Eve's rollercoaster 2023: Adapting to styles while finding identity

Trinidad and Tobago men's football team and their head coach Angus Eve have endured a rollercoaster 2023, but have ended the year riding an emotional high.

TT first missed out on promotion to Concacaf Nations League A, before Nicaragua's expulsion for fielding an ineligible player pushed Eve's team into the region's top tier. This was followed by an embarrassing first-round Concacaf Gold Cup exit, an injury-plagued spell for star striker Levi Garcia and the sudden retirement of then captain Kevin Molino.

But the year ended with a fine turnaround in fortune for the Soca Warriors, as they advanced past their 2023/24 Concacaf Nations League A group and qualified for the quarter-final of the competition for the first time. And despite an exciting 4-2 two-legged quarter-final loss to Concacaf giants and defending Nations League champions USA, Eve and his team have a chance to book a historic spot in the Copa America 2024 tournament via a playoff with Canada in Frisco, Texas on March 23, 2024.

The Soca Warriors began 2023 ranked 104th in the Fifa rankings and 11th by Concacaf. Eve, whose contract was extended to the end of March 2024 by the TT Football Association's (TTFA) normalisation committee, was also in the hot seat as public opinion appeared to be divided on the former midfielder.

Asked about his job stability post-March 2024 and the playoff with Canada, Eve told Newsday, "If you hear the utterances of knowledgeable people throughout the football, nobody expected us to be where we are.

"I would say based on the job and the transformation we have done, our constant rise and meeting all of the KPIs which have been given to me and the staff, if we do anything to go Copa America 2024 that is just a bonus. That will be the icing on the cake."

Eve said there were "a lot of positives to look back on," and he was excited to see local fans flocking to see their national team once again.

"When you look at the players we have been able to bring through, we have done what we have done in a very short space of time. That also says progress. Progress is measured by achievements."

WARRIORS HEADING TO USL

Eve said his players are reaping the rewards of their on-field endeavour and he said three young members of the squad will be plying their trade in the United Soccer League (USL) next year. He also highlighted the 19-year-old pair of Kaile Auvray and Nathaniel James who transferred to Jamaican champions Mount Pleasant Academy in September. Both Auvray and James debuted for the Soca Warriors in March 2023 in friendly action away to Jamaica.

In 2023, the senior team played a total of 15 games – recording nine wins, two draws and four losses. TT were unbeaten in friendly competition this year while utilising mainly a local contingent, with victories against Guatemala, Jamaica and Saint Martin. The French-born Auvray, who has a Trinidadian mother, represented Saint Martin against TT in January, before getting the opportunity to play for TT six weeks later.

In competitive action in 2023, TT grabbed six wins, lost four matches and had the solitary draw. TT's competitive draw came in a 1-1 duel with Nicaragua on March 27 in Bacolet, Tobago in a 2022/23 Concacaf Nations League B encounter. At the time, the result had qualified Nicaragua for the 2023 Gold Cup and the 2023/24 Nations League A cycle, with TT set to remain in Nations League B.

However, Nicaragua's infraction was punished by Concacaf's disciplinary committee and TT were elevated to the Gold Cup group stage and Nations League A.

TT were grouped with Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis and 2021 champions USA in the Gold Cup. TT got a comfortable 3-0 win over newcomers St Kitts and Nevis, before heavy defeats against Jamaica (4-1) and USA (6-0).

Eve said he had to take the losses on the chin.

"I tend to learn more when I lose. You tend to learn more lessons when you lose as opposed to when you win. Sometimes, winning can hide your faults. You tend to look at the final results and not (an) in-depth (analysis). I had to look really deep inside myself and make some very tough decisions.

"At the end of the day, I am not only making decisions for myself, but I am representing my country as well. I have to do what is best for the country at the point in time. If it works, I will accept the accolades which come along with it. But if it does not work, I will take the criticism or condemnation, which I have been taking for decisions I made throughout the season which people did not like."

After TT's final Gold Cup game on July 2, Eve endured a seven-week wait before the Fifa-appointed normalisation committee announced an extension to his contract on August 22 – 16 days before their Nations League A home opener against Curacao on September 7.

Six days before facing Curacao, the TT team were thrown a curve ball when Molino, 33, said goodbye to TT football via an Instagram post. Molino had been named in a 40-man provisional squad for the game. On November 2, another Soca Warriors stalwart retired from the international game, with veteran goalkeeper Marvin Phillip "hanging up my gloves with immediate effect from the national stage" after appearing in an under-17 World Cup for his country and making over 90 appearances at senior level.

Eve said the door was not closed on any of the recently retired players.

"This is no disrespect to the senior players as they have given so much to TT. At that point in time, I felt it was needed to revitalise the team and freshen up the team a bit.

"I wish all the players all the best. I have not physically retired anybody. I do not think it is right to do so."

