So they didn't return as conquering heroes. Indeed, the Bermuda national football squad came back from their Shell Caribbean Cup campaign in the Cayman Islands with their tails somewhat between their legs.

A narrow defeat by Cuba might have been acceptable. But the loss to the Caymans, a country with little more than half Bermuda's population, was hard for many back home to swallow.

No money, not enough games, injuries, poor refereeing: add in poor scheduling and a difficult pitch and you have a pot-pourri of acceptable explanations for Bermuda's failure in the tournament.

But do they stand up to closer scrutiny? To some extent, yes.

Most of the reasons outlined above were out of Bermuda's control. But there are other factors that could have contributed to the outcome -- among them team selection and tactics.

The facts, simply stated, are these: Bermuda have had little opportunity to gel as a unit. While they warmed up with one game in Miami, Cuba went into the tournament on the back of eight matches, the Caymans four.

They have not had enough games because, argue the Bermuda Football Association, they currently have insufficient funds to finance either bringing decent quality teams into the Island or tours abroad.

The team were significantly weakened by the withdrawal of the injured Shawn Goater. Kentoine Jennings took a knock on the calf in Fort Lauderdale which made him doubtful for the Cuba game, while Shannon Burgess, Elliott Jennings and Dwight Basden suffered injuries in training. Devarr Boyles pulled a hamstring early on against the Caymans.

The referee, Peter Prendergast, of Jamaica, was at best inconsistent, making two decisions in the Cuba game -- the sending off of Dennis Robinson and changing his mind about a corner -- which had a direct impact on the result.

The pitch, although well grassed, was very bumpy, making control tricky and enhancing home advantage for the Caymans, the least skillful of the teams on view.

And Bermuda got the raw end of the fixture schedule, which was changed late on, giving the Caymans a three day break between games while both Bermuda and Cuba had to play twice in three days.

But there were things which could be done differently.

Best and coaches Robert Calderon and Mark Trott opted for the currently fashionable 3-5-2 formation. Best stressed he was comfortable with it and it may be that, given time, the team will also become so.

At times, however, they seemed distinctly ill at ease with the system. The Truman Bodden stadium pitch, on which the games were staged, is particularly wide, and it enabled the Caymans, and especially the Cubans, to play balls into some quite alarming spaces on the flanks behind the wing backs.

Playing as the last man, captain Burgess, usually the most composed of defenders, was forced to do an inordinate amount of covering which often resulted in a desperate hack into the stands.

There was also, to my mind, too much positional experimentation. A lack of bite in midfield in the first half against Miami Fusion was compensated for by pushing Kentoine Jennings into that area for the Cuba game. David Bascome was used up front -- the first time he has played as a striker -- with Kyle Lightbourne, while Basden, impressive in the warm-up match, was left on the bench.

Two days later, the Bascome experiment, by no means a failure, was abandoned and he was left to play behind front two Lightbourne and Basden. Jennings was back in the back three and defender Neil Paynter was in the middle five.

While the battling Basden was busy enhancing his reputation, Lightbourne's lack of confidence was there for all to see. In the second half against the Caymans he even seemed to be playing behind Basden and Bascome.

In terms of selection, the most bewildering of omissions was that of Rohaan Simons. But other talented players were either not considered or just failed to make it -- among them Ottis Steede, Troy Hall, Neil Robinson, Aljame Zuill, and two of the so-called Miami Seven, Meshach Wade and Keishon Smith, both of whom have had outstanding seasons and whose suspensions have been served.

It is laudable that Best and his staff are trying to build camaraderie and commitment and if certain players are not interested in playing for their country there is little anyone can do about it.

But should a player who is keen to represent the Island, and has significant ability, be penalised if he has commitments which prevent him from attending a majority of training sessions? After all, Goater, Lightbourne and Bascome are three unable to make it up to BAA Field on a regular basis! Simons wants to play professionally, has shown his potential as the league's leading scorer by a mile and surely justified at least a squad place.

It is true, then, as Best and others in the trip to the Caymans emphasised repeatedly, that Bermuda have to decide if they want to be serious about their football. If so, the game does need more money -- money which can be used specifically to finance more international matches at whatever level.

But it is equally true that if the country wants to be seriously successful, it needs the best talent -- whether or not that is always available to train.

And while Best may have limited success in his search for signs of Bermudian status overseas, he might be better served ensuring all the top talent here is being utilised.