He won the hearts of many for his exhilarating performances at the Fifa World Cup Finals and is certainly going to be among the stars emanating from these finals but many may not recall that James Rodriguez, scorer of six goals at the World Cup, has in fact played against T&T.
On August 28, 2007 in Cheonan, South Korea, Rodriguez was in the starting line up when both countries met at the Fifa Under-17 World Cup. Colombia were 5-0 winners but Rodriguez didn't find the net and was kept in check by the T&T defence which included present day national senior team defenders Sheldon Bateau, Robert Primus and Daneil Cyrus as well as the deceased Akeem Adams and midfielder Marcus Joseph. Orlando City midfielder Kevin Molino was a second half substitute on that day.
"Those are experiences that make you. You can look back, reflect and compare everything," Bateau said. "You look at him now and he was a star at the World Cup. We as players have to believe that we can compete and do just as well. Now you realise that we were on the same stage at the U-17 World Cup and reaching World Cups is not beyond us but it takes a lot more hard work and effort."
Molino, set to take the field with Brazilian Kaka in the American MLS next season, says T&T can afford to believe that it can hold its own on a world stage.
"We just played Argentina and okay we lost the game but we can compete. James was on the same level, the same field with us in 2007. That was my first World Cup and it's the same for him. If we can have the right things in place and our players can get the right support then nothing is beyond us really. I think we as players have to realise what it takes and believe it's all possible as well," Molino said.
Current World Cup player Toni Kroos was also in the German squad that defeated T&T 5-0 at that 2007 U-17 World Cup.
Costa Rica's World Cup hitman Joel Campbell also played against T&T at the Concacaf 2009 U-17 qualifiers, scoring in a 3-0 victory in Mexico.
Patterson flies T&Tflag at Sunday's final
He's going to be at the famous Maracana Stadium on Sunday with his daughter and it's going to be a memory of a lifetime for John Patterson, author of the Fifa award winning article on local club Crown Trace FC.
Patterson's piece on the small club from Enterprise, Chaguanas, was voted the top story of the Fifa "Power of Football" contest which not only afforded Patterson an all expenses paid trip to Sunday's final for two, but also saw Fifa and Kia present Crown Trace with two locker rooms and several kit and equipment items.
Kia also produced a video highlighting the club and it's every day operations which included T&T footballers Kenwyne Jones, Carlos Edwards and Stern John. The video shows different aspects of life and football in T&T and has so far attracted over two million views on the official Kia YouTube channel since being launched last month. Kia sent a production team from Seoul and was assisted by the TTFA during its one-week filming of the video which is also being shown at several Kia showrooms around the world and was also been aired in Brazil during the ongoing World Cup.
Patterson and his 24-year-old daughter Jhaline Williams are on a five-day stay in Rio de Janeiro.
"It's a great feeling to go to Brazil for a final in the Maracana. You can't get better than that," Patterson said. "I know we're going to enjoy this experience to the fullest."
Commenting on the Crown Trace success and the attention the club has attracted, he said, "This is fantastic considering where we came from in Chaguanas and to see a small club like Crown Trace having a development programme that has been rewarded. We hope that our relationships with other stakeholders can get better and we will not have to be struggling and begging for support for our players and for good facilities. We want to promote and be part of what the TTFA is trying to do for football and hopefully this will turn into a beneficial relationship for both parties."
Patterson is a welding teacher at Chaguanas North Secondary of which Crown Trace coach Nicholas Griffith is also in charge of for the secondary schools football league campaign.
Yorke part of Fifa's anti-racism campaign in Brazil
Dwight Yorke is currently in Brazil as part of the Fifa anti-discrimination task force and wants to see more support for black persons in the game globally.
"It is only a matter of time. If the black coach has the proper qualifications and has shown the capabilities, he will be on the touchline someday soon," Yorke said when asked about the hopeful rise of black coaches in Europe particularly.
Shaun Fuentes is the director of communications for the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association . shaunfuentes@yahoo.com