Trinidad and Tobago takes Gold Cup Group A lead with 3-0 win over Saint Kitts and Nevis
Trinidad and Tobago won its Gold Cup opener 3-0 against Saint Kitts and Nevis on Sunday afternoon, and the official scoresheet should credit the DRV PNK Stadium ground crew with an assist.
Torrential rain inundated the field two hours before the game’s scheduled start time, and lightning forced a weather delay. The puddles were ankle deep all over the field, and it seemed implausible that the game would be played for at least several hours.
Thanks to the stadium’s high-quality drainage system and the ground crew, which squeegeed furiously once the rain stopped, kickoff was delayed just 15 minutes.
Trinidad and Tobago took the Group A lead with three points after the opening weekend. The United States and Jamaica are knotted at a point apiece after their 1-1 tie on Saturday. Saint Kitts and Nevis is last in the group with no points.
Their second group game is on Wednesday in St. Louis. Trinidad and Tobago plays Jamaica at 7:30 p.m. and Saint Kitts and Nevis plays the United States at 10 p.m.
Angus Eve, the coach for Trinidad and Tobago, said his team benefited from training two weeks in South Florida. The Soca Warriors, as they are known, received a last-minute automatic bye into the group stage as a replacement for Nicaragua, which was banned for fielding ineligible players.
“We’ve been here for like two weeks straight training together from the time the international window came about, and we also were here in ’21, so we know the area very well and we had a lot of Trinidadians here because we have a lot of Trinidadians in this diaspora,” he said.
The wet field conditions affected the run of play at the beginning of Sunday’s match, but had improved by halftime.
“The soggy field hindered us because we wanted to play the ball at the feet and move about a bit, so in the middle of the park it was really saturated, but then it got better as the game went on,” Eve said.
The Soca Warriors are playing in their 12th Gold Cup and Eve said they want to re-establish themselves in the region. They dominated the first half and took a 43rd minute lead on a goal by Alvin Jones, the younger brother of former Inter Miami player Joevin Jones. He led the national team in scoring with three goals in the 2022-23 CNL and is playing in his 11th Gold Cup.
Jones is best-known among U.S. fans for scoring the game-winning goal for T&T to end the Americans’ 2018 World Cup hopes.
Trinidad and Tobago made it 2-0 in the 65th minute when Ajani Fortune right footed a shot from outside the box. Neveal Hackshaw was credited with the assist.
An own goal by Saint Kitts and Nevis gave Trinidad the three-goal lead in the 73rd minute. Levi Garcia took a shot from inside the box, and it ricocheted in off the leg of Saint Kitts and Nevis defender Jameel Ible.
“We want to come out of the group, and we’ve made no secret about it, so this is just the first step in that regard,” Eve said.
Saint Kitts and Nevis was playing in its first Gold Cup group stage match. “The Sugar Boyz” qualified for this round by winning its prelim matches with a pair of penalty shootouts against Curacao and French Guiana. The hero in both matches was goalkeeper Julani Archibald, who saved two penalties against Curacao and one against French Guiana.
Their coach Austin Huggins said making the first group stage will inspire younger players from their country. He is looking forward to the match against the United States.
“I know they’re going to come in with the notion that they will beat Saint Kitts and Nevis, but we’re going to be in a good position to create a better challenge and also better to represent ourselves in this game.”
In other Sunday matches, Group B kicked off with Haiti vs. out of region guest Qatar in Houston, followed by eight-time champion Mexico against Honduras.
DRV PNK Stadium hosts a Group C doubleheader Monday with El Salvador against Martinique at 6:30 p.m. followed by Costa Rica against Panama. Tickets are available through TicketMaster.
