TRINIDAD and Tobago senior men’s football coach Angus Eve said the international friendly against Bolivia will give his team “a much needed run out” as his players are lacking match time under their belts.
A T&T Football Association (TTFA) media release on Wednesday said T&T “will open their 2022 account with an international friendly away to Bolivia on January 21 at the Estadio Olimpico Patrio in Sucre, at 5 pm.
“The match, though being played outside of the FIFA international window, is expected to provide valuable match practise for the senior team as head coach Angus Eve gears towards Concacaf Nations League qualifying later this year.”
Bolivia will also use the encounter as preparation for back-to-back South American World Cup qualifying matches against Venezuela and Chile on January 28 and February 2.
The international friendly is being hosted in conjunction with Global Sport.
Commenting on the upcoming exercise, Eve emphasised the value of the match at this period in the team’s programme.
“It’s probably coming a little bit too early for us because we have not been playing football, but it is an opportunity we had to take to give players a bit of experience because as you know the last three (FIFA international) windows we were not able to play with all the stuff that is going on behind the scenes.”
The normalisation committee, now in charge of running the TTFA, has been trying to reduce the massive debt facing the local football body.
“Now we have gone into a new year and things hopefully looking brighter with the FA and they have gotten this game for us and we just could not say no,” Eve said.
“This is an opportunity to give the players a much needed run out and to have us playing football again at an international level.”
Eve believes experienced players like captain Khaleem Hyland can be integral members of the squad for the 2026 World Cup once they “take care of their bodies.”
T&T have been eliminated from the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Eve is hoping to play international friendlies in every FIFA international window in 2022.
T&T TRAINING SQUAD
Aaron Lester (midfielder/Defence Force FC), Aaron Enill (goalkeeper/Defence Force FC), Adrian Foncette (goalkeeper, Police FC), Alvin Jones (defender, unattached), Brent Sam (forward, Defence Force FC), Duane Muckette (midfield, unattached), Hashim Arcia (midfielder, Defence Force FC), Isaiah Hudson (midfielder, unattached), Jabari Mitchell (midfielder, Police FC), Jamal Jack (defender, unattached), Jameel Neptune (defender, unattached), Jesse Williams (midfielder, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC), John-Paul Rochford (midfielder, unattached), Justin Garcia (defender, Defence Force FC), Justin Sadoo (midfielder, Defence Force FC) Keston George (defender, unattached), Kevon Goddard (midfielder, Defence Force FC), Leland Archer (defender, Charleston Battery), Marvin Phillip (goalkeeper, unattached), Matthew Woo Ling (midfielder, Miami Utd), Mekeil Williams (defender, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC), Micah Lansiquot (midfielder, unattached), Michel Poon-Angeron (midfielder, unattached), Molik Khan (midfielder, Club Sando), Nathaniel James (midfielder, W Connection), Neveal Hackshaw (midfielder, Indy Eleven), Radanfah Abu Bakr (defender, unattached), Reon Moore (forward, Defence Force FC)
SOURCE: T&T Newsday