Trinidad and Tobago’s Men’s Senior Team head coach Angus Eve conducted training sessions on Saturday and Sunday with a 22-man squad comprising of mainly home-based players ahead of tomorrow’s closed door encounter against St Lucia’s Senior Men’s Team at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella from 3pm.
This exercise is part of the preparations for the upcoming Concacaf Nations League opening pair of matches away to Nicaragua on June 3rd and home to Bahamas at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on June 6th.
There are some overseas-based players in the squad for tomorrow’s match including Czech-based forward Justin Araujo Wilson and Honduras-based forward Akeem Roach while Radanfah Abu Bakr, Duane Muckette, Justin Sadoo and Kevon Goddard will also be involved. There is also a recall for midfielder Keron Cummings while Che Benny has also been invited.
Eve explained that the majority of overseas-based players for the Final squad will travel on Tuesday for Managua but he will me using tomorrow’s exercise to assess these players listed for the clash.
“It seems like I am only facing Trinidadian coaches now because Stern is now the head coach of St Lucia and congratulations to him. He’s been doing a lot of good work out there. We faced Guyana’s Jamaal Shabazz last month and then a couple days ago,” Eve told TTFA Media on Saturday after a sessions at the Hasely Crawford,
“We really wanted a game a little bit earlier to assess the locally-based players. We haven’t had a local league for a couple years and fortunately we do have a league now where the guys have been plying their trade,” Eve added.
“We had the opportunity to scout the players so we drafted in most of them in a 22-man squad that we want to see to pool them together with the overseas-based players that we already have available.
“It’s ten matches in four days with a lot of travel so we will definitely need some of these local-based players to supplement what we already have,” Eve added. “We have been doing the work, scouting all the overseas-based players. There are a couple guys with injuries and a couple with no vaccine. I know the law is going to change pretty soon and will change our circumstances.
“We already had a 23-man selected before this match tomorrow against an international team. Basically we will be going (into the Nations League) with the squad that we played with the Courts Caribbean Classic with a couple local additions. We explained that to the guys and they understand what we are saying. I think this game on Monday will tell us a lot in terms of who we can include and go forward with in this phase,” Eve said.
Trinidad & Tobago Squad
Goalkeepers:
Jabari St Hillaire (Terminix La Horquetta Rangers), Denzil Smith (W Connection);
Defenders:
Joshua Alexander (Maloney Mavericks), Andre Ettienne, Paul Rondel, Isaiah Garcia (all Deportivo PF), Radanfah Abu Bakr (Sure Sports FC—USA), Jameel Neptune (Las Vegas Legends—USA), Ross Russell Jr (Terminix La Horquetta Rangers);
Midfielders:
Nathaniel Garcia (Deportivo PF), Kevon Goddard, Justin Sadoo (both Defence Force), Michel Poon-Angeron (AC Port of Spain), Keron Cummings (Real West Fort), Mickaeel Gordon, Jabari Mitchell (both Police FC), Che Benny (AC Port of Spain), Duane Muckette (Unattached), Mark Ramdeen (Deportivo PF);
Forwards:
Justin Araujo-Wilson (FC Vysocina Jihlava—Czech Republic), Nicholas Dillon (Central Soccer World), Akeem Roach (CD Real Sociedad—Honduras).
Coach - Angus Eve (TRI).