Having secured two positive results to get the Concacaf World Cup qualifiers going, Trinidad and Tobago’s Head coach Angus Eve welcomed the solid platform on which he hopes to build when the Soca Warriors next take the field as part of the campaign.

Eve’s side registered one of the biggest winning margins of the opening round of matches, as they thumped Bahamas 7-1 in Basseterre, St Kitts, on Saturday. That dominance performance followed a shaky showing against Grenada in which the Soca Warriors had to come from two goals down to secure a point in a 2-2 stalemate.

It is with that in mind why Eve expressed pleasure with his team’s character, as the performances ensured the twin island republic sits second in Group B on four points, two behind leaders and group favourites Costa Rica on six points. Grenada (one point) is third, while St Kitts and Nevis and Bahamas, who meet on Tuesday, are yet to get off the mark.

“The result was the most important thing for us. We wanted to win the game. We wanted to get three points and we did,” Eve said.

“I thought we were a little bit flat in the first game against Grenada, and we never got going until the second half. We wanted to right that wrong, and I think we did it. The passing...the fluency of the team was much better,” he added.

Trinidad and Tobago players celebrate a goal against Bahamas.

While critics argued that the 7-1 scoreline was due to the fact that Bahamas was a perceived lesser opponent, Eve rubbished the thought, as he reminded football enthusiasts that the Bahamians were responsible for Trinidad and Tobago’s demise during the last qualifying cycle.

“It doesn’t matter who we played. This team [Bahamas] threw us out of the World Cup last time around. I don’t think we could have scored on them back then. So it shows improvement, for us beating them by seven,” Eve declared.

“As the game went along, we believed we could have gotten more, we pushed for more, and it has taken us up to four points, which is most important,” he noted.

Obviously disappointed by the Grenada performance, the tactician made seven changes to his starting team, and the likes of Malcolm Shaw, Duane Muckette, Andre Rampersad, Alvin Jones, Steffen Yeates, Triston Hodge and Josiah Trimmingham repaid Eve’s faith in them. Shaw and Muckette both scored braces.

“I just wanted to freshen up the team. I have confidence in all of the guys that we brought here, so we believe that we could kind of change up the squad somewhat and get the desired result,” Eve said.

“I thought they did very well and we believe in all the players that we bring here, and we have no fear to change up the team,” he shared.

Meanwhile, having missed out on a Copa America berth, Eve will have to possible find a few friendly encounters to engage in to keep his Soca Warriors sharp ahead of the Nations League, which gets under way in September.

The World Cup qualifying campaign will resume next June. At that time, Trinidad and Tobago will host St Kitts and Nevis, before a possible top-of-the-table clash away to Costa Rica.

Only the top two teams from each group will progress to the final stage of the qualifiers.

“Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.” Those famous words by American author Napoleon Hill, now serve as motivation for Trinidad and Tobago’s Head coach Angus Eve and his charges as they prepare to kick off their much-anticipated Concacaf World Cup qualifying campaign on Wednesday.

The Soca Warriors will go into their opening contest against Grenada with limited preparation as a collective unit, as the overseas-based members of Eve’s final 25-member squad had to fulfil club obligations upon until Sunday and only joined the camp on Monday. That somewhat hindered Eve’s plans where ironing out technical and tactical plans are concerned, but the tactician remains upbeat about the possibility of registering a win against the ‘Spice Isle’ at Hasely Crawford Stadium.

“We had some challenges with players playing up to June 2, the day the (FIFA) window actually started, and then travel. But we have dealt with these adversities before, and I think we’re going into the campaign, all things equal, with a good squad of players, with a good mindset and trying to make the country proud again,” Eve declared.

“This is the beginning of something very big for us. In the last couple of World Cup campaigns, we didn’t do as well as we think we should have done. We’re looking to right some of those wrongs and the guys are well motivated to play,” he added.

Along with some of the usual suspects – Levi Garcia, captain Aubrey David, Andre Rampersad, Reon Moore, Malcolm Shaw and Ryan Telfer –Eve’s final squad also includes veteran Morvant Caledonia FC striker Kevon ‘Showtime’ Woodley, Netherlands-based midfielder Dantaye Gilbert and Canadian-based Steffen Yeates.

Woodley, 37, received his first senior team call-up for two recent friendly internationals against Guyana, and scored in both matches which Trinidad and Tobago won 2-1 and 2-0.

Meanwhile, midfielder Gilbert, 19, who plies his trade with Jong PSV, is expected to bring a different but welcome dynamic to the setup, while Yeates, 24, represented Canada at previous youth tournaments but has committed his senior career to the Soca Warriors.

