After helping W Connection win Pro League…
W CONNECTION striker Marcus Joseph is looking to cement a spot on the T&T team, after his goal-scoring exploits played a pivotal role in his club’s capture of the 2018 Pro League crown.
The 27-year-old Joseph netted 18 goals, including a hat-trick against North East Stars on Friday evening (the final day of the season), at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva.
Connection won the game 4-0 to finish the season with 37 points, one ahead of second-placed Central FC.
Nicknamed “Lobo”, Joseph played as a midfielder for the T&T teams, at the 2007 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in South Korea and the 2009 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Egypt.
Now, in his preferred role as a forward, Joseph is hopeful that his form this season will see figure prominently in T&T coach Dennis Lawrence’s plans for 2019.
“I would like to be always on the (national) team as a starting player,” said Joseph, during an interview after Friday’s match. “As you can see, I’m a goal-scorer. I hope the coach could see and help me to better myself and continue to work with me, for me to score goals.”
In 2019, T&T will be competing in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States.
Joseph made his T&T debut away to Belize in March 2013. But his international record is not flattering – one goal in 16 appearances, and 14 of those matches were friendlies.
This year, he featured in the away matches against Guadeloupe on March 23 (T&T won 1-0) and Martinique two days later (0-0 draw), followed by a 1-0 loss at home to Panama on April 17.
He last donned the national colours in their 2-0 win against the United Arab Emirates on September 6 in Girona, Spain.
Joseph has played for a few clubs at the Pro League level, including Joe Public, TTEC, Point Fortin Civic and Central FC, before joining Connection on April 2017.
During the 2017 season, Joseph finished third on the scoring charts with eight goals, behind clubmate Neil Benjamin (12) and Rundell Winchester (nine), then with North East Stars.
In October, Joseph suffered a knee injury which forced him to miss almost a month of action.
He acknowledged, “The injury kept me back from scoring the amount of goals (that) I really wanted to score for the season, but I think I did my job.”
Asked how much goals he had in mind, Joseph replied, “about 30 to 34.”
With the season over, Joseph does not intend to rest on his laurels.
Concerning his plans for the off-season, he said, “I’ll be training every day. I always have to be putting in the work, staying focused and doing the right things. Hard work always pays.”