Daniel out but Tobago excited by Warriors visit
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868)Tobago is ruing the absence of Lambeau-born playmaker Keon Daniel but is still abuzz by the presence of the “Soca Warriors” as the Trinidad and Tobago national senior football team touched down on the sister isle today in preparation for this week’s 2012 Caribbean Cup qualifiers at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet.
There will be three double headers at the Bacolet venue this week with Trinidad and Tobago playing the closing fixture on each occasion against St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Cuba on November 14, 16 and 18 respectively. Tickets will be sold at the venue on match day for $40 (covered stands) and $20 (uncovered stands).
The top two teams progress to the Caribbean Cup finals in Antigua and Barbuda next month.
The Trinidad and Tobago outfit is captained by 28-year-old DirecTV W Connection goalkeeper Jan-Michael Williams and also includes 2006 World Cup midfielder and Neal & Massy Caledonia AIA employee Densill Theobald, uncompromising North East Stars defender Seon Power and the overseas-based pair of Vancouver defender Carlyle Mitchell and Vietnam-based attacker Hughtun Hector.
Tobago last hosted a competitive senior international game on 6 June 2009 when Dwight Yorke led out a squad that included England-based stars like Kenwyne Jones, Carlos Edwards and Dennis Lawrence for their first game under then coach Russell Latapy. They lost 3-2 to Costa Rica on an emotional evening, which was Yorke’s first and only competitive game on a ground named in his honour.
Huey Cadette, the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) assistant general secretary for sport and youth affairs, hopes that this week’s games are every bit as exciting.
“There is definitely a buzz here and we think it is an excellent opportunity for the Tobago public to see top flight football,” Cadette told Wired868. “It is obviously a big disappointment for the home crowd not to be able to see Keon... It might have generated even more excitement if he was here.
“But I think his omission was not deliberate and there will still be support.”
National coach Hutson “Barber” Charles shared Tobago’s disappointment in Daniel’s absence. The clever United States-based midfielder scored four times in three matches during the earlier round in St Kitts and Nevis last month but the technical staff has been unable to reach him by phone, Blackberry messenger or through his agent.
“Keon is a player we could have used but apparently he doesn’t want to be contacted,” said Charles. “We don’t even know what country he is in… I think it is real immature behaviour (because) we spoke to him in St Kitts and he assured us he would come back.”
Read More