A shot by United States’ Josh Sargent, not visible, gets by Cuba goalkeeper Nelson Johnston for a goal during the
fi rst half of a CONCACAF Nations League soccer match Friday, Oct. 11, 2019, in Washington.
Associated Press / Julio Cortez
Caribbean L 46 ife, OCTOBER 18-24, 2019
in place.
Sebastien re-applied and was chosen
by the new panel that included
Eldine Baptiste and Travis Dowlin.
Also making the grade as a senior
selector are former Windwards batsman
Miles Bascombe and Hendy Wallace,
who served as chairman of the
Barbados senior selection panel.
The new panel will get to work
soon in choosing the West Indies
team to tour India for the twin series
against Afghanistan and India which
gets underway in November.
Harper’s international career lasted
13 years, from 1983 to 1996, and
he distinguished himself as a brilliant
fielder. His Test bowling average
of 28.06 is superior to that of Lance
Gibbs, giving him the leading average
among all West Indian spinners with
at least 25 Test wickets.
After his playing career he became
a coach, taking over the West Indies
team between 2000 and 2003 and
also managing of the West Indies
Youth team in 2005.
Bascombe is a Vincentian cricketer
who played a single Twenty20 International
for the West Indies in 2011,
while Sebastien is a Dominica, was a
West Indies cricketer who played for
the Combined Islands and the Windward
Islands in the 1970s and 80s.
Wallace has been a long standing
member of the selection panel in
Barbados.
Simmons had coaching stints in Zimbabwe,
Ireland and Afghanistan, and
served as West Indies coach from 2015-
2016.
He was one of 34 applying for the job
which for the first time excluded any foreign
applicants, as CWI announced its
intention to recruit someone from the
Caribbean.
The list was then narrowed down to
six last month with the final three-man
shortlist undergoing interviews last week
in Antigua.
Simmons’ appointment also comes
seven months following a legal pay settlement
from CWI after he successfully
contested his sacking under the former
CWI president Dave Cameron.
At the time new CWI president Ricky
Skerritt, also issued an apology to Simmons,
pointing out he had been “the best
candidate” when he had been first chosen
as West Indies head coach just following
the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New
Zealand.
“Bringing Phil Simmons back is not
just righting a past wrong, but the right
man for the job at the right time.” Skerrit
said.
Simmons, who played 26 Tests and
143 ODIs made his name in Ireland with
whom he spent eight years, during the
time capturing 11 trophies and qualifying
for every ICC tournament.
Following his West Indies stint, he
took over Afghanistan in December 2017,
guiding them to the World Cup qualifying
tournament in Zimbabwe which saw
them make their debut at the ICC World
Cup in England earlier this year.
After stepping down following the
tournament, he joined Barbados Tridents
in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL)
and took them from the bottom of the
table to the finals last weekend which saw
them to their second title.
Simmons will also serve as one of
three selectors, with former West Indies
off-spinner Roger Harper along with
Miles Bascombe — who played a single
T2o International eight years ago-
announced as the men’s selection panel.
against No. 179 Cuba and set their modern
record for goals in a half.
Christian Pulisic converted a penalty
kick in the 62nd minute, nonchalantly
putting his shot in the center of the net
for his 14th international goal, then was
expressionless. The U.S. women’s team
was criticized by some for celebrating
late goals during a 13-0 rout of Thailand
at the World Cup in June.
The Nations League, a new tournament
for teams from North and Central
America and the Caribbean, has relatively
low stakes but provides additional
competitive matches, though former
U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann called it
“a waste of time” for regional powers to
meet weaker nations. The next match,
against 75th-ranked Canada at Toronto
on Tuesday, is important for the hosts as
they try to climb in the FIFA rankings
and earn a spot in the hexagonal that will
determine the three direct berths of the
North and Central American and Caribbean
region for the 2022 World Cup.
The U.S., which stopped three-game
winless streak, finished one goal shy of
its record for goals and victory margin.
The Americans are 11-1-1 against Cuba,
winning 11 straight matchups for their
longest victory streak against an opponent.
“Obviously we understood that this
game was going to be difficult for us,”
Cuba coach Pablo Sanchez said through
a translator.
Friday’s game came two years and one
day after the U.S. lost at Trinidad and
Tobago, missing out on qualifying for
last year’s World Cup in Russia.
This is a new team, with a younger
core of players and a new offensive system
that they are still learning, and the
Americans found plenty of motivation.
“It was another opportunity to keep
rehearsing some of the movements we’ve
been working on in training all week. You
get a live opponent in a meaningful game
and you have to go execute,” Berhalter
said. “I think we maintained that focus
and intensity for the entire first half, and
you see the outcome, scoring six goals.
So overall I think it was a worthwhile
game, for us to continue to grow.”
McKennie banged home a cross from
Morris from 8 yards for the second-fastest
U.S. goal after Clint Dempsey’s score
at 30 seconds against Ghana at the 2014
World Cup.
Morris found McKennie again in the
fifth minute, again beating left back
Manuel Cruz, who was replaced at the
start of the second half.
McKennie returned the favor in the
ninth as Morris converted and McKennie
got his third in the 13th minute on a
cross from Reggie Cannon, his sixth goal
in 16 international appearances.
McKennie said he’s been building
chemistry with Morris off the field.
“Probably a Fortnite connection,”
McKennie said. “We play Fortnite on our
down time a lot. I think we understand
each other very well.”
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Phil Simmons.
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MCKENNIE SCORES A HAT TRICK
Simmons back as WI coach
CWI selectors
Miles Bascombe. Windies Cricket