TTFF News - Squad split . But Rijsbergen finally gets full team in LA ahead of Gold Cup kick off

Photos show members of the T&T team in training at the LA Home Depot Center on Tuesday morning. Courtesy TTFF Media

Squad split …. But Rijsbergen finally gets full team in LA ahead of Gold Cup kick off

Issued by Shaun Fuentes, TTFF Media Officer in LA. June 5, 2007

Mere days before kicking off its 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign, Trinidad and Tobago suffered a further setback as it arrived in Los Angeles on Monday night minus eight of its players who were forced to remain in Tegucigalpa because of US visa restrictions.

But head coach Wim Rijsbergen was expected to have his full compliment of players at the Torrance Marriot in Los Angeles on Tuesday night after the problems were rectified and the remaining players along with team manager Sam Phillip and Doctor Terrance Babwah were scheduled to arrive.

Rijsbergen and the other 14 players and staff members settled in at the first class settings at the Marriot and had a two-hour session at the A-class Home Depot Center training facilities on Tuesday morning. The El Salvador team meantime trained at the match ground at the Center same time. T&T will train there around match time on Wednesday.

It was all far from smooth for the T&T team though prior to its arrival in LA. Striker Andre Toussaint was grilled by US immigration officials upon arrival at the Houston’s George Bush International Airport before arriving in LA on another flight later Monday night . After departing San Pedro Sula at around midday Monday, Toussaint, Darryl Roberts, Kerry Baptiste and Errol McFarlane were escorted into the immigration waiting room while the other members of the team and staff proceeded to board the connecting flight. The latter three were subsequently released and allowed on the flight but Toussaint was held back and told he would have to return to Trinidad due to complications with his 10-year visa. The official informed Toussaint that he had a C1 class Visa which meant he was not permitted to enter the US from any nation other than Trinidad and Tobago. Luckily an official of Trinidadian heritage assisted and arrangements were made for Toussaint to pay a fee, assisted by trainer Wayne Lawson at the time, and later allowed to travel to LA.

Roberts with face all serious, informed his peers: “And one of the officers asked Toussaint what position he played and when he said striker, the officer didn’t smile at all and he say you not going to play no game… you could score against the USA… You heading back to Trinidad on the next flight.”

Fortunately Toussaint arrived half hour after the original party touched down in LA much to the delight of his teammates.

Phillip and Babwah had to remain in Honduras with players Kendall Jagdeosingh, Marvin Phillip, Dwayne Jack, Romauld Aguillera, Keon Daniel, Seon Power, Andrei Pacheco and Glenton Wolfe. Those players were permitted only a one entry visa shortly before their departure from Port of Spain. On arrival at the Miami International Airport on Thursday, officials there then informed manager Phillip of the problem, adding it would have to be rectified in Honduras. That was expected to be sorted out in time for them to arrive in LA on Tuesday evening.

That scenario means that Rijsbergen will have two sessions on Tuesday with 14 players and only one on Wednesday with his full squad before facing El Salvador the following day.

“It’s a frustrating situation but we have to get on with it. There are some problems that were unnecessary and makes the job tougher but we are here now and we will keep on going,” Rijsbergen said.

Skipper Theobald was settling in with the rest of his highly inexperienced but eager comrades.

“It’s been a long way to get here or to get to the Gold Cup it seems,” he told TTFF Media. “But we have to be strong every minute and I believe there is something positive that will come out of it. The name Trinidad and Tobago has a certain respect to it now and we can only try our best to keep some of it when we go out on the pitch. I know some of the guys are back home right now on their own business. Some may watch the games and some may not but I think we are here to represent the country and that’s the important thing at the end of the day.

“I will try my best to use whatever experience I gained over the past year with the World Cup and pass it on these guys here now. All now last year we were getting ready for our first World Cup game against Sweden and that was unforgettable and here we are now trying to make the best of a new team for our first Gold Cup match. They always say what a funny game football is. I rather smile than feel sour about anything right now,” Theobald added.