Hosts Trinidad and Tobago breezed the final group stage of Caribbean qualifying for the Men's Under-20 World Cup to be played in New Zealand in 2015. Their reward is a meeting with Haiti in the finals this evening and the opportunity to be crowned Caribbean Champs on home soil. The hosts edged out Suriname in the first game before thumping Curacao 4-0 and battling to a 1-1 draw with Cuba, a game which saw coach Derek King digging deep into his substitutes bench. Haiti on the other hand were able to negotiate a group with St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominican Republic and fellow qualifiers Aruba. By all accounts the Haitians appear to be very attack-minded and may well cause a stern test for the 'Young Warriors'.
T&T looked sluggish in their first game against Suriname but manged to eek out a 2-1 result thanks in large part to substitutes Jabari Mitchell and Aikim Andrews. The pair changed the complexion of the game and also the mood of the crowd upon their introduction in the second half. And as destiny would have it the two linked up wonderfully for the winner in the 77th minute. Andrews' good wing play was then followed up by Mitchell's powerful shot which was too much for the keeper to handle.
Andrews and Mitchell were deservedly rewarded with starting spots for the next game against Curacao and they did not disappoint. They both got their names on the scoresheet as the 'Young Warriors' totally ran away with this one. Like their first game against Suriname, they took a while to settle in, but once they did it looked as though they could have run up a tennis score. Speedy and tenacious striker Kadeem Corbin stole the show on this evening as he scored two goals and had an all-round brilliant display. He troubled and teased the Curacao defense all game, even though he spent much of it as T&T's lone striker. His endeavor and willingness to chase down loose balls endeared him to the home support and quite possibly sent up his billing as well. All in all I think it was a much better display from the team as they looked to be growing in confidence.
The Trinidad and Tobago Under-20s say a word before the kick-off against Curacao.
The final group game was more of a formality for the Trinidad and Tobago team as they had already booked their spot for CONCACAF qualifying. However, the team still showed character and spirit to come from a goal down and earn a draw with Cuba. The Cubans on the other hand needed that point to qualify and striker Frank Manuel López made certain of that with a goal in the first half.
I definitely think the final against Haiti would be T&T's toughest game yet as the Haitians historically produce very good youth teams who play an exciting brand of football.
My Prediction: Trinidad and Tobago 2 Haiti 1
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