HOUSTON, Texas — Grenada remains in search of its first-ever Concacaf Gold Cup win after a 4-0 loss to one of the region’s best in Honduras on Tuesday night in Houston.
While it is not the start to the tournament Grenada envisioned, the Spice Boys are glad to be back in the competition after a 10-year absence with a roster of young players gaining valuable experience.
One of the young players to keep an eye on for Grenada is 18-year-old Benjamin Ettienne, who featured at right-back for most of the match against Honduras.
“It's a great feeling,” Ettienne told Concacaf.com about participating in the Gold Cup. “Unfortunately, we lost but it's the best feeling for my country. It's the best feeling to be around my team.”
After getting his senior national team debut in March, Ettienne was chosen to the starting lineup in his Gold Cup debut. He was substituted in the 80th minute, at which point his team was down 2-0.
Shaking off the feeling of defeat, Grenada turns its attention to its two remaining matches in Group D. The team's next test will come from the AFC Asian Cup champions Qatar on Saturday.
“We move on from here. Yes, we lost but we have hope for the next game and hopefully, we go on to our next win,” Ettienne said.
Saturday’s matches in Houston will take place in front of a sellout crowd, as announced earlier this week. With Grenadian flags in attendance on Tuesday, Ettienne says the public in the stands only adds to the Gold Cup experience.
“It means a lot,” expressed Ettienne about the support from Grenadians in Houston. “We are far away from home and we had a couple of friends [in the stands]. I think we made some new fans from even the opposition. But, all in all, I want to thank the fans for coming out."
