ARLINGTON, Texas – Seven times Trinidad and Tobago GK Marvin Phillip was tested with a shot on goal in his team’s 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup opener versus Mexico, and seven times the 36-year-old was up to the challenge.
Phillip delivered an extraordinary performance in goal for the Soca Warriors, with a number of those saves coming in acrobatic fashion. Phillip has been part of the Trinidad and Tobago National Team fold now for well more than a decade, and he says that Saturday night’s clean sheet in the 0-0 draw with Mexico ranks among his top displays.
“I can put it as one of my best performances. I’ve had some good performances before, but definitely in this tournament this is one of the best,” said Phillip in an exclusive postgame interview with Concacaf.com.
Ever the consummate teammate though, Phillip was also quick to praise the 10 men who played in front of him.
“I must give credit to our team. We had a plan and we stuck to it for the 90 minutes. The team showed heart, it showed grit, it played very hard and when I was called upon, I just helped. It’s my job to keep a clean sheet and that went good for us tonight,” said Phillip.
For MF and captain Kevin Molino, Phillip’s performance was the perfect reflection of a team performance from the Caribbean side.
“Marvin was fantastic. We understand that Mexico is a really good team and we worked together as a team. We made a lot of changes, so that just shows the depth we have and the belief that the staff have in the players. We worked hard and got a draw and now we look toward the next game while staying humble,” said Molino to Concacaf.com.
The irony of Saturday’s scoreline was also not lost on the Trinidad and Tobago team. Just over a month ago, a 0-0 draw at Bahamas resulted in the Soca Warriors’ elimination from Concacaf World Cup Qualifying for Qatar 2022. Needless to say, Saturday’s 0-0 draw with reigning Gold Cup champions Mexico could be the sign that something special is happening within this Trinidad and Tobago team.
“It’s a new coach, a new team environment, a new team spirit. That’s great for us right now. We just need to put behind the World Cup qualifiers and concentrate on going forward,” concluded Phillip.
