Not much T&T players can boast of winning a professional title in their first season in a foreign league.
Kevin Molino is one of the few exceptions. The former Mucurapo Senior Comprehensive player helped Orlando City lift the United Soccer League championship crown a few weeks ago, with a goal in a friendly against English club Newcastle United, among his highlights.
The 21-year-old Molino forced his way into Otto Pfister’s starting team for T&T’s last two World Cup qualifiers and was arguably one of T&T’s better players in the away loss to Bermuda, scoring his first World Cup qualifying goal for the country.
“I must say it was a bit hard in the earlies being away from home but I settled down because I realised this is what it would take to be a successful professional footballer. “All I was doing was focusing on football, training hard and playing matches.
We were on the road a lot also but I had to deal with it,” Molino said. “These are the sacrifices every player has to make if he wants to do well. I’m just thankful to God that he gave me the opportunity and now I’m trying to work hard and keep on developing and reaching higher heights.
“Hopefully I can stay in the national team and help us get to another World Cup. That is my biggest dream right now—to play in a World Cup,” added Molino who is in talks to link up with W Connection before returning to Orlando. Molino will also travel on the weekend with the T&T Under-22 team for the Pan American Games in Mexico.