A weary Bermuda team lost their final tour match 5-0 against Major League Soccer side Columbus Crew in Florida yesterday.

US international striker Brian McBride helped himself to a hat-trick, as the professional team condemned the tourists to their biggest defeat of their six matches in eight days.

But coach Robert Calderon emphasised that people should not read too much into the result, as his side was feeling the effects of fatigue and the absence of key players.

And he added that the tour overall had served its purpose of preparing the World Cup and Olympic squads for upcoming qualifiers and allowing players to stake their claims for places.

"This was a bunch of tired players,'' said Calderon after yesterday's match at Altamonte Springs. "Rohaan Simons and Steve Astwood were playing their fifth game of the tour.

"People should not read too much into the scoreline, because I would say there were seven players unavailable who will be in the team for the first World Cup match, including our four pros.'' Calderon explained that central defenders Shannon Burgess and Clifford Roberts, together with goalkeeper Dwayne (Streaker) Adams, had left before the match beacuse of other commitments.

Drafted in were under-23 goalkeeper Jay Smith and two players coming in for their first game after injury, Kentoine Jennings and Randy Spence.

Several players had stood out on the tour for Calderon, as he prepares to choose a squad of 20 for the first leg of the World Cup tie in the BVI on March 5.

"I thought Steve Astwood was outstanding and Paul Cann too came through it very well,'' said the coach. "Rohaan Simons caught my eye quite often and Kofi Dill had another solid tour. I thought the area where we struggled more often than not was in the middle of the park. But when we get Meshach Wade and David Bascome back in there, it will make a huge difference.'' Pros Wade and Bascome will leave their National Professional Soccer League club Harrisburg Heat to join the World Cup squad next Monday. The squad flies off to the BVI next Thursday.

It is not yet certain when pro strikers Shaun Goater, of Manchester City, and Kyle Lightbourne, of Stoke City, will join up with the team, though their promotion-chasing clubs will doubtless want their absence to be as brief as possible.

"We want Shaun and Kyle down there at least three days before the match, so we can have a couple of training sessions with them,'' said Calderon.

"Kyle will be more aware of the way we are trying to play because he played in the Caribbean Cup games last year. We will ask Shaun to play more of an out-and-out striker's role, so there shouldn't be any problems there.'' First game: Kentoine Jennings (right) got his first outing of the Florida tour.