“As coach of the team I am disappointed,” revealed DIRECTV W Connection Head Coach Stuart Charles Fevrier on Thursday night after letting a two-goal cushion slip against Guatemalan club Xelaju MC at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium in their opening 2012-2013 CONCACAF Champions’ League match.

A scintillating first half by Connection was celebrated with two goals, Hashim Arcia(23rd minute) and Rennie Britto(34th minute), however the Digicel Pro League Champions allowed two late goals by Xelaju substitute Edgar Chinchilla(74th and 89th minutes) tying the game at 2-2.

“I thought we should have won it despite the fact that we didn’t get the preparation games we wanted,” continued Fevrier. “I still felt at that level …and being in the position we were in …and getting the opportunities we got, we should have won the game easily.”

The Connection coach explained, “We had a lot of difficulties with our preparation. We weren’t able to travel to South America (Colombia) to get some strong games because we had problems with flights.

So we went to Tobago and got some games which really didn’t challenge us. I always knew, especially the second half would be very challenging for us because of the match fitness of our players. But I thought we had done enough in the first half to come out on top. In the second half our concentration dropped at critical moments.”

Fevrier defended three second half changes he made adding that striker Arcia complained with a groin pain and defender Joel Leslie Russell picked up a knee injury which led to his decision to introduce Shahdon Winchester and Akeem Benjamin respectively. While midfielder Andrei Pacheco was replaced by Silvio Spann to add fresh legs and experience in the middle.

“I don’t think the changes impacted much,” he said. “I think our staying power in the second half was definitely a challenge for us. And I thought we weren’t able to maintain the same intensity in the second half as we did in the first half. And I put it down to lack of serious games before (the match).

“This was always my main concern going into the game and we saw our players fading in the second half a bit. I don’t think the changes had much to do with what happened in the second half. Obviously we should have gone a little more offensive in the second half, but if you watched the game, they (Xelaju) never created a clear cut opportunity in the entire game. We created at least four clear cut chances and were only able to score two. Their first goal was a scrimmage and their second goal was a good shot from distance.

“We have shown and demonstrated that we are capable of playing against teams, playing at that level. I believe what’s needed now is to try and improve our league so that our players can be competing at a higher level locally, week in, week out. We need to try and improve the local professional league to a higher level of play.”

Connection will travel to Mexico for its next Group 8 match against home-team Chivas Guadalajara on Wednesday 29 August, then to Guatemala against Xelaju on Tuesday 18 September, and hosts Guadalajara on Wednesday 26 September in Trinidad. Following the Group stage, only the top team advances into the quarter-final round.

“We will definitely try to pick it up from here,” assured Fevrier. “We have three more difficult games. I know the entire world would not give us a chance going into those countries to try and win. But we have to believe in our ability, in ourselves and work hard to try and win the three games.

“I know the entire world wouldn’t believe we could win these games. The Caribbean is always looked at as underdogs. Rightly so, because the Caribbean is the only part of the world that is seemingly amateur, while in Trinidad and Tobago we are trying to keep professional football alive. But the beauty of football is that even the underdogs have a chance. We will be going to play in Mexico (in our next match) but we believe we have an equal chance.

“The main task for us now is to prepare …prepare focused, very serious and very professional. This is what we have to focus on. I believe that in the Caribbean we have players with the quality to compete against those teams. We just need to work on the mentality of our players, obviously, and to help them believe that they can do well at that level. I think it’s more psychological than anything else.

“We obviously would be working towards improving, because we have to. We know we are not where we can be. We are not as consistent throughout the ninety minutes as we ought to be. We have three weeks to try and improve. This is the task ahead for us now. We have to try and improve the team, so that the team can be more consistent throughout the ninety minutes.”

