St Clair recalls Mason, Smith

MIDFIELDERS Stokely Mason and Conrad Smith were both recalled to the national senior football team for their friendly international against Guatemala, in Guatemala City, on Wednesday. The 18-member team will leave today for the Central American nation, via Miami, in their final warm-up match before meeting St Vincent in the opening match of the CONCACAF World Cup Semi-final Round qualifiers. The match against the Vincentians will take place on August 18 at Arnos Vale, Kingstown.

Mason, a member of CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh was dropped from the team after their 3-0 loss to Northern Ireland in Tobago last June while Smith, who plays for American A-League club Calgary Mustangs, last wore the national colours during their tour of Bermuda in February. National Under-23 goalkeepers Daurance Williams (Jabloteh) and Jan-Michael Williams (W Connection) were selected due to the absence of the British-based trio of Shaka Hislop, Clayton Ince and Kelvin Jack while the senior heads include captain Angus Eve, fellow Jabloteh team-mate Keyeno Thomas, Anthony Rougier and the midfield duo of Arnold Dwarika and Gary Glasgow, both playing for Guangehou in China.

Completing the team are defenders Derek Phillips (of American club Chesapeake Athletic Dragons), Marlon Rojas (Superstar Rangers) and Derek King; midfielders Silvio Spann, Densil Theobald (Arima/Morvant Fire), Kerry Baptiste and Michael Celestine (Jabloteh); and US-based strikers Cornell Glen (New York/New Jersey Metrostars) and Scott Sealy (Wake Forest University). According to team coach Bertille St Clair, “it’s good when the other players can step in and play their part because then it shows that there is depth in the squad and then we can use some of the other guys from abroad to complete the team.”