TT team named for W/Cup qualifier

AN 18-member national football team will leave for Santo Domingo tonight for Sunday’s CONCACAF World Cup qualifier against the Dominican Republic. Two changes have been made to the team humbled 3-0 by Northern Ireland at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet, Tobago, on Sunday last, with national Under-23 players Kenwyne Jones and Kerry Baptiste replacing Stokely Mason and Andre Boucaud. But injuries have ruled out the services of striker Cornell Glen, playmaker Brent Rahim and English-born defender Ian Cox from the first leg W/Cup qualifier. Glen is expected to rejoin the team during training next week for the return leg, scheduled for June 20 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo. Also due to join the team for training are Dundee United forward Jason Scotland, TT Under-23 striker Devon Mitchell, Otis Seaton (Aurtis Whitley) and US-based midfielder Joel Bailey.

Coach Bertille St Clair noted that he would also use Sunday’s match as an opportunity to look at the younger members of the team.
“It is important that we get a victory,” said the Tobago-born coach. “There are still some players we need to look at and the door remains open for now. As I said from the start, we are building the team step by step.”Also expressing confidence in the team’s chances is captain Angus Eve, who said: “There are certain things that we have had to work on as a team and I feel confident that we can go there and get the desired result which could take off some of the pressure we are under at this point.”

Squad: Clayton Ince, Daurance Williams (goalkeepers); Brent Sancho, Derek King, Dennis Lawrence, Marlon Rojas, Kenwyne Jones, Keyeno Thomas (defenders); Hayden Fitzwilliam, Carlos Edwards, Anthony Rougier, Kerwyn Jemmott, Densil Theobald, Kerry Baptiste (midfielders); Angus Eve (captain), Stern John, Darryl Roberts (strikers).