Barbados rallies for victory in warm-up

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Jan 15, 2008

Barbados, the USA's probable first opponent in 2010 World Cup qualifying, had to twice come back from a goal down to beat Antigua & Barbuda, 3-2, Sunday in its first warmup game of 2008.

Captain Norman Forde was a dominating force for the Bajans, scoring the first goal on a free kick and setting up the other two goals.

His free kick found Jonathan Straker for the second equalizer a minute after Antigua went up, 2-1, and he beat three defenders and laid the ball off for Dwayne Lynch to score the winner on a tap-in.

Barbados, which was playing without its foreign-based players, brought on teenagers Brett Carrington, 17, and Mario Harte, 19, in the second half.

Barbados opens its CONCACAF first-round series at Dominica on Feb. 6 when they face off at the Windsor Park Stadium in Roseau.

WANCHOPE FAREWELL. Sweden, which faces the USA Saturday at the Home Depot Center, extended Costa Rica's winless streak to eight games when it beat the Ticos, 1-0, Sunday on a goal by Samuel Holmen in San Jose.

The match marked the final game for Costa Rica star Paulo Wanchope.

Wanchope, who played for MLS's Chicago Fire last season, concluded his career with the Ticos after scoring 45 goals in 73 appearances.

In the only other CONCACAF friendly on Sunday, Guyana beat St. Vincent & Grenadines, 1-0, on a goal by Gregory Richardson, the Guyanan star who goes by the nickname "Jacky Chan."

PUERTO RICO CALLUPS. MLS veterans Orlando Perez and Jason Hernandez were among the players Puerto Rico called up for training to prepare for its World Cup qualifier against the Dominican Republic.

Ohio State's Roger Espinoza, a 2008 Generation adidas signee, was also on the list of players under consideration by Puerto Rico coach Colin Clarke, the former FC Dallas head coach.

Clarke is now the head coach of the Puerto Rico Islanders. Players from the USL-1 called up included goalies Joshua Saunders and Michael Behonick, midfielder Noah Delgado and forward Petter Villegas, the former MetroStar.

Preparations begin with friendlies at Bermuda on Wednesday and Friday.

QUALIFYING CHANGES. The Puerto Rico-Dominican Republic series was one of three CONCACAF first-round series FIFA switched from two-leg series to a single game to be played in late March.

The others are Grenada-U.S. Virgin Islands and Montserrat-Surinam.

Bermuda hosts the Cayman Islands on Feb. 3 in CONCACAF's first World Cup 2010 qualifier.

JANUARY FRIENDLIES
Jan. 13
Barbados 3 (Forde 17, Straker 39, Lynch 63) Antigua & Barbuda (Byers 4, 38).
Guyana 1 (Richardson 10) St. Vincent & Grenadines 0.
Costa Rica 0 Sweden 1 (Holmen 48).
Jan. 16
Bermuda vs. Puerto Rico
Jan. 18
Bermuda vs. Puerto Rico
Jan. 19
USA vs. Sweden
Jan. 23
Haiti vs. El Salvador
Jan. 27
El Salvador vs. Estonia
Jan. 30
El Salvador vs. Estonia
Iran vs. Costa Rica