CONCACAF Champions’ League 2012-2013
Full Group Stage schedule
Week One
Tuesday, July 31
CF Monterrey (MEX) 5—0 Chorillo FC (PAN)
CS Herediano (HON) 1—0 Real Salt Lake (USA)

Wednesday, August 1
Toronto FC (CAN) 5—1 CD Aguila (SLV)
Isidro Metapan (SLV) 3—1 PR Islanders (PUR)
Tigres UANL (MEX) 4—1 Real Esteli (NCA)

Thursday, August 2
W Connection (TRI) 2—2 Xelaju MC (GUA)
CD Olimpia (HON) 3—0 CD FAS (SLV)
Seattle Sounders (USA) 3—1 Caledonia AIA(TRI)

WEEK TWO
Tuesday, August 21
Club Santos Laguna (MEX) vs CD Aguila (SLV)—8pm
Real Salt Lake (USA) vs Tauro FC (PAN)—10pm
Xelaju MC (GUA) vs Chivas Guadalajara (MEX)—10pm

Wednesday, August 22
LD Alajuelense (CRC) vs Tigres UANL (MEX)—8pm
Caledonia (TRI) vs CD Marathon (HON)—8pm
CD FAS (SLV) vs Houston Dynamo (USA)—10pm

Thursday, August 23
Chorillo FC (PAN)  vs CSD Municipal (GUA)—8pm
LA Galaxy (USA) vs Isidro Metapan (SLV)—10pm

WEEK 3
Tuesday, August 28
Toronto FC (CAN) vs Club Santos Laguna (MEX)—8pm
Real Esteli (NCA) vs LD Alajuelense (CRC)—10pm

Wednesday, August 29
Chivas Guadalajara (MEX) vs W Connection (TRI)—8pm
Caledonia AIA (TRI) vs Seattle Sounders (USA)—8pm
LA Galaxy (USA) vs PR Islanders (PUR)—10pm
CSD Municipal (GUA) vs CF Monterrey (MEX)—10pm

Thursday, August 30
Tauro FC (PAN) vs CS Herediano (CRC)—8pm
CD Olimpia (HON) vs Houston Dynamo (USA)—10pm

WEEK 4
Tuesday, September 18
Real Esteli (NCA) vs Tigres UANL (MEX)—8pm
Tauro FC (PAN) vs Real Salt Lake (USA)—10m
Xelaju MC (GUA) vs W Connection (TRI)—10pm

Wednesday, September 19
PR Islanders (PUR) vs LA Galaxy (USA)—8pm
CD Aguila (SLV) vs Club Santos Laguna (MEX)—10pm

Thursday, September 22
Houston Dynamo (USA) vs CD FAS (SLV)—8pm
CSD Municipal (GUA) vs Chorillo FC (PAN)—10pm
CD Marathon (HON) vs Seattle Sounders (USA)—10pm

WEEK 5
Tuesday, September 25
CF Monterrey (MEX) vs CSD Municipal (GUA)—8pm
CD Aguila (SLV) vs Toronto FC (CAN)—10pm
CS Herediano (CRC) vs Tauro FC (PAN)—10pm

Wednesday, September 26
W Connection (TRI) vs Chivas Guadalajara (MEX)—8pm
CD Marathon (HON)            vs Caledonia AIA—10pm
LD Alajuelense (CRC) vs Real Esteli (NCA)—10pm

Thursday, September 27
PR Islanders (PUR) vs Isidro Metapan (SLV)—8pm
CD FAS (SLV) vs CD Olimpia (HON)—10pm

WEEK 6
Tuesday, October 23
Houston Dynamo (USA) vs CD Olimpia (HON)—8pm
Real Salt Lake (USA) vs CS Herediano (CRC)—10pm
Chorillo FC (PAN) vs CF Monterrey (MEX)—10pm

Wednesday, October 24
Club Santos Laguna (MEX) vs Toronto FC (CAN)—8pm
Seattle Sounders (USA) vs CD Marathon (HON)—10pm
Tigres UANL (MEX) vs LD Alajuelense (CRC)—10pm

Thursday, October 25
Chivas Guadalajara (SLV) vs Xelaju MC (GUA)—8pm
Isidro Metapan (SLV) vs LA Galaxy (USA)—10pm