that T&T dominate the competition and win it, the Soca Warriors will be under pressure throughout the November 2-6 leg of the tournament.
However, in a message to the team, Roberts said his intention was not to create pressure, noting T&T were strong enough to win the tournament.
“I think we can win the Digicel Caribbean Cup. I am not asking Russell Latapy (coach) of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation to go and perform any miracles,” said Roberts.
“I cannot hire or fire anybody but I can surely give an opinion. All I am asking them to do is to win a Caribbean Cup which is probably one of the lowest levels of competitions in world football.
“If you cannot do that, then one would think you cannot go on to qualify for a World Cup. We have to be real about this.”
T&T will face an SVG side which has been making great strides, and which jumped 27 places in the last FIFA rankings on the backs of a series of strong performances in the opening round of the Digicel Cup last month.
Playing in Group B, they beat Montserrat 7-0 and drew 1-1 and nil-all with St Kitts and Nevis and Barbados, to top the group at home.
However, their record against T&T in recent years will offer them precious little confidence.
They lost 5-0 three years ago in a friendly international and also went down 3-1 and 2-0 during the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, when T&T historically reached the Finals in Germany.
T&T captain Clyde Leon said yesterday, however, past successes would mean little on the pitch.
“Those matches are in the past. They are good for the record keepers,” Leon said.
“The game tomorrow is of most importance now. St Vincent always feel they have a good chance against us like the other Caribbean teams and we must ensure that we take care of business and not allow them to stand a chance against us.
“I think the players understand their roles for the match and we know what we have to do as a team. The result will come if we do what we need to do on the day.”
