Edwards, Arcia named in TT squad

The Group Five Qualifiers, involving Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba, Suriname and St Vincent/Grenadines, will be staged at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet from tomorrow until Sunday.

Edwards, who have been reverted to his regular position as a striker this season, is the joint-top goalscorer in the Digicel Pro League with four goals, the same as clubmate Ataullah Guerra.

He netted a hat-trick in a 5-1 win over Police FC on Friday, and his performance over the past month guaranteed a spot in the national team.

Like Edwards, Arcia has never played for TT at any level, but he has been consistent, rather than convincing, for Connection this season. Guerra was a deserved recall to the team, having played an instrumental role in Caledonia’s surge to the top of the standings, as well as their current three-game winning streak in the League.

Other players who got recalls were wingbacks Kern Cupid from Connection and Caledonia’s Guyanese-born Aubrey David.

Cupid has played 23 times for the national team while David, who played his lone international against Antigua/Barbuda earlier this year, featured for the TT team at the 2009 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Egypt.

Three foreign-based players were chosen by coach Hutson Charles - defender Carlyle Mitchell from Vancouver Whitecaps (Canada) striker Kendall Jagdeosingh from Chainat FC (Thailand) and midfielder Hughtun Hector from Song Lam Nghe An (Vietnam).

Missing from the team who competed in last month’s First Round are centre back Daneil Cyrus (due to contract talk at an unnamed club in Vietnam), forward Willis Plaza (who also returned to club duties in Vietnam), defender Robert Primus (knee injury), midfielders Keon Daniel, Kevon Neaves and Sylvester Teesdale. And midfielder Kevin Molino, who was due to return to the team for this Qualifiers, decided not to be included due to contract talks in Belgium.

Charles, in an interview on the TTFF website, stated, “this group of players are very hungry to achieve something.