TTFF News - Senior Team resumes training.... Olympic team faces Cuba on Oct 9

Issued by Shaun Fuentes, TTFF Media Officer, September 25, 2007

 

 

Trinidad and Tobago Senior team head coach Wim Rijsbergen was back on the training pitch at the Ato Boldon Stadium on Tuesday morning as he commenced efforts to get a team ready for next month’s international friendly away to El Salvador.

 

Rijsbergen, after inviting 19 players for training, maintained that the list was not the actual squad for the international game but simply a pool from which players will be considered.

 

He had one overseas-based players in the mix, US-based Charleston Battery striker Andre Toussaint while there were recalls for Stephan David, Conrad Smith, Dwayne Jack, Trent Noel, Kerry Baptiste, Keyeno Thomas,Clyde Leon and goalkeeper Jan Michael Williams,

 

“It’s good to get the preparations going again with the game on for next month. But what we have here is not definitely the squad but an invitation to players who we wish to have a look at and from this bunch we will consider for our selection for the game against El Salvador,” Rijsbergen told TTFF Media. Prior to the announcement regarding the players involved in the arbitration matter on Friday, invitations for training had already gone out to the home-based players.

 

Toussaint is back home with Charleston Battery’s failure to make the American A-League playoffs and he expects to finish the rest of the year with W Connection.

 

“It was a decent start to my time in the A-League. Disappointed yes that we didn’t progress in the playoffs so that means we have to wait until next year. I think we had some areas which needed working on and that included making better use of our scoring chances. I’m looking to finish of the year with ‘W’ and also getting my spot back on the national team. We just have to work and make sure everything is in place so the team can perform as best as possible,” said Toussaint who played the full 90 in Charleston’s 0-0 draw with Puerto Rico Islanders in their season finale.

 

Meantime, with Senior team assistant coach Anton Corneal back after being at the helm of the National Under 17 team, Olympic team coach Michael McComie was also in charge of the National Under 23 team as they engaged in a scrimmage with the Seniors in the morning session.

 

The Olympic team is preparing for a CFU Final round with Cuba and Grenada next month. Interestingly, McComie had CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh striker Lester Peltier in his session. Peltier, after being recalled, turned up at last week’s session stating being injured and was excused from the session. It was reported to McComie that the player would possibly need surgery. However Peltier showed up again and was involved in the session on Tuesday. Elton John, not initially called, also showed up a second time and was subsequently allowed to train by McComie. The T&T Pro League also couldn’t relay whether Peltier was in fact in the Jabloteh team for its Reserve Game against Defence Force on Monday.

 

“Right now we are about trying to get the team as best as ready for the next set of games so we therefore don’t have much time to look into any other stuff. They players showed up good today and as I said before everyone seems to be working with the right attitude which is the important thing at this time,” McComie added.

The T&T Olympic team will face Cuba on October 9 at the Marvin Lee Stadium and then come up against Grenada on October 13 at the same venue. Grenada and Cuba will also clash between the mentioned dates. The top team from the group will advance to the CONCACAF Final round next year leading to the Beijing Olympics.

 

The rest of the Senior team called for training on Tuesday included: Kern Cupid, Thomas Nickelson. Keston Williams, Devon Jorsling, Terrence McAllister, Jason Springer, Jason Marcano, Cleon John, Tristan Charles and Glenton Wolfe.