🇹🇹🇸🇻 Where did this Trinidad and Tobago come from? Where does El Salvador go?
A tale of two Normalization Committees as the Soca Warriors shock La Selecta PLUS: More CNL & the Conca-catch-up!
You never know when Conca-chaos will strike, and it hit in Sunday’s nightcap between El Salvador and Trinidad and Tobago.
It seemed somewhat straight-forward, with El Salvador the favorite in front of thousands of fans at the Estadio Magico Gonzalez.
Neither program is on extremely solid footing. Both are run by normalization committees after federation mismanagement.
El Salvador is on a long winless skid. Trinidad and Tobago retained manager Angus Eve despite protest from former captain Kevin Molino and other players. Their best player, Levi Garcia, is injured.
Yet, Trinidad and Tobago won 3-2. Combined with a 1-0 home victory over Curacao earlier this window, the Soca Warriors have one foot in the November playoff for qualification to the 2024 Copa América.
El Salvador was the better team.
It connected passes, probing the defense and keeping 70 percent of the possession. El Salvador had 9 corner kicks to the visitor’s zero. La Selecta registered 27 shots, including eight on target. Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper Denzil Smith was stunning. So was Ryan Telfer’s 22nd-minute equalizer. El Salvador goalkeeper Tomas Romero had an off night.
Trinidad and Tobago tried four shots. Three of them hit the target. Those three went in.
That’s soccer.
“I’m really happy for the guys inside the dressing room. They played to the plan we had. We knew we were going to suffer a bit. I’ve seen big coaches like Mourinho and David Moyes and these guys have, like, 35 percent possession.” Eve said after. “Possession doesn’t win matches.”