Former Trinidad and Tobago Soca Warrior Angus Eve is this country’s new Senior Men’s National Team coach. According to the TTFA’s social media post, this is effective immediately and will expire August 31st 2021. The most capped Trinidad and Tobago international replaces Englishman Terry Fenwick, who was fired on Friday, after failing to take the Soca Warriors into the final round of the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers. The Soca Warriors, failed to score against 201 ranked Bahamas in the goalless draw that eliminated the team from further participation in the tournament. Trinidad and Tobago, who were the highest ranked team in the group, exited the tournament with 2 wins ( 2-0 vs St Kitts-Nevis and 3-0 vs Guyana) and 2 draws ( 0-0 vs Bahamas and 1-1 vs Puerto Rico). In a friendly international earlier this year, Trinidad and Tobago fell to the USA 7-0 in Fenwick’s first match in charge of the Soca Warriors.
Eve brings experience to the table, having been capped 117 times for the Soca Warriors between 1994 and 2005, scoring 34 goals in the process as an attacking midfielder. Eve also saw coaching success in the TT Pro League and Secondary Schools Football League with Naparima College. In accepting the job in the hot seat, Eve who last coached Club Sando in the TT Pro League, was elated about the appointment “I’m really honored and privileged to have this opportunity to continue to represent my country. I’m committed to provide a lift to Trinidad and Tobago, especially in this time where we are battling with so many different adversities at the same time.”
Eve’s first mission will be to qualify for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, with two matches in early July, against Montserrat and possibly Cuba, if T&T beat Montserrat first. Academically these two matches should be easy wins for the Soca Warriors, just like the matches against Puerto Rico and Bahamas should have been, so Eve and his troops will not be taking these matches lightly. If T&T qualify for the Gold Cup, which is likely, the next mission will be to have a good showing in the tournament and see how far we can reach in the premier competition in the confederation.
Head of the Normalisation Committee, Robert Hadad, stated, “We thank the previous coaching staff for their commitment and efforts. We now look forward to the Gold Cup competition and wish Angus all the best. We will do our very best to support him and the team.” The Normalisation Committee will be consulting with the new Head Coach to finalize his coaching staff of assistant coaches and other personnel. When the Gold Cup is completed, the Normalisation Committee will also be inviting applications for a permanent position in September 2021, as Eve’s contract will expire in August 31st 2021.
