Football coach calls 31 for training

TRINIDAD and Tobago football coach Stuart Charles-Fevrier has selected a 31-man squad to go into training from Monday as preparations intensify for the final round of qualifying matches next month leading to the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Charles-Fevrier will meet with the selected players at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva from 10 am following which sessions will take place at scheduled times over the next few weeks. A final squad of 20 will then be selected before the team departs for Mexico. Among the invitees include former National Under-20 and St Mary’s College  striker Scott Sealy who is coming off an impressive year for Wake Forest University in the United States. Also earning call-ups were striker Dean Logan who was among the top scorers with the University of Mobile and stopper Anthony Noreiga of George Mason University.

Both Logan and Noreiga, formerly of 2001 Intercol champions Princes Town Senior Comprehensive, were part of the Under-23 team under former technical director Rene Simoes and are back in the national set up for the first time since the Brazilian’s departure from TT. Also making a comeback are Caledonia AIA duo Conrad Smith and playmaker Denzil Theobald. Camaro Maloney has been invited having had some experience in England previously. Two overseas-based players are also on the list and are likely to be in the final touring party. They are Watford striker Jason Norville and Colin Samuel of Scottish Premier League side Dundee United. These two will not however be joining the team until a week or so before TT’s first match.

“We will be intensifying our preparations as we are into the last month before the tournament and the players are back after a much needed rest following what was a very hectic season for them.  “There are some new players who have done well for their respective teams and we found they were worthy of being looked at and we will be using the next few sessions to finalise the team that goes to Mexico,” Charles-Fevrier said. “We are well aware that it is going to be a difficult hurdle but we are by no means going to Mexico to be pushovers and we are very keen on putting up the best display possible,” he added.

Currently the Football Federation are in the process of finalising warm-up matches for the team. TT face host nation Mexico in the opening match of Group “B” action  on February 2 at the  Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara. They next play Costa Rica (February 4)  and Jamaica (February 6). Following one round of matches against each other, the top two teams from the group will advance to the semi-finals to face the top two teams from Group “A” consisting of Panama, United States, Honduras and Canada. The two finalists will earn automatic berths for the 2004 Olympics. All local players are requested to walk with their passports at Monday’s session.

TT squad: Jan Michael Williams, Silvio Spann, Lyndon Diaz, Kendall Davis, Kenwyne Jones, Jason Marcano, Clyde Leon (Vibe CT 105 W Connection), Nigel Daniel, Josh Johnson, Kerry Baptiste, Michael Celestine, Devon Mitchell, Ronald Primus, Daurance Williams (Jabloteh), Kevon Clement (SWIF), Anthony Wolfe, Glenton Wolfe, Kern Thomas (North East Stars), Denzil Theobald, Conrad Smith (Caledonia AIA), Kevin Graham, Devon Caseman (Joe Public), Anthony Noreiga (George Mason University), Dean Logan (Mobile University), Scott Sealey (Wake Forest University), Corey Rivers, Kevin Carter (Defence Force), Errol Charles (Starworld Strikers), Colin Samuel (Dundee United), Jason Norville (Watford)  and Camaro Maloney.