The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

It may not have been the desired result, but it was a welcome return to international competition for the Bahamas men’s national soccer team in their friendly match against the United States.

The US men’s Olympic team scored a 5-1 victory over the Bahamas last night before a spirited home crowd at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium.

Offensively, the Bahamas got off to a quick start with their first shot on goal within the game’s opening minutes but the header went wide left.

It would be just one of two opportunities for the team in the half as the US dominated ball control and time of possession.

While the US goalkeeper was relatively unchallenged early on, Dwayne Whylly had several spectacular saves to keep the score even for much of the half.

After one of Whylly’s several saves, the US struck first on a strike by Alfred Koroma which just beat the outstretched hands.

US led 1-0 at the half.

Coming out of the half faced with a 1-0 deficit, an anxious home crowd erupted when the Bahamas scored its lone goal of the match.

US gooalkeeper Coddy Cropper stopped a strike from Lesly St Fleur, however Johnathan Patrick was there to recover the rebound and scored the equaliser.

The glory would be short lived though as the US scored the go ahead goal just over a minute later when a free kick led to a header by Jordan Morris.

Team Bahamas struggled in the second half to put consistent sets together at midfield which led to frequent turnovers.

Luis Gill scored on a direct free kick to give the US a 3-1 lead and they added late goals by Dennis Flores and Omar Salgado for the final result.

Despite the result, members of Team Bahamas walked away pleased with the effort on the pitch, crowd support, and the opportunity to play an international powerhouse.

“In a game like this you’re forced to raise your level of play under pressure,” Whylly said. “It’s not a competition so there’s nothing to play for at the end of the day except for pride and I think the guys really embraced that and came out and gave their all to get a good performance.”

Reserve goalie Valin Bodie, one of several collegiate players on the team, said he hoped the game would lead to more opportunities for the senior national team.

“It was a great opportunity for a young team and it was good exposure. We showed the world that we have and I think we played really well overall,” he said. “Everybody came out and everybody was behind us so hopefully we have more opportunities to showcase what we have in the future.”

Veteran national team member Cameron Hepple commended the effort of his side, particularly Whylly’s play in goal and Patrick for the score.

“We just went out there and stuck with the game plan. We knew what we were up against, we just tried to adjust and do what we had to do. [The score] It was a great feeling, we knew it was going to happen we just didn’t know when. It was good for him, he worked hard, he cares a lot about the game and it was great for us as a team,” Hepple said. [Whylly] kept them tied 1-1 until the 57th minute. Whylly is a superstar, he’s always been a superstar and in this game you can’t defend for 90 minutes. Next time we have to work on our fitness and our attacking plays because just as much as you need a strong defence you need strong attacking offence to balance and support that.”

The US completes its five-day camp in the Bahamas tomorrow. The camp was the first of its kind and an important step for the US as they seek Olympic qualification for the Rio 2016 Summer Games.