{moszoomimage: galleryid=47 filename=bertille.jpg} National coach Bertille St Clair has hinted he could cut down on the number of overseas-based professionals who will be joining the senior team for the upcoming final round of the 2006 World Cup qualification.
St Clair, speaking after Thursday's training session at the Ato Boldon Stadium, said he was so far pleased with the efforts of some of the locally-based players in training since the last qualifying match against St Vincent and the Grenadines and is hoping the current bunch can rise to the occasion, which will mean the team should be a closer-knit unit as opposed to the problems faced with having the majority of the squad trying to settle after coming together just a few days before a match.
At the same time, St Clair has not closed the door on any player as the team prepare for their Digicel Caribbean Cup third round match against SVG at the Queen's Park Oval on Sunday January 9.
"We are closing 2004 and we have been using these last few weeks with the Pro League closed to get the most out of the local players and some of them have been responding very well to the training," St Clair told Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) media officer Shaun Fuentes.
"It would be wonderful if when the campaign resumes, some way or the other we can keep all these guys together and just have them train with the national team, but that would mean that something must be provided for them because they will not be playing for their clubs.
"Now that we are getting to see more of the locally-based players, I am thinking that the numbers coming from overseas for the games could get smaller. Some of the guys here are really giving it their all and it would be interesting to see how they respond in matches.
"We cannot afford to bring in players just two days before the game and then they are struggling to adjust here. It has boiled down now to this and I am saying that the players from abroad must be representing their clubs well and in good form and this is where Graham Taylor comes in helpful in being able to assess this situation for us," St Clair explained.
He also refused to think much about reports that the US team were not yet in training due to an ongoing dispute over wages.
"I don't even think we should listen to any of this. That is not an issue because America will never allow anything like that to happen. We have our business to concentrate on."