Patriotic fervour dominates M.C.C. in U-21 match up
Good evening. I?m James Adderley and you?re locked into this fresh flick of Sports Monday.
They came from every walk of life … they came from every direction in every shape and size … every section was represented. The painted fans made a big time statement of support and nuff Sub Umbra Floreo showed up as Belize made its home stand against Panama in round two of the Central American U-21 Football Championship yesterday inside the M.C.C. Grounds.
And we give nuff respect to the flags of the two combatants flanking that of FIFA?s going into this very important game two. Unfortunately, this atmosphere of pump and circumstance is quickly poisoned when not even a full three minutes into the ballgame Lennox Castillo, the triggerman for Team Belize, hits number eight of Panama as soon as they land on the ground. A slow-mo of this footage appears to bear this out.
However, a look at the footage also reveals that the game commissioner seated and the chief referee, both foreigners, have good looks at this altercation. It isn?t until this foul some thirty seconds later when the referee does halt play?with the Panama player still on the ground. The chief referee interviews the fourth official, Belizean referee Gerald Henry, after which he gives a red card to Lennox Castillo.
With Belize already down 4-2 from game one at Panama, this makes life very uncomfortable for the Belizean official, but the show must go on and Belize is down to ten men.
The visitors, with the numerical advantage, try to open the scoring off this set piece that sails high. Give Woodrow West in goal for Belize maximum respect for digging this vicious header from number eight out of the hole to keep the ballgame scoreless.
Folks, the home team is caught is on the back foot when number eleven Gabriel Torres misses the target from point-blank range.
Panama nevertheless keeps on the pressure, but again their objective is thwarted by the capable moves of goalkeeper West.
Belize finally get this good look at goal some thirty-two minutes off this set piece fired off by Harrison Tasher, only Deon McCauley fails to execute the finish.
This beautiful forward pass gives the visitors another point-blank one-on-one look at goal, but Woodrow West handles the situation and at the half we?ve still got a scoreless ballgame.
Folks we?re some four minutes into second half when this pass reaches Gabriel Torres and he catches Woodrow West going the wrong way as Panama takes a 1-zip lead.
A few minutes later, Torres looks to pick up the assist only his team-mate wearing a nine fail to finish what he started.
In the meantime folks, this on the field clash between Ryan Simpson and his Panama defender spills over the fence when the local supporters react.
In this press, Belize goes to the spotkick from Bernard Linares, but it?s straight to the keeper.
It?s still the host team looking for the equaliser when Harrison Tasher launches this spotkick that forces the Panama keeper into a fine save, which he does.
At the end of ninety minutes of play, Panama holds on to the 1-zip big W as Belize exits the Central American U-21 Football Championship. Even so, 2006 will be remembered because it?s the first time we won an international match at this level when we beat El Salvador 2-zip at Dangriga.
New let?s join Kwame Scott for a couple post game interviews.
Kwame Scott
?Give me your overview of the game.?
Woodrow West, Goalkeeper, Team Belize
?First of all, I have to give nuff respect to my team; they played their heart and soul. We tried our best and the team is kinda better than us and we can accept that too, but still yet we still did not capitalise on them. We had a few breaks and we didn?t capitalise and I guess that?s what affect us throughout this international game, we didn?t capitalise the time we should and we?ll get better.?
Ryan Simpson, Captain, Team Belize
?If I could have changed something in the game, definitely it would be the red card that Criminal got, because he?s a very important player on our team and with him out of the game it bring a little bit more pressure on us, but you know that we are a team that never gives up and we play with nine men before. We play with any thing on the field, any amount of players on the field and we will continue work until ninety minutes is over.?
Kwame Scott
?If given the chance to play this game over one more time, what would you do differently??
Ian Mork
?Well what would I do differently? I would hope to play with eleven men. I mean, today we never got to execute what our plan was and that?s really unfortunate because we?ve been working hard, we?ve been working for many months, and we put together a great team and the people here in Belize deserved to see what we can really do, like they did against El Salvador.?
Kwame Scott
?In your opinion, was the red card justified??
Ian Mork, Coach, Team Belize
?To be honest, I didn?t see it. I was following the play and I didn?t actually see it happen. But all I can say is there needs to be more consistency, because obviously we all saw a player of our own team get stomped on the back in the corner; the fourth official watched it with us. And if he?s gonna make a call from here when the referees don?t see it on the field, then he needs to be consistent I think and call the other one as well.?
Dr. Bertie Chimilio
?We maintained possession as much as we could have, we just couldn?t get it between the sticks. And that?s?I have nothing to say against our team I think our guys did the best with what they had at the moment and if the goal had come it would have been welcomed, but this just gives us more courage to work harder at the Federation to make sure that the national team get the exposure it deserves, it needs, so as to be on the world stage.?
Kwame Scott
?As the man leading the charge for international football as far as Belize goes, what?s next on the horizon for football in Belize??
Dr. Bertie Chimilio, President, F.F.B.
?Well as far as national team goes right now, you know the World Cup is coming up, so all we?ll continue do is work with the national teams, train them and hopefully in July we could start getting some practice matches. But we have CONCACAF games coming up in August and September and then we have the Nation?s Cup next year in El Salvador. As this has ended now, we?ll be calling up the Under Twenty and this national team, the Under Twenty-one has six players that fix that age: players born after January first 1987. We?ll be working with the Under Twenty and the Under Twenty will be in Guatemala in the first week of August hopefully to play against El Salvador for a spot in the FIFA World Cup.?
The 2006 Guinness 8 Ball Pool Tournament opens one p.m. on Saturday twenty-ninth April inside the Copa Cabana with the usual marathon package featuring all nine teams. Regular season then kicks off inside the Copa May fourth when defending champion Advance takes on Catt?s Place.
On the karate scene, the Cayo Shotokan Karate Club held a successful karate camp Bullet Tree Falls over the weekend under the auspices of Sensei Okinawa. In Kumite action Louis Guild of Red Dragon overcame his Salvadoran black belt counterpart and we say congratulations to the entire karate community.
In basketball news, semi-pro play at the City Centre Friday night saw B.T.L. hosting Northern Uprising of Corozal.
We?re in the third quarter when Roger Favela cuts into the ten-point lead with this baseline jumper trying to get Corozal back into the thick of things. On the very next possession, Favela shows off his range with this three-point offering, tightening this ballgame a whole lot.
Of course, B.T.L. goes far the response from A.C. Augustine, who hits his three to give his team a four point lead. It?s more A.C. Augustine again with this boosts off the glass as B.T.L. begins to pull away.
In the fourth quarter, Augustine picks up this offensive rebound and puts it back as B.T.L. goes on to post an 88-65 big W.
Turning to cycling news, Adrian Faux won the Santino Cross Country Classic in a time of three hours sixteen minutes fifty-seven seconds for the sixty-six point three mile ride on the Western Highway. Roque Matus pulled up second, Andrew Smiling third, Charlie Lewis finished fourth, while Kenneth Butler rounds out the top five from a field of forty-two that suited up. Hey, keep going Buttie.
The other cycling news, the Viper Tours and Busy Bee Mountain Bike Classic is set for Sunday May seventh. It travels from Esperanza to the Marion Jones Sporting Complex. It?s a biggie and you won?t to miss … neither will be.
That?s it for now, we invite you back same time, same place next week. Jah over all, I?m James Adderley.
