T&T?s footballers touched down in Seoul yesterday and will spend the next couple days fine tuning for their second international outing of the Asian tour against 2002 World Cup hosts, South Korea at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.
The game is scheduled for Wednesday and coach Bertille St Clair and skipper Angus Eve will be hoping that the team can bounce back from a 3-2 loss to Thailand in Bangkok on Saturday after being 2-0 ahead at half time.The team was joined by solid US-based defender Derek Phillips yesterday and CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh and former national under-23 midfielder Michael Celestine is expected today.
Following Saturday?s loss, experienced utility player Anthony Rougier, who scored the first goal, blamed jetlag from the team?s inept display in the second half.
?The first half was very good. We presented ourselves very well away from home and that was admirable. Most of our downfall was because of jetlag.?
Rougier said there was no need to be upset with T&T?s performance in the second half.
?They (Thailand) too were allowed to make eight changes so there?s no reason to be upset with our players because they did well. Keyeno was awesome and Derek King was very intelligent. We also had a young team out there.?
Rougier said Thailand did not have ?a clue? of what was happening in the first half.
?Coach obviously had something to be happy about despite the loss. I had a feeling about scoring because of the position I was playing just behind the front two. It felt good to score for the country again.?
Rougier explained that playing on the pitch was forty percent of the job.
?We know the guys can play. I have seen Brazil play really badly and qualify and then go on to win World Cups when half of the preparations was done off the pitch. I pray that the people of my country and those who have the power to do things to just give us that extra hand?that extra push this time around to get through this journey.?
