Trinidad and Tobagos senior footballers will for the first time in the "Journey to Germany" campaign, have a taste of the quick Queens Park Oval surface when they tackle Haiti in a friendly international on Tuesday from 3:30pm.
Head coach Bertille St Clair will be having his first look too at Coventry City striker Stern John who has not appeared for the Warriors since a 3-0 loss to Mexico in Puebla back in October and he could possibly play a half if not the whole match having arrived from London on Sunday with Scottish-based defender Brent Sancho and Anthony Rougier. All three players went through their paces at the Oval on Monday afternoon with assistant coach David Nakhid also having his first chance to work as a coach with John and Sancho.
But missing Tuesdays friendly will be Joe Public defender Derek King who is struggling with a hamstring injury but he remains in the 20-man squad and should be ready for Thursdays match at the Hasely Crawford Stadium. The rest of the team for the two friendlies include Clayton Ince, Daurance Williams, Marlon Rojas, Derek King, Cyd Gray, Avery John, Atiba Charles, Angus Eve, Scott Sealy, Anton Pierre, Keyeno Thomas, Jose Seabra, Cornell Glen, Gary Glasgow, Denzil Theobald, Leslie Fitzpatrick and Nigel Pierre.
St Clair will await the arrivals of Portsmouth goalie Shaka Hislop, Wrexham midfielder Carlos Edwards, in form Southampton forward Kenwyne Jones and Glasgow Rangers defender Marvin Andrews later this week.
Its an opportunity to play at the Oval and even though we are missing one or two players I think this match is still a valuable one for us at this stage, St Clair told TTFF Media. We have come this far and this is the time to put on the final touches. I think the guys are prepared for the challenge ahead and now with most of the team together, the will to succeed continues to grow and this is vital for us.
John, who has not been big among the goals for Coventry, is not worried about a slump on the charts.
Its been up and down but at the moment what is most important is how I perform in the Trinidad and Tobago shirt. Playing for your country is a whole different ball game and I believe once I can settle in well then the rest will fall in place, John said. We know that come Ash Wednesday, the whole country will be looking at us and hoping that we can pull off a good result and I have no doubt that once we can prepare well and get it right as a team then our chances of beating the States are as good as any.
The Haitians will look to the services of the experienced Bruny Pierre and their coach Carlo Marcelin is confident that his side can give the Warriors a run for their money as they continue to develop and are keen to put on a good show against the only Caribbean side still in with a chance of getting to Germany 2006.
The 2004 FIFA Presidential Award and the FIFA Fair Play Award were conferred upon the football associations of Haiti and Brazil respectively in recognition of the "Match for Peace" played by the two association's national teams in Port-au-Prince (Haiti) on August 18 which the Brazilians won 6-0.
In their most recent friendly, Haiti held Costa Rica to a 3-3 draw in San Jose two weeks ago. They trailed Costa Rica 3-0 after 13 minutes but battled back with goals by Eliphéne Cadet (2) and Peter Germain. Both players are carded to start against T&T.
The last time T&T played Haiti they ended up 2-0 losers in a friendly in St Kitts/Nevis in July, 2003. Only current players Thomas, Anton and Nigel Pierre were members of the team back then. All School Children will be admitted free into the Oval for Tuesdays match and general admission is $50.
Haitian Team:
Luidgi Beauzile, Fenelon Gabbart, Roosvelt Desir, Bruny Pierre, David Saincius, Frantz Gilles, Mones Chery, Peter Germain, Ulcena Richardson, Turlien Romulus, Louivens Mesidor, Eliphene Cadet, Jemps Dorcelus, Kenol Versailles, Leonel Saint Preux, Jimmy Saint Lot, Grema Berthelemy, Jhonny Descollines.