T&T U-20s brush aside Haiti to win Caribbean Crown

The final of the CFU Under-20 Championships between Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago played at the Hasley Crawford Stadium on Friday evening failed to live up to expectations, well at least my expectations. I had predicted a 2-1 scoreline for T&T in what I presumed would be a close contest, but it was anything but close. The 'Young Warriors' never really got into their full stride in the match and still managed to come away with a very comfortable 3-nil result. The Haitians looked void of ideas and strategies for much of the game and inclined to sit back and defend as opposed to attacking. This defensive mindset had Haiti on the back-foot from the very start of the contest and it encouraged the likes of wide players Levi Garcia and Aikim Andrews to get at them. 

Garcia looked especially threatening down the left-hand flank and his trickery and guile came good in the 34th minute when he left his marker for dead before squaring a ball to striker Kadeem Corbin for a nice sliding finish. The run by the much-heralded Garcia to set up Corbin was quite excellent. Garcia, who is just 16 years-old and the youngest member of the squad, has already been tipped for future stardom by some hefty names in local football, including National Senior coach Stephen Hart.

Despite his ability to beat a defender with ease and his breath-taking acceleration Garcia was not the star of the show in the final. That bragging right went to his teammate Corbin who bagged a hat-trick of goals and again endeared himself to the crowd. Not only was Corbin razor-sharp in front of goal, but his industry and 'never say die' attitude was there for all to see and that is what fans like myself can appreciate. He was like a bee constantly buzzing in the ears of the Haitian defenders and he did not let up until his withdrawal from the match in the 88th minute. His precise runs matched the industry he showed throughout the match and he also proved that he had the quality to go along with it as his three well-taken goals would show. T&T's #9 was not done there though as he also copped the Golden Boot and MVP awards for the tournament. He is definitely on the fast track to the senior squad.

Haiti as I mentioned were very defense-minded in the encounter and still maintained their defensive shape and approach even after trailing by a goal for the most of the game. They decided to take a more attack-minded approach towards the latter stages of the game but that just played into the hands of the home team whose defense was spearheaded by Maurice Ford and captain Shannon Gomez. Johan Welch also looked solid in the T&T goal and his most difficult save was forced by Haiti's best player on the night, playmaker Alessandro Campoy. 

Haiti was clearly playing for a penalty shootout as was evident by their style of play and this pre-match routine.



It was not the most enthralling final you would ever see but the four thousand or so spectators did not mind it one bit. The 'Young Warriors' were not spectacular on the night, nor did they need to be as Haiti never really offered a great threat.The next hurdle for the U-20 team is CONCACAF qualifying in Jamaica. There is where the strength and quality of the team would really be tested.

Scores: Trinidad and Tobago U-20s 3 (Kadeem Corbin 34, 82, 86)
            Haiti U-20s 0