Tony Becca
TRINIDAD AND Tobago have qualified for next year's World Cup finals in Germany and congratulations and good luck to them.
They picked up only one point from their first three matches in the six-team play-off for a place in the finals, after facing the tough task of defeating Mexico in Mexico City in order to finish fourth and moving into the play-offs against the third-placed team from the Asian group.
And, after trailing 1-0 against Bahrain at home in the first leg of the play-offs, the Soca Warriors, drew that match courtesy of a 45-metre drive from Christopher Birchall and then, with the odds against them, with Bahrain ahead on the away goal rule, went to Bahrain and won 1-0 for a winning 2-1 aggregate.
In any language, that was a glorious finish, and hats off to them.
In qualifying for the finals, Trinidad and Tobago have become, behind Jamaica, only the second team from the English-speaking Caribbean to do so.
In qualifying for the finals, they have become only the fourth team from the Caribbean to do so, with Mexico, the United States and Costa Rica being the other three teams from CONCACAF.
They will be the only team from the English-speaking Caribbean in the finals, and they carry with them into Germany our blessings and our best wishes for a good and successful tournament.
According to the reports coming out of Port-of-Spain, it has been like carnival time in the country since the final whistle in Bahrain on Wed-nesday and, after two previous disappointments, they deserve to celebrate.
Back in 1973 when only one team from the region qualified for the World Cup finals, they lost to Haiti in Haiti and finished second. Back in 1989 when only two teams from the region qualified, and when they needed only a draw to be one of them, they lost 1-0 to the U.S. and finished third.
It has been a long road for Trinidad and Tobago but they are there now and they deserve to be there.
As Bahrain's coach, Croatian Luka Peruzovic, said after Trinidad and Tobago's victory, "They were too strong for us and we just could not play against them tonight".
DOMINATED MATCH
And he was correct. Although they scored only one goal, even though Bahrain muffed two good opportunities to score, Trinidad and Tobago dominated the match.
Depending on which teams are drawn in their group, Trinidad and Tobago may not win a match in the finals.
Based on their play in both matches, however, they are better than Bahrain, they look good moving the ball around, they are capable of putting on a good show in the showpiece of soccer and, who's to tell, like Jamaica in 1998, they may well win a match and, if they do, that would be great.
Even if they do not win a match, however, even if they do not score a goal, Trinidad and Tobago have done well in getting to Germany and once again, congratulations and good luck, and especially so to Dwight Yorke and Russell Latapy - two veterans, two of the Caribbean's best players - who must have been wondering if they would ever make it to the World Cup finals and who have finally done so.
