Got to Feel Good About the US Chances. CONCACAF and the MLS Look Good

A great moral victory for CONCACAF, the MLS and Trinidad & Tobago

After watching a marvelous display of defensive football by Trinidad’s “Soca Warriors,” I feel really good about the chances for both the USA and Mexico to have a good World Cup. Trinidad whom the US has had little trouble defeating in recent years looked organized and structured. Even before Avery John’s unfortunate sending off, the T&T side had picked strategic spots to counter attack and seemed to holding up well. After John’s sending off, Cornell Glen of MLS and the LA Galaxy played some spectacular counter attacking soccer, just missing the target off the post on one shot and also spreading the pitch nicely in combination with Stern John, another MLS veteran. Cornell Glen whose recent form with T&T had been shaky proved that MLS players engaged in a summer season come to the finals in excellent shape. Actually, Avery John also from MLS had proven that point well before the send off. The USA has a perfect combination of European and MLS based players, all of whom work well together and much like T&T understand each other and will cover for one another on defense and in the attack.

Ecuador yesterday routed a European side on European soil with home grown players. Costa Rica of CONCACAF scored two goals, while Real Salt Lake’s Douglas Sequeira was the best Tico defender, and today T&T gave a marvelous display. The World Cup isn’t just Argentina, Brazil and Europe anymore. The Soca Warriors gave a nice display today of how you counter a sending off with offense and discipline man marking. Thank you, Europe, we do know how to play Football in this part of the world.