By Neto Baptiste
Coach of the men’s national under-20 football team Kerry “Arab” SKepple said if given the opportunity he would not change the way he approached the must win match against El Salvador in the Concacaf Men’s Under-20 Qualifiers here on Saturday.
Antigua and Barbuda went under 1-0 to El Salvador in a match they needed to win by at least three goals in order to secure qualification to the next round of the competition.
“Because we got exactly what we wanted but at the end of the day this game is a game of chances and we didn’t take ours, they took the one they got and game over so I don’t think I would have changed anything. We went out and we executed our game plan, we kept possession and we dominated the game from start to finish but at the end of the day, as I said, they [El Salvador] wanted the win,” he said.
The result meant the young Benna Boys ended their Group B campaign with six points after their four encounters, four points adrift El Salvador at the top of the standings with 10 points. Suriname finished second with nine points.
Skepple, a former national striker, said despite not achieving the goal of qualifying to the next round, it believes Antigua and Barbuda was the best team in the group.
“We were the better team in terms of the play. All of the others teams were very direct, no real possession and our team really showed that we’re trying to change the landscape of the style of play that the national team or our Antiguan public would have been accustomed to which is just to hit over the top and run where we are now trying to play with a little more control and possession so I think that is one of the most satisfying things for me coming out of the group,” the coach said.
Antigua and Barbuda opened their campaign with a 4-0 triumph over Guyana before going under 3-2 to Suriname. The hosts then triumphed 2-1 over Turks and Caicos before losing to El Salvador 1-0.
Skepple highlighted the team’s tendency to start flat-footed as their biggest Achilles heels in the tournament.
“That is one of the things that we would have to pay attention to in the future and that is how we start games. We can’t wait until something happens to then try to pick ourselves up and try to get back into the game rather than starting the game on the front foot and make things happen and then, if we have to make the adjustments then we will so do, so I think the starting of the matches are really crucial,” he said.
Guyana finished fourth in the group with four points while Turks and Caicos finished at the bottom of the standings without a point.