BFA President Reflects On Victory & Future Plans
[Written by Patrick Bean]
There are often singular points in time in sport, as in life, that serve as signature moments marking the commencement rise or fall of a person, programme or even nation.
And while there have been shown in times recent and not so much, flashes of brilliance and success by Bermuda’s national football programme — mostly at the female and youth level — the spectre of prosperity at the senior level has, more often than not, promised only to deceive.
Friday night’s thrilling and unexpected triumph over respected Central American soccer nation El Salvador could well prove a transcendent point in time for Bermuda’s Gombey Warriors, who showed skill, class and fight under the monsoon-like conditions at National Stadium before an equally brave and soaking wet crowd of standing, ear-deafening, sideline supporters.
One person who has over the years, both experienced on the pitch and off the fluctuations and reversals of fortunes that inevitably occur is Bermuda Football Association [BFA] Mark Wade, a proud and key witness to the momentous event of Bermuda’s 1-0 win over the visitors, which he noted was amazing in its ‘deja vu’ appearance, relative to the carbon copy mode of Friday’s victory to that achieved in 1992.
“It was amazing the similarities right down to the way the goal was scored and everything,” said Wade, still bubbling with excitement days after the match. “Everything to do with the goal was just so eerily similar to what we saw back in ‘92 when Kyle scored the winner.
“There was the build-up and then he ball goes out wide and there’s he cross and again, like Kyle, we had Nahki rising to score a header and we hold out to the end.”
However what Wade and Bermuda would not want to replicate is what happened the match following the historical triumph, which was a 4-1 defeat to the same team on a return leg to El Salvador that was not close.
“Systematically we have been performing well at all levels and especially at the youth level, as well as with our female players where we’ve seen our Under-15s win their qualifying tournament in the region,” added Wade, perhaps also hoping that the result may quieten talk questioning the coaching structure and methodology of the National Academy system employed to guide football forward at the national and international levels.
“Friday’s result I believe is indicative of our overall improvement on the pitch and organizationally, where we have continued to build on the foundation that previous administrations set forth. We have staid the course though some challenging periods and are seeing some fruits.
“Maurice Lowe has put together a group that is pulling together in the same direction and this pulling together is now producing the results we’re looking for.
“The group of players you see out there today is a group that has many in it that have been together since 2005 at the Under-15 level and have real relationships with each other which can be seen in how they play with each other.
“I see this administration as building on what was set out before I even came to office and what we are doing is maintaining and enhancing the set structure and seeing positive results.”
Bermuda have now set themselves up to basically control their own destiny for qualification into the Gold Cup tournament featuring the regions top 16 countries and is to be contested at various venues in the host country, United States.
The top 10 teams emerge from the 34 team group of Nations League qualifiers and Bermuda, in sixth on six points from three matches, with one to go, can expect to advance with a simple win over Dominican Republic — away — who also have six points, but lost their last match 1-0 against third placed Cuba and have a far inferior goal difference — as do most countries.
Yet Wade was still looking for greater advancement in terms of team talent resources, intimating there to be more out here to possibly draw from.
“The current team is fantastic and we still have others out here that we’re hoping will make themselves available, but I’m happy with where we’re at right now and still on a high from Friday.”
