T&T footballers tackle Puerto Rico Jan 26.
By: Shaun Fuentes (TTFF).
Trinidad and Tobago’s National Senior Team will travel to Puerto Rico to meet that country’s national team in a friendly international on January 26.
The game was confirmed this week by the TTFF and assistant national team coach Anton Corneal sees it as a good opportunity to see the soon to be selected quota of home-based players in action prior to the February 6 friendly international in Port of Spain against Guadeloupe.
None of the invited for nine overseas pros called up to face Guadeloupe will be in the squad that travels to Puerto Rico on January 24.
Corneal, who conducted a training session at the Ato Boldon Stadium on Tuesday morning believes that the game is coming at a good time.
“This game comes as a good chance to see the players in action so early in the year. It means too that we can give some of the younger players a chance against a country that is working feverishly to lift its football and you would have noticed that with the recent showing of the Islanders in the Caribbean Club Championship,” Corneal told TTFF Media. “They have a few players from that club on their national team.”
“The timing of this game means that it also changes up the format of our training program a bit because we now have to be more match specific in our preparations a bit earlier than originally planned. It’s a good chance to see the current players before the Guadeloupe game because for that encounter we will be meshing the overseas with the locals for the first time in quite a while,” Corneal added.
Training sessions continue on Thursday and Friday at the Ato Boldon Stadium and on Sunday at the Marvin Lee Stadium.
One player who will not be making the trip is Kansas Wizards striker Scott Sealy who is coming off a quad muscle injury. Sealy is banking on a quick enough return in time to be on the Squad for the upcoming 2010 World Cup qualifiers which begin for T&T on June 14/15 versus Bermuda/Cayman Islands.
Sealy currently in Trinidad, is looking at his options with one season on contract left in the MLS.
“It’s an exciting time for us because it’s a World Cup year and I’m definitely looking forward to being part of the national team. It was disappointing not being able to be in training now because of the injury. It happened during the season but even though I was able to play with it… it popped up again recently. But all in all I’m looking forward to a productive 2008 and trying to press for a spot on the national team. I think we have the ingredients to do well again and perform well in the qualifiers and of course go on to qualify again,” Sealy told TTFF Media on the weekend. The Puerto Ricans meantime are preparing for their World Cup one-leg first round qualifier against Dominican Republic in February.
