Poor Travelers Lone Star



By Wleh Bedell
bedellblessing@yahoo.com
0886106293

On September 14, 2001, the Lone Star of Liberia, pinned their Western neighbors the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone in a 2002 World Cup qualifier at the Siaka Stevens Stadium in Freetown. The goal came from substitute George Oppong Manneh Weah after heading home a header to give Lone Star a faint hope in their final group match on the road to the Japan Korea, 2002 World Cup.

The red, white and blue outfit then found themselves in a precarious situation as they were hoping for what connoisseurs described as an “undeserved favor” after they were hoping that Ghana who had paraded a depleted side in surprisingly beating them at the SKD 2-1 would have done the damage to the Super Eagles of Nigeria at their fortress in Port Harcourt. But, it went the wrong way from a Lone Star perspective as the Super Eagles went cruising in sending the Black Stars to the cleaners to book the ticket for the “Jasoko” 2002 party.

Since that September 14, 2001, away win against Sierra Leone, the Lone Star is yet to draw an away match least one speaks of a win with the team playing 18 matches ending pointless. They have another Herculean task in their nineteenth competitive match in the lions den against Senegal’s Lion Teranga on Saturday, June 2, in a 2014 World Cup qualifier.

Under new Coach Kaytu Smith who was no doubt appointed in an eye brow raising manner since there was no vetting, the Lone Star certainly has a mountain to climb and whether the jinx in getting a point away can be broken is what remains to be seen.

Post Weah Era

The first match for the Lone Star after the exit or demise of the George Weah XI (team wise) was a 2004 qualifier against Guyinea’s Sylli Nationale on September 8, 2002. The Guineans ran riot with a 3-0 trouncing. There were however three members of the Weah led generation that formed part of the virtually new Lone Star under Coach kadalla Kromah. They included goalkeeper Louis Crayton, full back George Gebro and center back Jimmy Dixon. The Lone Star would go in their other two away matches against the Black Lions of Ethiopia on March 30, 2003 and the Mena of Niger on July 5, 2003 with the similar score line of 1-0 loss each.

From Weah to Tondo
It was the same old story of disappointment in the 2006 qualifier as far as away form is concerned. Firstly, Kadalla Kromah’s side loss 2-0 to the Scorpions of Gambia on October 17, 2003. And, in the group stage, the Lone Star was second best to Congo Brazzaville 3-0 on June 20, 2004, 1-0 to Zambia’s Chipolopolo on September 4, 2004 and had to wait for 1, 296 days, 618 minutes after Weah’s goal against Sierra Leone to score their first away goal against the Lion Teranga in the 6-1 demolition on March 26, 2005. Kadalla had resigned with his deputy Joseph ‘Kofi Bruce’ Sayon taking charge and managed to see the Lone Star get its first away goal after a long wait. Such heavy defeat was followed by another two dreadful losses against the Eagles of Mali on June 5, 2005 and the Sparrow Hawks of Togo on September 3, 2005, 4-1 and 3-0 respectively. The then Dubai based forward Arcadia Martin Wesay Toe got the Lone Star consolation against a Malian side led by Mamadou Diarra.

Debutant Zah and Brave Grand Pa Goals
The major thing one can remember in the 2008 qualifier was that the Indonesian based Zah Rahan Krangar and the bubbling Francis Grand Pa Doe got the team’s two away goals against the Nzalang Lions of Equatorial Guinea on September 23, 2006 and the Indomitable Lions of Cameroun on March 24, 2007 in the 2-1 and 3-1 losses. The team’s other loss was against the Amavubuis of Rwanda 4-0 on September 8, 2007 during the days of Frank Jericho Nagbe at the helm of the Lone Star.

Even the German could not Help
A certain German in Antoine Hey came to the lime light in handling the Lone Star, but the recycling era of lackluster form continued mainly in away pairings. The Fennecs of Algeria made life very difficult for Hey’s men with a 3-0 hammering on June 6, 2008. Senegal again were ominous as they inflicted serious wounds on the Lone Star via a 3-1 batching on June 21, 2008 in a match that saw Captain Murphy Nagbe being injured as a result of a broken leg and the lanky Dioh Williams getting the consolation. Gambia too made use of the spoils as they trashed the Lone Star 3-0 on September 6, 2008.

The Hungarian and the Italian also could not make it
Bertalan Bisckei, a Hungarian now deceased and then later an Italian in Roberto Landi tried too but could not break the jinx as the Lone Star lost to the Eagles of Mali 2-1 on October 9, 2010 with Theo Lewis Weeks getting a vital goal for the visitors. Patrick Wleh and the debutant Al-Seny Keita were the senior national team scorers in their 4-2 loss to the Blue Sharks of Cape Verde on March 26, 2011. That was the first time the Lone Star had scored more than one goal in a match in more than a decade. The Warriors of Zimbabwe compounded the misery with a 3-0 win on September 4, 2011.

The Statistics as Indicated below:

2004 Qualifier
September 8, 2002: Guinea 3 vs Liberia 0
March 30, 2003: Ethiopia 1 vs Liberia 0
July 5, 2003: Niger 1 vs Liberia 0

2006 Qualifier, 1& 2
October 17, 2003: Gambia 2 vs Liberia 0
June 20, 2004: Congo 3 vs Liberia 0
September 4, 2004: Zambia 1 vs Liberia 0
March 26, 2005: Senegal 6 vs Liberia 1 (Isaac Tondo)
June 5, 2005: Mali 4 vs Liberia 1 (Arcadia Toe)
September 3, 2005: Togo 3 vs Liberia 0

2008 Qualifier
September 23, 2006: Equatorial Guinea 2 vs Liberia 1 (Zah Krangar)
March 24, 2007: Cameroun 3 vs Liberia 1 (Francis Doe)
September 8, 2007: Rwanda 4 vs Liberia 0

2010 Qualifier
June 6, 2008: Algeria 3 vs Liberia 0
June 21, 2008: Senegal 3 vs Liberia 1 (Dioh Williams)
September 6, 2008: Gambia 3 vs Liberia 0

2012 Qualifier
October 9, 2010: Mali 2 vs Liberia 1 (Theo Weeks Lewis)
March 26, 2011: Cape Verde 4 vs Liberia 2 (Patrick Wleh, Alseny Keita)
September 4, 2011: Zimbabwe 3 vs Liberia 0


MP W L  D GF GA GD PTS
18  0 18 0    8 51 -43   0