Sam, Cox, Spann recalled

HECTOR SAM, Ian Cox and Silvio Spann have all been recalled to the Trinidad and Tobago football team for the CONCACAF Final Round World Cup qualifier against Guatemala at the Mateo Flores Stadium, Guatemala City on March 26. The squad will meet in Miami on Sunday for a training camp and will feature 15 overseas-based professionals, one from the US collegiate circuit and four from the local ranks. In all, 20 players have been chosen, with striker Scott Sealy expected to join the team in Guatemala. The 23-year-old is unavailable for the Miami camp due to club commitments with his new club Kansas City Wizards. Also expected to join the team at Miami is assistant coach David Nakhid, who returned to his base in Lebanon following Trinidad and Tobago’s campaign at the Digicel Caribbean Cup in Barbados last month.

Sam, from English League One outfit Wrexham, and Cox, from English Championship team Gillingham, last played for TT during their 2-1 victory over St Vincent on November 17, while Spann, of Japanese club Yokohama FC, was dropped after TT’s 3-0 loss to Mexico on October 13. Coach Bertille St Clair has also included, in the squad, the injured trio of goalkeeper Clayton Ince of English Championship outfit Crewe Alexandra, defender Marlon Rojas of Major League Soccer (MLS) unit Real Salt Lake and striker Cornell Glen of MLS club Dallas Burn. Ince broke a finger during a training session in England early this month and is expected to be out of action for six to eight weeks while Rojas is struggling with a groin injury and Glen an ankle sprain, which he suffered on a pre-season tour of Spain.

But a stress fracture has ruled midfielder Densil Theobald out of contention while sweeper Derek King and utility player Anthony Rougier have been dropped from the team that lost 2-1 to the United States at the Queen’s Park Oval last month. The remaining overseas-based pros are Portsmouth goalkeeper Shaka Hislop, strikers Dwight Yorke (Birmingham City) and Stern John (Coventry City), midfielders Leslie “Tiger” Fitzpatrick (Atlanta Silverbacks) and Carlos Edwards (Wrexham), defenders Marvin Andrews (Glasgow Rangers), Brent Sancho (Dundee), Nigel Henry (Charleston Battery, USA) and Stoke City’s utility player Kenwyne Jones. Completing the team are CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh player/coach Angus Eve, and the defensive trio of Keyeno Thomas (Jabloteh), David Atiba Charles (W Connection) and Anton Pierre (Defence Force). The team will engage in practice sessions at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo today and tomorrow, from 4 pm each day, before leaving for Miami.

In related news, TT’s scheduled friendly encounter against Honduras on Wednesday has been cancelled as both teams are were recently paired in the same group for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. A training match is being organised as the team prepare for the Guatemala clash. Concerning the 20-member team, St Clair said: “I think the squad of players we have put together is a well-rounded one and we expect that the guys will really rise to the call in what is our first away game of the round. “This (camp) is an important phase because, as you know, the majority of our players are from outside and this gives us a chance to get together before the match itself and I expect that the period before the game will be well spent getting ready for the big one.”

Regarding the injured threesome of Ince, Glen and Rojas, St Clair remarked: “Fitness is a key component in any team and we will monitor the players very closely but we expect that they will be ready in time.” Guatemala coach Ramon Maradiaga also named a squad of 21 for the World Cup qualifier. The team is - Miguel Klee, Paulo Motta, Ricardo Triguero (goalkeepers); Angel Sanabria, Nelson Morales, Denis Chen, Gustavo Cabrera, Nestor Martinez, Carlos Quironez, Pablo Melgar (defenders); Mynor Davila, Fredy Thompson, Gonzalo Romero, Carlos Figueroa, Carlos Castillo, Guillermo Ramirez (midfielders); Dwight Pezzarossi, Hernan Sandoval, Juan Carlos Plata, Carlos Ruiz (strikers).