Curaçao vs. Trinidad: A Lesson in Focus and Humility

Curaçao vs. Trinidad: A Lesson in Focus and Humility

15 October 2025

All praise to the national team. It’s no small feat to get back on the field just four days after such a grueling match like the 2 – 0 win over Jamaica. And they did — taking a 1–0 lead before conceding the equalizer forced by Trinidad & Tobago. The result wasn’t what many expected, but Suriname’s draw against Panama softened it, for me. The difference is that Suriname still tops their group, while we’ve fallen behind Jamaica again.

Still, there are two matches left in November, and it’s all in our hands.

What saddens me is that the country — the politics — couldn’t restrain itself long enough to create an atmosphere where a miracle might have been possible. But what I keep coming back to is this: the October 10 against Jamaica match wasn’t even over before fans, media, and “experts” were already predicting an easy win over Trinidad. Based on what?

As an athlete, that has always irritated me. Matches are won on the field — not through talk, not through packed stands. The ease with which people underestimate opponents is astonishing. Some were even talking about Curaçao facing Brazil at the 2026 World Cup.

For context: yesterday the stadium was packed — about 10,000 people, I’d say. Everyone came out for the team, including the diaspora. It was a true national moment; something now etched into our collective psyche.

Here’s what I see — and what we must learn.

Talk doesn’t win games. Focus, prepare, work, deliver.

We are a people of easy talk, and too often our results show that we don’t know what we’re talking about — or what we’re doing. This is what I have called Prufía. Everything, we say, we’ll “just do.”

Our sports heroes are the exceptions — because they do it. Look at our baseball players, and now our footballers.

We must talk less, prepare better, and perform when it matters.

Stop the blabla.

Miguel Goede