A 19-member squad is scheduled to take the training pitch on Wednesday night in Managua following the arrival of the contingent in two batches on Tuesday and today ahead of Friday’s opening Concacaf Nations League encounter with Nicaragua.
Head Coach of the Men’s Senior Team Angus Eve will miss the encounter after being unable to travel due to a personal family emergency. Also missing the trip are players Alvin Jones, Noah Powder, Neveal Hackshaw and Jabari St Hillaire for a combination of reasons.
Both Jones and St Hillaire did not reveal their online travel health pass approval from the Nicaraguan Health Authority in time to board the departing flight out of Piarco. Powder and Hackshaw also did not receive their PCR Results in the United States within the required time necessary to receive similar approval for their entry into Nicaragua.
The players would have arrived on Friday evening, mere hours before the 8pm kick off of the match and Eve and his staff felt it was therefore unfitting to have them travel to Managua. All four players will join the team in Trinidad for Monday’s match against Bahamas at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
In Eve’s absence, Assistant Coach Reynold Carrington will take charge of the team for Friday’s match which will be broadcast live on Flow Sports main channel from 10pm TT Time.
“The task is the same and we remain upbeat and committed to that task,” Carrington told TTFA Media on Wednesday. “We have 19 capable players with loads of experience and ability with the overseas and home-based players in the mix. The important thing is for us to remain focused and understand the importance of the match and also wanting to get a positive start to the campaign on Friday.”
Costa Rican-based defender Aubrey David who arrived to join the squad in Managua on Wednesday morning is also anticipating the start of the Concacaf Nations League which also serves as qualifiers for the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup.
“First up, it’s always an honour to get called up to represent the national team regardless of the occasion or the challenges. I’m excited to be here. I know the boys are all looking forward to it because we’ve made some progress over the past few months and the spirit and momentum from the last two matches against Barbados and Guyana was excellent. This is something we’ll be looking to take into these upcoming matches.
“It’s also great to have experienced players such as Joevin (Jones), Sheldon Bateau and Leston Paul back in the squad. Overall we have the capability to go in there and put on a performance that can hopefully give us a winning start before we head home for Bahamas,” David said.
Of the 28-man Roster selected for the four matches, five of those players were not included in the traveling squad for Nicaragua. They include Real Gill, Kaheim Thomas, Jabari Mitchell, Kevon Goddard and Duane Muckette. They are all in the pool for the remaining three matches after Friday’s outing.
WATCH Senior Men's Team arrives in Managua for CNL clash on Friday
WATCH Carrington looks ahead to opening CNL clash with Nicaragua