Eve on friendlies: Soca Warriors' fitness must improve

After Trinidad and Tobago's men's football team's goalless draw with Jamaica at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Malabar on March 3, head coach Angus Eve said he was pleased with the two-match friendly exercise, but wants the overall fitness of local players to improve to meet international standards.

In the first of two friendly matches on March 1, Jamaica emerged with a 1-0 win at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo, courtesy of a second-half Kahiem Dixon goal.

On March 3, playing before roughly 1,600 fans, neither team could breach the opposition's defence, with TT's best moment coming from a 43rd-minute strike from Jamaican-based forward Nathaniel James which was ruled out for offside.

TT were unable to get a shot on target in the game, though French-born winger Kaile Auvray showed glimpses of his quality with two solo runs just before the hour mark. There was also a presentable chance for TT's lanky English-based striker Justin Obikwu in the 79th minute, but opposing custodian Jayden Hibbert sped off his line to thwart the one-on-one opportunity.

Eve said players such as Adrian Foncette, Rhondel Gibson, Kai Moos and central defenders Jamal Jack and Robert Primus played well over the two matches. With the TT coach giving debuts to at least seven players in the friendlies, he said getting them to the desired standard remains a work in progress.

"Everything you do is about stages. Everything about life is stages. Every time you go up a level, the work is more intense. Every time you go up a different level, it means you have to be more prepared," Eve said, at March 3's post-match briefing.

"We have to look at what the international standards are and we have to work harder to get the players fitter so they will be ready to play sharper and faster. The football now is more athletic. Jamaica's coach, Heimir Hallgrimsson, is saying the league in Jamaica is too slow. I find the same thing here."

With TT in the middle of preparations for their crucial Copa America 2024 play-in game versus Canada on March 23, Eve said the friendlies gave him a better gauge of his players' physical presence.

"Sometimes people ask for players to get opportunities and these are the opportunities we have given to them over these two matches.

"You get to see who could stand up to physicality and stand up to the pace of the game and stuff like that. When I say our league is a little too slow, normally I get licks for it sometimes."

Eve said he used the two matches to give more extensive playing time to the Mt Pleasant Football Academy pair of Auvray and James, who "have not been playing consistently" with the reigning Jamaican champions.

Auvray started on the left side of TT's attack, and James in the centre-forward position, with the AC PoS pair of John-Paul Rochford and Duane Muckette starting at the right wing and number ten positions respectively.

Aside from Auvray's runs in the second half, TT showed little menace in the attacking third. Eve said he expected a more creative spark and influence from AC PoS playmaker Rochford.

"I thought it was a good game of football. Jamaica were getting everybody behind the ball, and we were trying to break them down. One team was trying to win, and one team was trying to keep what they had," he said. "We were working on ball possession and trying to get in behind as much as possible to break them down. Clearly, they were working on their defensive shape and keeping things very tight, and that's basically what happened."

Last March, TT visited Jamaica for a pair of friendlies, with attacker Reon Moore earning the Soca Warriors a 1-0 win in the first game before the teams played to a goalless stalemate in the second friendly.

On March 1, Canada Premier League club Pacific FC announced the signing of Moore in a two-year deal.

Eve said the friendly Caribbean series is all square now.

"I thought it was a good competitive game for the local players, as we had good intensity. The exercise was good for both teams.

"Exactly what we wanted out of it is what we got."