[UPDATED] Soca Warriors coach Angus Eve: Players stuck to the game plan against Mexico

INTERIM head coach of the national men’s senior football team Angus Eve said his players stuck to the game plan by parking the bus in their opening match of the Concacaf Gold Cup against Mexico, on Saturday night.

The Soca Warriors pulled off an improbable 0-0 draw against Mexico in Group A at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.

TT have had a rough time of late failing to advance to the second round of the World Cup qualifiers in the Concacaf zone under former head coach Terry Fenwick.

Under Eve the players demonstrated determination and passion as they held the mighty Mexicans.

Eve’s strategy was to pack the defence as TT played with five at the back including Alvin Jones, Aubrey David, Jelani Peters, Radanfah Abu Bakr and Ross Russell Jnr.

In a post-match media conference, Eve said, “We did our homework. We saw them (Mexico) play and the guys executed the game plan to a tee. We are very proud of what we did tonight and it only augurs well going forward for us in the future.”

Asked why he decided to implement that game plan, Eve said,

“We have refocused the team…but the staff really came together. We analyzed the game and we saw the Mexicans play against Nigeria (on July 3) and we came with a game plan to counter what they were doing. I thought they would have changed something in the second half, but they kept doing what we thought they would have done so we were pretty comfortable throughout the game.”

Goalkeeper Marvin Phillip, who has not been TT’s first-choice goalkeeper in recent times, delivered a memorable performance with some spectacular saves.

In the closing stages of the match, TT striker Reon Moore got a golden opportunity to score against the run of play but could not convert.

“At the end, we actually got one of the sucker punches that we thought we could have gotten with the pace of the kid up front and unfortunately he did not keep his composure,” Eve said.

Eve said he chose many defenders in the squad knowing the strategy against Mexico would have been to park the bus.

“What we decided to do is pick more defenders with Mexico in mind in the squad because we thought we would have reached in the group stage although some people back home did not think so with the stories that they writing. We thought that we would have been in this zone, so we picked a squad that we know that we could be flexible and play different types of systems if need be.”

Mexico ended the match with 83 per cent possession as TT were willing to sit back and counter-attack. TT took four shots in the match and Mexico had 30 attempts on goal.

TT made five changes during the contest with Ryan Telfer, Mekeil Williams, Kevin Molino, Noah Powder and Neveal Hackshaw all being introduced.

At the final whistle, TT celebrated the result with vigour. A video circulated on social media with the players and coaching staff singing the Soca Warriors anthem in the dressing room.

The match was marred by fans shouting discriminatory comments which forced the referee to stop the match multiple times.

TT will play El Salvador on Wednesday, before facing Guatemala on Sunday in their final group match. The top two teams will advance to the knock-out phase.

TT defeated French Guiana on penalties in the Gold Cup qualifiers to book a place in the Gold Cup.

This story was originally published with the title "Trinidad and Tobago hold mighty Mexico 0-0 in Gold Cup opener" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

AN inspired effort by the Soca Warriors led the team to an improbable 0-0 draw against Concacaf powerhouse Mexico in Group A on the opening day of the CONCACAF Gold Cup at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday night.

TT have had a rough time of late failing to advance to the second round of the World Cup qualifiers in the Concacaf zone under former head coach Terry Fenwick.

Under interim head coach Angus Eve the players demonstrated determination and passion as they held the mighty Mexicans.

Goalkeeper Marvin Phillip, who has not been TT’s first choice goalkeeper in recent times, delivered a memorable performance with some spectacular saves.

Eve’s strategy was to pack the defence as TT played with five at the back including Alvin Jones, Aubrey David, Jelani Peters, Radanfah Abu Bakr and Ross Russell Jnr.

Mexico ended the match with 83 per cent possession as TT were willing to sit back and counter attack. TT took four shots in the match and Mexico had 30 attempts on goal.

TT made five changes during the contest with Ryan Telfer, Mekeil Williams, Kevin Molino, Noah Powder and Neveal Hackshaw all being introduced.

At the final whistle TT celebrated the result with vigor. A video circulated on social media with the players and coaching staff singing the Soca Warriors anthem in the dressing room.

The match was marred by fans shouting discriminatory comments which forced the referee to stop the match multiple times.

TT will play El Salvador on Wednesday, before facing Guatemala on Sunday in their final group match. The top two teams will advance to the knock-out phase.

TT defeated French Guiana on penalties in the Gold Cup qualifiers to book a place in the Gold Cup.