FORMER Strike Squad captain Clayton Morris knew it would have been an uphill task for the Soca Warriors at the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup, but said the performances proved that we have a long way to go to compete against powerhouses in the region like Mexico and US.
TT did not qualify for the quarter-finals of the tournament after finishing third in Group A. The Soca Warriors kicked off the Gold Cup with a 3-0 victory over St Kitts/Nevis giving some fans hope that TT had a chance to qualify for the knock-out phase.
However against stronger opposition, TT were brought back down to earth with a 4-1 defeat against Jamaica followed by a 6-0 loss to the US.
Morris said, “I was always reserved with my enthusiasm in seeing us progressing to the second round, (the) mere reason because of my experience both as a player and now a coach. Success is a process and you don’t expect things to change overnight.”
He said the TT players lack speed.
“When Panama played Costa Rica and I also saw Guadeloupe against Canada and I saw the intensity those teams were playing at, it really had me concerned…if we could match that,” Morris said.
“I am not surprised what came out of this tournament because again what you put in is what will come out…it is clear we are strides behind. They could say what they want about we have players playing here and we have players playing there. Those players representing us I don’t think is the best we could put forward.”
Only six local-based players were on the 23-man Gold Cup TT squad.
Morris said with so many foreign-based players the team will lack cohesion.
“Football is a team sport and you definitely have to have chemistry.”
The former Strike Squad captain is uncertain if the players understand the privilege to represent your country.
Reflecting on the Strike Squad period, Morris said, “You don’t want to blow your own trumpet, but you could have seen passion in the guys who represented TT and that is 34 years ago. You are not getting that now, you are not seeing that with the players (and) even in the local leagues you are not getting that passion…we have to go back to the drawing board…I am saying it again, we are strides behind the Concacaf big guns, we are behind them. The coach’s goal was to get us back up there, but I don’t think we are close to that.”
TT head coach Angus Eve has said repeatedly that he wants to see the national team show their class in the region again.
Morris, who said TT’s starting formation at the Gold Cup at times was too negative playing with five defenders, said changing the coach will not fix the issues in local football as the players must look in the mirror and administrative issues have hampered progress.
The TT Football Association is not fully functional as local football is being run by the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee.
“We are still under a normalisation committee that means we are not settled as a football association yet,” former Strike Squad defender Brian Williams said.
Apart from the TTFA, during the covid19 pandemic loc
