on Sunday in Vancouver, Canada, with a 4-2 loss.

Despite not making it out of the second qualifying round of the CONCACAF region, the Bermuda Football Association and the 20 players and coaching staff who formed the national squad deserve a huge pat on the back.

They have done in an unforgettable two months what our leaders have been struggling to do for years, unite the Country in a common cause.

The success of the soccer team galvanised Bermuda.

Overnight it seemed, players who came from varying backgrounds became national heroes and the idea of playing for Bermuda was something to be proud of.

Pride in performance and pride in playing for one's country are not necessarily one and the same. The players clearly showed that after the heartbreaking loss in Jamaica. Some wept openly, others did not, but they all were crying inside and that for Bermudian soccer players signifies a change. A change also is apparent in how the Country supports its sportsmen and women.

It is amazing what can be accomplished when you know people actually care.

Bermuda came back from deficits against Jamaica and Canada because the team knew the people back home cared and were rooting for them. It would have been so easy to roll over and play dead against sides that we have to accept were better. Not much better, but better.

Bermuda's biggest concern other than the economy is our youth.

Right now, our youth see progress and those who are involved in soccer believe that if they hang in there and get a little support, they too could be a Shawn Goater, Dwayne Adams or Kyle Lightbourne.

But this support will require continuity and a long-term effort. Bermuda must be careful now not to let our youths down.

Political leaders would be unwise to treat this as a passing phase because, for Bermuda to have continuing success, there needs to be continuing backing from the Country.

So where do we go from here? Soccer organisers must strengthen the domestic programme. That has always been a priority for president Charlie Marshall, so we have to trust that he and his colleagues will set about the task. Only then will our locally-based players be on the same page with overseas professionals. It was painfully evident that players who are "superstars'' at home were ordinary on the international scene and moves must be taken to raise our level so that the step up to the World Cup is not so steep.

As far as the national programme is concerned, a full-time director of coaching is needed -- someone with international qualifications who can oversee the development of the standard of domestic play as well as the national squad.

This does not mean the end of incumbent coach Gary Darrell, but a supplement to Mr. Darrell's success.

This World Cup experience should have taught Government a lesson. Bermuda does have diamonds in the rough in virtually every sport. Polish them, don't ignore them, and the Country will be pleased by what you produce.