South/Central snatch bragging rights in All-Star game

DAVID SCARLETT

THE South/Central combined team overcame North/East/Tobago 3-1 to win the NLCL Men’s Under-19 Community Cup All-Star Game at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva on Sunday.

Darrel Garcia opened the scoring for South/Central in the 35th minute when his shot from 20 yards out took a significant deflection off his opponent and flew into an empty net as the goalkeeper dived in the initial direction of the ball. Adam Pierre doubled the lead in similar fashion ten minutes as another deflected shot nestled in the bottom right corner.

Nathaniel Perouse pulled one back for North/East/Tobago via a penalty in the 71st minute, but Nicholas Bobcombe sealed South/Central’s victory with a 76th-minute goal to give his team bragging rights over the northerners.

The fixture served to highlight the standout players of the tournament, as they were carefully selected to represent their zones during the break between the quarterfinals and the semifinals. It was also a platform for the young footballers to be recognised by national coaches and foreign talent scouts.

The tournament organiser, Brian Jordan, was happy with the execution of the game and everyone who was a part of it.

Afterwards, he told Newsday, “As bad as the weather had been, the All-Star Game seemed to bring out the brightest sunshine. The South/Central All-Stars beat the North/East/Tobago team, but our organising committee believes that football won, that that is a huge success.

He thanked guest coaches Brian Williams, Michael Grayson, the technical staffs of the teams in the competition, as well as players and fans.

Jordan also mentioned that a surprise guest scout from a major US university had been present and had contacted the organising committee about a player he was impressed with.

In other competitions, the All-Star Game is usually held after the final, when players and coaches from both teams are not as cautious about injuries as they would be for the championship fixture. Asked the reason for this tournament’s All-Star Game being scheduled before the semifinals, Jordan responded, “The All-Star Game was held at the time as a result of a recommendation from our marketing consultant. It is similar to the way the NBA does it.

“We wanted to ensure that the game was held during the season as opposed to the following season. It allowed for most of the players in the knockouts to get a bit of a rest, and to ensure the semifinals will have the highest level of competition possible.

“The All-Star Game is not going away. We plan to pick a tournament all-star team and will have them play against other teams after the season. We believe that the more they get to play, the greater chance they have to get scouted and selected for a future opportunity in the sport we all love.”

The players will return to competitive action with their clubs in the semi-finals this Sunday as Soccer Made Simple FC face Tobago’s Eagles FC at 2 pm. That fixture will be followed by Cox Football Academy versus Cantaro United, set to kick off at 4pm. Both matches will be played at the Ato Boldon Stadium.