The Benna Boys' big day
- by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Jun 7, 2012
[USA-ANTIGUA & BARBUDA] The USA has never faced a country as small as Antigua & Barbuda (population: 88,000) this late in World Cup qualifying. The
Benna Boys are given no chance on Friday night in Tampa (TV: ESPN, ESPN3, Galavision, live, 7 pm ET), but they are treating the Group A opener as the biggest game of their lives. The government gave
the Antigua & Barbuda Football Association funding to send the national team to IMG Academies in Florida for two weeks to prepare for the first appearance in the semifinal round of qualifying.
Seven players, albeit all with affiliations to minor-league clubs this past season, were called in from England. Seventeen of the other 18 players in the squad play for USL PRO's Antigua Barracuda
FC.
Antigua & Barbuda communications officer Mark Bowers says the team has received international media coverage like it has never received
before. And its stay at IMG Academies, where the players have been working with trainers and sports psychologists, has been an invaluable.
"It is a wonderful experience for these young
men," he told the Antigua Observer, "especially the 18 that have never experienced anything at this level."
Team manager Fernando Abraham and the team's English coach, Tom Curtis, recruited from the English minor leagues for players with Antiguan
roots to supplement the squad of players from Curtis' Barracuda FC, currently 10th in the 11-league USL PRO.
The best player is midfielder Mikele
Leigertwood, whose goal helped Reading seal promotion to the English Premier League this spring. Forward Dexter Blackstock (eight goals for Nottingham
Forest) also played in the League Championship.
But other players were discovered in leagues outside the English Football League, in places like the Northern Premier League and Conference
National.
To pump up interest back home, the Benna Boys toured local schools to meet with students.
There is enough interest in the national team that jerseys have been made
for the occasion.
Antigua & Barbuda Roster:
GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Olson Forde (free agent), 18-Molvin
James (Antigua Barracuda FC), 21-Keita Decastro (Antigua Barracuda FC).
DEFENDERS (6): 2-Marvin McCoy (Wycombe Wanderers/ENG), 4-Karanja Mack (Antigua
Barracuda FC), 5-Marc Joseph (Kendal Town/ENG), 6-Ranja Christian (Antigua Barracuda FC), 17-George Dublin (Antigua Barracuda FC), 19-Troy Dublin (Antigua Barracuda FC).
MIDFIELDERS (9): 3-Joshua Parker (Dagenham & Redbridge/ENG), 7-Kimoi Alexander (Antigua Barracuda FC), 8-Mikele Leigertwood (Reading/ENG), 10-Keiran Murtagh
(Woking/ENG), 11-Quinton Griffith (Antigua Barracuda FC), 13-Tamarley Thomas (Antigua Barracuda FC), 15-Lawson Robinson (Antigua Barracuda FC), 20-Akeem Thomas (Antigua Barracuda FC), 22-Justin
Cochrane (Boreham Wood/ENG).
FORWARDS (5): 9-Stefan Smith (Antigua Barracuda FC), 12-Kerry Skepple (Antigua Barracuda FC), 14-Randolph Burton
(Antigua Barracuda FC), 16-Peter Byers (Antigua Barracuda FC), 23-Dexter Blackstock (Nott. Forest/ENG).
Although we're expecting a dismantling of this team a la Scotland, I think the Benna Boys will pack everybody in our half of the field and play for 0-0. If we can't break them down for a goal, then we're not going to look very threatening. Our best bet may be to attack wide and throw in a bunch of crosses. Also generating set pieces especially corner kicks, with so many on the team good in the air, may be a way to break through and that may draw them out of their shell. However I'm sure goal differential is a factor in the tiebreakers so keeping the score close may be more important to A&B than trying to come forward if they get behind. Our CONCACAF opponents don't lend themselves to playing Klinsmann's style. Many will just pack it in and hope for a counter at some point. Hopefully the coach can adjust his tactics to this strategy. He better, we'll see.
Beware.I worry over our approach. Too much confidence.We must get at them right off the bat without letting them settle into a defensive comfort zone.