“Age (Woodley) is not a factor. Sometimes we move players and they get upset and say different things. But I’ve always said age is not a factor. Kevon, in the last two seasons, came second behind Nathaniel James in goal-scoring. In this season, he’s the top scorer in the league. He deserved an opportunity, we gave him that chance and he scored two in both matches we had, and was one of the best performers in the two games against a decent Guyana team. It warranted his selection to the group,” Eve shared.

That said, Eve explained the absence of Toronto FC’s Tyrese Spicer, Mount Pleasant Academy’s (Jamaica) Kaile Auvray, and seasoned Belgian-based defender Sheldon Bateau, from the final cast.

“Kaile hardly played in his league and his confidence is not where it ought to be. We had several conversations and we’re hoping things will change for him so that we can use him in future games. He understands,” Eve revealed.

“Tyrese’s club said they’ve been dealing with some injury issues with him and they will prefer at this point in time that he stays back with them. They have a bit of a mid-season break where they think they could do some more work on his foot and we are in support of him. The young man being the best that he can be and if at this point in this time, the club feels that this is best for him we have to support him,” he ended.

T&T’s final squad -Goalkeepers: Denzil Smith (Club Sando), Aaron Enill (Prison FC), Christopher Biggette (Defence Force)

Defenders: Aubrey David (CS Cartagines—Costa Rica), Alvin Jones (Miscellaneous Police FC), Justin Garcia (Defence Force), Josiah Trimmingham (Montego Bay Utd—Jamaica), Shannon Gomez (San Antonio FC—USA), Andre Raymond (unattached), Triston Hodge (Hartford Athletic—USA)

Midfielders: Michel Poon-Angeron, Duane Muckette (both AC Port of Spain), Andre Rampersad (HFX Wanderers—Canada), Noah Powder (Northern Colorado Hailstorm—USA), Dantaye Gilbert (Jong PSV—Netherlands), Steffen Yeates (Pacific FC—Canada), Daniel Phillips (St Johnstone FC—Scotland), Ajani Fortune (Atlanta United—USA)

Attackers: Nathaniel James (Mount Pleasant FC—Jamaica), Real Gill (Northern Colorado Hailstorm—USA), Reon Moore (Pacific FC—Canada), Malcolm Shaw (Cavalry FC—Canada), Levi Garcia (AEK Athens—Greece), Kevon Woodley (Morvant Caledonia Utd), Ryan Telfer (HFX Wanderers—Canada)

Though his return to Trinidad and Tobago’s squad will be for a tough Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals encounter against United States, Malcolm Shaw is undaunted by the assignment.

In fact, the Canada-based striker says he is ready to put his best foot forward to ensure the Soca Warriors are competitive in the two-leg tie scheduled for November 16 in Austin, Texas, and November 20 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo.

Shaw, 28, who made his debut for the twin island republic at the Concacaf Gold Cup, returns to competitive after missing the last two League A group games against Guatemala and Curacao due to an injury.

“It was unfortunate for me to miss out in the last two matches due to injury. I feel good, I'm glad to be back with the team to help contribute and fight in these two massive games against a big team,” Shaw told Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) media.

“This is going to be a massive challenge. The US are decorated with players who are in top leagues overseas. But football is won on the day, and we're going to come and fight,” he added.

Shaw, who featured in the Soca Warriors humiliating 0-6 loss to the United States, which knocked them out of the group stage at the Gold Cup, says the Warriors are up to the task ahead, especially with a spot in next year's Copa America tournament on the line.

He pointed out that the team's self-introspection is well underway, as he reflected on how the team bounced back from the Gold Cup disappointment.

They firs secured wins over Curacao and El Salvador in their opening Nations League A group matches. Shaw accounted for his first international goal for Trinidad and Tobago away to El Salvador with a well-taken penalty.

Despite the fact that Shaw missed the next two matches, the Angus Eve-coached Soca Warriors secured a spot in the Nations League A quarterfinals after a gritty come-from-behind 3-2 win over Guatemala, followed by a surprise 5-3 loss away to Curacao.

The Atletico Ottawa player is now back in the mix and will be aiming to prove his fitness to make Eve’s final squad which is expected to be announced on Sunday.

"We have to do a lot of film study to evaluate where we went wrong (in the Gold Cup game versus the US). Obviously, we don't want those breakdowns happening in the next two games. Again, I think that's what we will be doing for the next week or so with preparations,” Shaw noted.