National football coach Leo Beenhakker confirmed on Friday that he has had no invitation extended for Oxford United defender Leo Roget for Trinidad and Tobago’s friendly against Iceland on February 28.
News circulating in England is that Roget, whose father is Trinidadian, has not even been seen by Beenhakker nor any member of his technical staff.
Assistant coach Wim Rijsbergen had hoped to see Roget in action during a recent trip to England but didn’t get the chance as the player was ruled out of the match due to injury.
United boss Brian Talbot was quoted saying that he had spoken to Beenhakker.
“I've had a phone call about his eligibility to play for Trinidad & Tobago, because, apparently, he's got grandparents from that country. It's a fantastic opportunity for him – these kind of things only come along once. If Leo could break into their squad this late in the day, it would be fantastic for him,” Talbot said.
But Beenhakker will name his 20-man squad for Iceland next week and there’s very little chance Roget will be considered.
In the meantime, Beeenhakker has expressed some degree of satisfaction with the days gone by in the Fort Lauderdale camp. Beenhakker had a chance to see some potential national team players in action in a training match against Florida International University at the Sunrise Hilton ground on Friday evening.
The likes of Julius James and Anthony Noreiga, who have both been impressive in training thus far, will join others like Osei Telesford, Kevon Neaves, Errol McFarlane, Nigel Henry, Kerry Baptiste and Darryl Roberts all trying to catch Beenhakker’s eyes.
Beenhakker said that every player will at least play a half and he expects them to be disciplined and in good shape in their approach to the encounter.
Noreiga, recently drafted by MLS side Kansas City Wizards after turning down interest from A-League club Portland Timbers, believes he stands to benefit from Beenhakker's invitation.
“It’s certainly a good chance for guys like me to have this kind of exposure under the coach who everyone knows played a big part in getting the team to Germany. This is not the nucleus of the team here in this camp but we are taking everything out of it in terms of the experience and it will be a big plus for us going back to our schools and clubs. We are all just really anxious about what’s taking place here and we are doing our best with the coach,” Noreiga said.
Trinidad and Tobago will also play Slovenia in one of their international friendlies leading up to the World Cup on May 31 in Austria.
This is one of the matches Leo Beenhakker has gotten on the cards and it will be played along with the match against Wales on May 27 and Czech Republic on June 3 in Prague. T&T will also play Peru in Trinidad on May 10 during the period which will see the “Soca Warriors” engaging in activities including a nationwide road-show.
Looking ahead to the match against Wales, goalscoring hero Dennis Lawrence who plays for Welsh club Wrexham, is eagerly anticipating the date.
“It's going to be extra special because Wales feels like my adopted nation," said the giant centre-half, speaking before last night's dramatic Premier Cup match against TNS. Wales have a good team and this match will be good preparation. It will be beneficial ahead of us facing England."