TTFF News - Two overseas pros in squad for Wednesdays friendly vs El Salvador

Two overseas pros in squad for Wednesday’s friendly vs El Salvador

 

Issued by Shaun Fuentes, TTFF Media Officer, October 14, 2007

 

A Trinidad and Tobago Senior National Team, comprising of just two overseas-based pros will leave  at 7 o’clock  Monday morning for El Salvador where it will take on that country’s national team in a friendly international on Wednesday.

 

The two players not based in the T&T Pro League are Charleston Battery forward Andre Toussaint and Columbus Crew’s Andrei Pacheco who have both returned home to finish the rest of the year with W Connection.

 

Head coach Wim Rijsbergen’s squad includes several newcomers as well like CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh striker Jason Marcano, goalie Cleon John, Connection’s Kern Cupid, Defence Force’s Keston Williams, former national Under 17 player Terrence McCallister as well as former national under 20 forward Devon Jorsling.

 

The other members of the squad with some experience at the senior international level include defender Keyeno Thomas, Kerry Baptiste, Seon Power, Glenton Wolfe, Trent Noel, Conrad Smith, Clyde Leon, goalie Marvin Phillip while Stephan David also earns a recall after last appearing against Japan last year. Connection’s Nickelson Thomas is also in the squad.

 

Nine players including the Thomas’, both Keyeno and Nickelson, Noel, Wolfe, Phillip, Baptiste, Toussaint and Pacheco and Power were part of T&T’s 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup squad.

 

Rijsbergen is hopeful of another international friendly before year end where he could look to the services of some of the other overseas-based professionals.

 

“We had a couple of sessions last couple days and I tried to get these guys (working) in a higher intensity because it’s important when we play another international game. We faced El Salvador in the Gold Cup and we want to see what happens with this group of players. We have some new players so it will be interesting to see what happens,”Rijsbergen  told TTFF media after a Sunday morning training session at the Ato Boldon Stadium training pitch. “It was a very heavy field today and it was intense which was good for us.”

 

The head coach, who is assisted by Anton Corneal, Jan Van Deinsen and Michael Maurice, maintained that the door remains open for new faces in the team.

 

“Everybody will have a fair chance. If we think a player can play in the national team he will get the chance. We have been following the competition. We are still looking for players maybe in the US, other parts of the world and of course the local competition. We have seen everybody (at home) and we try to see what we can use for building a team towards the future. Hopefully we have a couple more games to play (before end of year) where we can get to see some other players,” Rijsbergen added.

 

El Salvador, 2-1 winners over T&T at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup in June, drew 2-2 with Costa Rica in a friendly on Saturday. And Rijsbergen is anticipating a competitive game against the Central Americans.

 

“Of course we always hope to get a good challenge and we will try to present the same. It’s important to have the team play international matches and we know how the Central Americans play. It is all part of trying to prepare the team for the next qualification towards 2010,” he ended.