Memories of World Cups past
Depending on your viewpoint, fond remembrances – or nightmares – of Trinidad and Tobago's 2-to-1 defeat of the U.S. in a 2018 World Cup qualifier last year still linger.
It's real sweet that the 2026 World Cup is coming to North America – including matches at New Jersey's Met Life Stadium. But for a host of soccer fans, this good news only slightly tempers the bitter reality — the Trinidad and Tobago team dramatically ousted the U.S. men's national team from the current World Cup competition in Russia.
According to the Associated Press, FIFA voters last week overwhelmingly picked North America to host 2026 World Cup. The announcement came a day before the start of the 2018 event in Russia.
In 2017, the Associated Press described Trinidad-USA matchup as a "bumbling, stumbling, tumbling World Cup-qualifying campaign" for the U.S. national team, "resulting in a calamitous 2-1 loss to already eliminated Trinidad and Tobago."
The headlines at the time told the shocking result and its after-effects. "USA Stunned by Trinidad and Tobago, Eliminated From World Cup Contention" from Sports Illustrated; the New York Daily News' "Twitter erupts with United States men soccer team jokes as team fails to qualify for World Cup" web story; and T&T Newsday's "Tears, anger as US knocked out," displayed the dismay.
It was the first time the U.S. missed qualifying for the World Cup since 1986. Yes, the Trinidad and Tobago squad was “already eliminated” from 2018 World Cup play, but they were the better team that day. At the time, many Trinidadians called win over the U.S. revenge for 1989 American qualification for the World Cup by winning over Trinidad and Tobago, 1-0.
Jazzy Monty Alexander returns
Jamaican pianist Monty Alexander — and his special, spicy brand of jazz — is returning to New York with performances at famed Blue Note nightclub, 131 W. 3rd Street in Manhattan, from June 24 through 26.
Under the theme, “Love Notes: Jamaica to Jazz,” the respected versatile and bandleader will pay tribute to his Jamaican roots and his accomplishments in the jazz genre.
Showtime is 8 p.m. nightly. Tickets range from $20 for a bar seat to $35 for a table reservation.
The New York shows are part of an international tour in North America and Europe.
Alexander, whose 2011 “HarlemKingston Express: Live” album was nominated for Grammy Award, has stayed true to his homeland's music and musicians while creating a stellar jazz career.
For more information on Monty Alexander, visit his YouTube channel and social media pages, website: visit www.montyalexander.com.
Pol’s donation of activism
City Council Member Jumaane Williams is making history — by donating artifacts related to his arrest while protesting the detention and deportation of Trinidad and Tobago-born immigrant-rights activist Ravi Ragbir.
The Brooklyn Children's Museum requested the donation of his suit damaged during the January protest and the desk-appearance ticket issued by the police after his arrest. The artifacts will become part the student-operated Rapid Response Collection Task Force, collecting items significant to Central Brooklyn history. The group is planning an exhibition.