TTFF News - After match comments ... Squad cut for Olympic screening.. T&T to face Guyana, Antilles and Suriname

Rijsbergen to mix it up in build up to Gold Cup – May 29,2007

 

National Senior team head coach Wim Rijsbergen says he will possibly change his starting team for Wednesdays Digicel Shield final against Mexico’s Pan American team as he seeks to give his 22 players  a “fair” chance in the build up to the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

 

Rijsbergen relayed this following T&T’s 1-0 win over Haiti at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on Monday night. The win was witnessed by several of the players currently excluded from the Gold Cup team because of an ongoing impasse with the Federation. The likes of Brent Sancho, Cornell Glen, Jason Scotland, Carlos Edwards, Stern John, Marvin Andrews, Dennis Lawrence and Kelvin Jack were all present.

 

“If you saw the last part we played for the Digicel Cup an the team today it was  a completely  different team. We had eight different  guys on the field for starting line up today  and for the next game we have some guys we will try before going to Honduras and the Gold Cup,” Rijsbergen said after the match

 

“On the other hand the group we have now want to win the next game of course and we don’t have a lot of time to prepare this team but the guys are in good spirits and as you  saw today they tried very hard. Of course there is also room for improvement, but I was satisfied with the performance and I told the guys go as far as they can.”

 

He was impressed by the performance of his second half substitutes in particular Andre Toussaint and Errol McFarlane.

 

“We have very good subs and they finished the game. It was a good goal by Toussaint … Mcfarlane came in and did a good job. We see all the guys ready to be working to be in the starting line up for the Gold Cup and that’s what we are here for.”

 

And he wasn’t surprised that a T&T team considered second string for obvious reasons could pull off a win over the Haitians.

 

“I have been working with the guys everyday and if you know Haiti they are a tough opponent …they are a physical and well prepared team, I was happy. We did a lot of work in a couple days and some of these guys are still not hundred percent. They are working very hard and we try to keep high pace in passing, I was satisfied with the performance even though we did make some mistakes

 

Maybe I will use some other guys to start  the next game just to give everybody a fair chance. I explained to the boys that we are looking for the best team,” added Rijsbergen who reminded everyone that the current Digicel Shield and even the Gold Cup was still just part of the bigger picture which is getting a team in tune for the 2010 World Cup qualification bid.

 

T&T takes on Guatemala, El Salvador and United States in the Gold Cup from June 6-24.

 

Screening sessions continue on Thursday for Olympic team

 

Coach Jan Van Deinsen and assistant Michael McComie have made another cut to the squad of players training towards selection on the National Olympic team for qualifiers towards the 2008 Olympic Games.

 

The team will go into CFU preliminary round qualifying action from August 31 in Suriname. The four-nation group includes the host as well as Guyana and Netherlands Antilles. The top team from the round-robin phase will progress to the CFU Final round.

 

The team will have another screening session from 9am on Thursday at the Ato Boldon Stadium.

 

Players called :

PLAYERS    CLUBS

 

Cristian Thomas   Super Star Rangers

Corneal Thomas    Super Star Rangers

Larry Bacchus    Petrotrin 

Simeon Augustus   Petrotrin

Devon Drayton    Petrotrin

Silas Spann    Joe Public

Keon Samuel     Tobago United

Trevin Caesar     Tobago United

Devin Leacock    Tobago United

Nyron Orr     Tobago United

Jamal Jack    Tobago United

Marcus Ambrose    Caledonia AIA

Caryle Mitchell   Caledonia AIA

Mc Kenzie Cadette    Caledonia AIA

Hayden Tinto    Caledonia AIA

Akil Edwards     Defence Force

Sean Narcis     Defence Force

Marcelle Francois    San Juan Jabloteh

Kevin Mussio    San Juan Jabloteh

Lester Peltier    San Juan Jabloteh

Carlon Murray    San Juan Jabloteh

Khaleem Hyland   San Juan Jabloteh

A. Guerra    San Juan Jabloteh

Elton John     San Juan Jabloteh

Shane Calderon   W. Connection

Kerron Smith     W. Connection

Kadeem Gray    W. Connection

Kareem De Freitas    Harvard Sports Club

Rondell Renwick   Caroni Football Club