Week 4 - Teams St. Lucia & Trinidad and Tobago Delight New York Fans...

There was happiness and sadness on week four of the New York Caribbean Cup Soccer Tournament as Team St. Kitts & Nevis skinned Team Panama 4-1, Team Haiti over Team Antigua & Barbuda 2-0, while Team St. Lucia and Team Trinidad & Tobago played to an exciting 1-1 draw.


Kittishians Skin Team Panama

Oscar Eccleston (Panama) & Yusuf Saunders (St Kitts & Nevis)

In a delightful display of soccer Team St. Kitts and Nevis undressed Team Panama 4-1 in this afternoon’s New York Caribbean Cup opening game.

Very early in the game the “Sugar Boyz” was denied going one up through faulty finishing and to ‘add salt to injury’ gave up a penalty on the other end on the Team Panama counter attack. Donroy Liburd brought down Eduardo McCalla just inside the eighteen yard box and called on to take the spot kick, McCalla stepped up and gave Los Canaleros a one goal to zip advantage in the 4th minute.

Kassall Greene (St Kitts & Nevis) & Eduardo McCalla (Panama)

Despite being a goal down Team St. Kitts and Nevis took control of the game and in the 21st minute got the equalizer when Kassall Greene hit the mark from a goal front melee. Then seconds before the clock ran out for half time Joeski Williams sent his fans in wild celebration once more when his shot just outside the area found the back of the net.

Kassall Greene (St Kitts & Nevis) & Rogalio Clarke (Panama)

The second half saw the ‘Sugar Boyz’ kicking toward the Flatlands goal and looking to extend their advantage. In the 48th minute Joeski Williams outran the defense to a ball down the right side and crossed to a wide open Alister Warner who made no mistake. Team St. Kitts & Nevis 3 Team Panama 1. Four minutes later Delon Ferdinan found Donroy Liburd from a corner kick for the final goal of the afternoon.

Kassall Greene (St Kitts & Nevis) & Rogalio Clarke (Panama)

Unfortunately there was a blight to the “Sugar Boyz” win when Kadeem Innis had to be assisted from the field after suffering an injured shoulder.


Team Antigua & Barbuda Disappoints Fans Again

Captain David Daoud (Haiti) & Captain. Rowan Laviscount (Antigua & Barbuda) coin toss

Discipline and commitment have always played its part on the road to success and over the years the most disciplined teams in the New York Caribbean Cup Soccer Tournament are generally the teams you see in the playoffs year after year.

This afternoon Team Antigua and Barbuda demonstrated once more why perennially they have been one of the less successful teams in the tournament.

Last week in their game against Team St. Lucia they started with less than their full complement of players. This afternoon it was even worse. They started the game with the required minimum of seven players and after Jean Kismy Francois and Alfred Sonthonax had given Team Haiti a 2-0 lead Benna Boy Shirville Jarvis walked off the field leaving his teammates stranded. The game was only twelve minutes old but with less than the required seven players on the field for Team Antigua and Barbuda the referee had no alternative but to blow off the game to the disappointment of their fans.


Team St. Lucia & Team Trinidad and Tobago In Spectacular 1-1 Draw

Kirk Dorsett (Trinidad & Tobago) being challenged by Richi Sumra (St Lucia)

Except for a goalkeeping error this afternoon, Team Trinidad and Tobago seem to be advertising themselves once more as a force in the New York Caribbean Cup Soccer Tournament and any team that has visions of being crowned 2015 champions will have to come through them. Perhaps the new life exhibited by the Soca Ballers could also be attributed to coach Tony Henry who handles his youngsters with patience and calm.

Tana Weekes (St Lucia) trying to bring ball under control

The opening goal in this afternoon’s Team St. Lucia and Team Trinidad & Tobago contest was much against the run of play and a goal-keeping error. Soca Ballers goalkeeper Marcus Maurice in attempting to kick the ball down field only succeeded in miskicking and watched the ball land at the feet of Taj Marcellin just outside the area. Marcellin seeing that Maurice had drifted a bit too far off his line shot the ball and Maurice slipped as he made a vain attempt to get to the ball. You could see the disgust on the TNT’s goalkeeper’s face with the game only seven minutes old.

Taj Marcellin (St Lucia) about to challenge Trinidad & Tobago defender

It didn’t take the Soca Ballers long to equalize. In fact, five minutes later, and kicking toward Egan Street, Conrad Smith latched onto a ball just inside the eighteen and deftly slid the ball pass an advancing Chad Amari Phillip for the equalizer.

Leigh Marcellin (St Lucia) getting by his defender

Following the break the game settled into a battle of midfield with very little forays into the opponent’s defensive eighteen yard boxes. However, in the last ten minutes or so as either team broke down their opponent’s defenses the decibels of the appreciative crowd grew louder as they became more demonstrative.


Week 5 Games, June 21, 2015

3:30pm – Team St. Vincent and the Grenadines vs Team Dominica
5:30pm – Team Jamaica vs Team Guyana

All games played at Jefferson High School Field, 12508 Flatlands Ave (at Shepherd) in Brooklyn.