REX GOWAR, Reuters Published Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011
The 2014 World Cup dreams of former finalists Haiti and Trinidad & Tobago came to a shock end on Friday as all six berths in the first phase of the Concacaf qualifiers were taken with a round of matches to spare.
Guyana, who shocked Trinidad 2-1 in Georgetown, and Antigua & Barbuda, who upset Haiti 1-0 on a cricket ground in St John’s, are the surprise qualifiers.
They join El Salvador, finalists in 1970 and 1982, Canada, who played at the 1986 finals, Panama and Guatemala.
The six go into the next group phase in which big guns Mexico, United States, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Jamaica and Cuba join the fray.
Haiti, who played at the 1974 finals in West Germany, and the Trinidadians, who made it to Germany in 2006, are out of the running ahead of Tuesday’s last group matches when they host the teams that tormented them on Friday.
Unbeaten Guyana produced a home upset over Trinidad & Tobago thanks to goals by Ricky Shakes and Leon Cort and can afford to lose their last match against the same opponents in Port of Spain.
The nation from the northeastern tip of the South American continent but belonging to the North, Central American and Caribbean Confederation are top of Group B with a four-point cushion over the Trinidadians after four wins and a draw.
Haiti were beaten 1-0 by Antigua after midfielder Kerry Skepple scored in the 82nd minute and have won Group F stringing together five victories, scoring 25 goals and conceding three.
They are five points ahead of Haiti before their final clash in Port au Prince.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/soccer/trinidad-haiti-eliminated-in-concacaf-playdowns/article2234504/
