final CONCACAF group match in Trinidad and Tobago against the Dominican Republic -- despite having lost their first two games by a combined score of 14-1.

Assistant coach Mark Trott noted that players had "given their all'' and said that the scorelines -- a 5-0 loss to United States on Monday and a 9-1 defeat against Costa Rica on Tuesday -- did not tell the full story.

During each affair Bermuda were forced to play most of the second halves a man short. Goalkeeper Nigel Burgess was shown the red card against the US for what was adjudged a professional foul while defender Alale Furbert received his marching orders following a second caution.

And it was during the ensuing periods that the floodgates opened on each occasion.

But Trott admitted the other teams have been superior to Bermuda in the qualifying tournament for the World Youth Cup next year in Egypt.

"The bottom line is that the other teams are better,'' said Trott, who along with Danvers Seymour is assisting head coach Fred Lewis. "(But) they're not five and eight goals better. Unfortunately, during both matches, the scores tended to be increased when we only had ten men on the field.

"And, mind you, the guys played really well, considering that we were short.'' Trott was reluctant to identifty areas where Bermuda had fallen short and where improvement was needed.

Instead he highlighted a speech made by the Mexican head coach during a recent symposium, telling of how their youth programme is conducted -- a programme Trott indicated Bermuda could learn from.

"To listen to how they (Mexico) prepare their youth players...they take their youth players from young -- up to the age of 12 -- and do not let them compete for trophies and things like that, because they say it takes from the fun of teaching them and allowing them to enjoy the game.

"So they spend most of their time through that age period allowing them to just love the game and getting to know what football is all about and then when they get older they start teaching them more about technique and other parts of the game.

"Once they go past 12 that's when they really start emphasising the technique part, that it is proper, because without technique you can't teach tactics.

Technique allows them to be tactical.'' Trott also noted how several coaches, as in the past, have noted a great deal of talent and individual skill in the Bermuda squad -- and the need to harness it.

Unlike Central and South American countries, soccer in Bermuda is not gospel and this has hampered Bermuda's ability to match up well against soccer mad countries like Costa Rica and Mexico. Bermuda has now slipped behind other CONCACAF sides such as United States and Canada, where soccer is not nearly so revered.

"We have a long way to go, but we're on the right track,'' said Trott. "And like the Mexico coach said, the only way you're going to get better is if your players constantly play in these types of tournament, understand what it takes and they will get better.''