By Dylan Butler

FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts - While he made his Grenada coaching debut in a 4-0 loss to the United States in the Spice Boyz first-ever CONCACAF Gold Cup match on July 4 at Qwest Field, it wasn't Tommy Taylor's first trip to the Emerald City.

"When I joined West Ham United, we come over to Seattle and in 1970 I would think United States is in the same position that Grenada are in," he said. "Up to 2009 you could see the big change that's happened. You've got facilities, you've got the pitches, and you've got the coaches working. If you go over to Grenada and see what they have to play on, it needs a lot of work over there."

While Grenada didn't win a game, or even score a goal, in three Group B matches, it has a lot to take away from their first trip to the Gold Cup.

"We know we have reached a different level of football," Grenada captain Anthony Modeste said. "It's a learning experience. We know we have to go back home and double our efforts."

That's the next step for Grenada, which received its highest FIFA World Ranking (88) before the tournament. But improvements, both on and off the field, are critical.

"We don't have the basic necessities we need to be a team," said midfielder Shalrie Joseph, who was unable to play in the Gold Cup because of a knee injury. "To take the next step, the Grenada Football Association needs to provide Tommy Taylor with everything he needs, in terms of training facilities, gear, practice games and friendlies."

While Joseph is calling for more infrastructure on the island of 90,000, the smallest ever to qualify for the Gold Cup, Taylor said the key is for the Grenada players to get off the island.

"Our biggest thing is to get as many international players off the island as possible, to play a higher grade of football so when they come back they can mix in with everybody else," he said. "That's the thing, getting them off the island to play."

Taylor has also reached out to English-based players of Grenadian decent. Jermaine Beckford from Leeds and Bradley Wright-Phillips of Southampton both declined, hoping to work out new club deals in England and Jason Roberts of Blackburn Rovers has retired.

But Delroy Facey, Notts County's leading scorer last year, accepted the invite and earned his first cap at the age of 29 in a 2-0 loss to Haiti at RFK Stadium.

"I'm probably one of the more experienced boys," Facey said. "For quite a few of the lads it's the first major tournament they've had. So hopefully they've taken the two games on board and taken the positives and negatives out of it, and taken it back to their club levels. Hopefully if they're selected again they'll come back and we'll have improved."

Taylor also points toward a return to the Gold Cup in 2011 as something that will improve the level of soccer on the island.

"I think what they can take from this experience is that it's the first time in it for everyone in the country," Taylor said. "They've got to get into in the next two years to play in these stadiums and in front of all these crowds. They're not used to playing in front of crowds like this, so that was a big thing."