With TT Premier Football League (TTPFL) standouts such as Reon Moore, league MVP Justin "Shiggy" Garcia, goalkeeper Denzil Smith and TTPFL top-scorer James all firmly part of Eve's Nations League A plans, and defender Aubrey David taking over the captain's armband, TT got three consecutive victories against Curacao (1-0), El Salvador (3-2) and Guatemala (3-2) to secure their Nations League A spot for another cycle and line up a quarter-final appearance as well.

James netted dramatic late winners at the Hasely Crawford Stadium against Curacao and Guatemala, with the towering Shiggy scoring a looping header to edge El Salvador in a five-goal thriller at the Estadio Nacional Jorge "El Magico" Gonzalez in El Salvador. Moore scored three times in five appearances and looks a potent force up top, although he mainly plays on the wing for TTPFL champions Defence Force.

It is fair to say the Soca Warriors found a new lease of life in their Nations League A campaign, and James quickly became the new darling of the TT football public.

TTPFL VITAL TO EVE

During the inaugural TTPFL season which spanned from March to July 2023, Eve said the league would benefit the Soca Warriors in the long run, but he did not see it having an immediate impact on TT's 2023 Gold Cup fortunes. As a result, players such as James, Moore and Shiggy were controversially left out from TT's 23-man squad for Concacaf's showpiece event.

Post-Gold Cup, there was a different look to the TT team, with at least ten local players named in the 23-man squad to face Curacao.

"Basically, it was about giving the young players an opportunity to shine. You can only pick 23 players at one time. It has actually worked for us really well," Eve said.

He said the TTPFL is now having an influence on his squad.

"(The TTPFL) is a major cog in what we are doing. If you look at the squads I have picked, a large concentration of the players come from the local teams. I respect everything the local coaches are doing.

"When you play at international level, you realise the pace of the game is different and the tactical awareness of the players is different. If you look at what happened in the Concacaf Caribbean Club Championship, it would have proved what I said that we were not ready just yet because none of our teams advanced from the group stage. It is not a knock on anybody, it is a reality of where the players are trying to reacclimate themselves to play football consistently."

TT's games in the Nations League A were exciting and also nerve-racking for fans, with end-to-end action. TT scored ten goals in the Nations League A group phase – equalling Jamaica as the highest scorers. With the Greek-based Levi making the lone substitute appearance in TT's six Nations League A matches, TT had eight different goal scorers in the campaign – with Moore's three goals being a team-high. TT also conceded 13 goals in their six matches, which was inflated by a surprise 5-3 loss away to Curacao in the final group game.

FINDING IDENTITY, ADAPTING TO STYLES

Speaking on his team's identity, Eve, who has said he has a pragmatic style, said the Soca Warriors needed to tighten up at the back.

"We need to marry the offensive flair we have with a resolute defensive mindset to build a platform for those attacking players to go and express themselves. That is what we are aiming to get for that balance in defence.

"We always seem to give away early goals and come from behind to get the result we desire. You cannot get away with that for too long in international football."

The standout individual performances by the TT players were recognised by Concacaf, with a handful of players being named to the Concacaf Nations League A Best XI in the three windows. David, whose leadership has been praised by Eve and the TT players, was named to the Nations League A Best XI in the September window alongside flanker Ryan Telfer.

In the October window, Moore and Alvin Jones were named to the Nations League A Best XI, with Jones also included in the Nations League A Best XI in the subsequent November window. Omitted from the TT squad for their games against Curacao and El Salvador in September, Jones registered an assist and scored a spectacular free kick against the US on November 20 in a thrilling 2-1 second-leg win for the Warriors. TT eventually fell short in their comeback quest against the US, but they showed they had the ability to push a Concacaf powerhouse to the brink, albeit with a man advantage.

"There is a lot of work to do but you are seeing glimpses of what the team can potentially do. We played the number-one team in Concacaf and the number-(12) ranked team in the world. We played two different styles against the US.

"In the second match, we showed we could play a different style of football and it was more attacking, advanced and high-pressing football. The team has shown they can play different styles and adapt to different styles before we get our real identity which we hope to work towards."

Even as his team look towards their Copa America playoff with Canada, Eve also has an eye on the 2026 Fifa World Cup which is being jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the US.

"The (TTPFL) is showing a lot of young players. I do not know if we are ready for the 2026 World Cup, but we are going to give it a good shot. Whether it is me, or other coaches, I think we definitely have the players."

Eve said TT have shown the ability to compete with teams such as Mexico and the US in the past. He wants his squad to find consistency and take it up a notch.

"We want to take it to the next level where we can qualify for another World Cup, and hopefully it is 2026."

Currently ranked 96th by Fifa, Eve and his TT team will resume their mission to take on the world on March 23 with a meeting with Alphonso Davies and the Canadian team. If Eve is given the chance, he will try to steer the Soca Warriors to a second appearance at the Fifa men's World Cup.

Eve sent his best wishes to the TT public for the festive season.

"A lot of crime is happening around the country and I hope everyone will be safe in this busy period. I want to wish all the families out there all the best going into the new year."