Luke Singh, a Toronto FC defender in the Canadian Premier League, was called in as a replacement for St Johnstone midfielder Daniel Phillips, who was injured during a T&T practice match with Haiti on Tuesday afternoon.
The injury was initially thought to be a dead leg by coach Angus Eve, but a release from the T&T Football Association (TTFA) on Thursday confirmed it was a grade one quadricep injury which has forced him out for a period of two to three weeks.
Phillips played a critical role in the Warriors and Haitians match, which played to a goalless draw, mere days before they opened their CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign. However, it will require all hands on deck come Sunday when the Warriors face St Kitts and Nevis in the opening match at the DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, USA at 3.30 pm.
After that, two other matches against regional rival Jamaica and the host nation and defending champion USA on June 28 and July 2, respectively, will complete Group 'A' with only the top two teams advancing.
Singh is currently on loan with Atletico Ottawa from Toronto FC. He returned from injuries to play in a 1-0 victory over Vancouver FC on June 17.
According to the TTFA release, however, the rest of the squad remains intact and had its first training session at the DRV PNK Stadium training pitch yesterday afternoon.
Meanwhile, defender Shannon Gomez of the San Antonio FC/USA said their focus is the game in front of them, which is the St Kitts and Nevis match, that they need to get a result from. The mood in the camp he said is an upbeat one.
"Every player is optimistic, upbeat, and ready to give their best. Each and every player in this camp wants to put their best foot forward for T&T," he said.
The match Sunday he said will be about two familiar teams in a hostile battle, both looking to make history for their respective countries.
"It will be a dog fight. We need to get maximum points from the match and that's the task at hand. St Kitts and Nevis is riding on a high right now by getting into the Gold Cup.
"The best thing is to put that flame out right away by scoring goals, defending, attacking, doing everything that they can do to get maximum points for T&T."