Saintfiet names 20-man squad for Gold Cup playoffs
TTFA Media ReleaseTrinidad and Tobago head coach Tom Saintfiet announced his 20-man squad this evening for the two upcoming CFU Gold Cup playoff matches against Suriname and Haiti.
The only addition to the list that was in the squad for the recent Nicaragua matches is English-based midfielder Andre Boucaud.
Saintfiet revealed that he took a decision to omit Daneil Cyrus and Jomal Williams from the 20-man squad due to both players arriving to a residential camp at Cara Suites Hotel more than an hour after the scheduled time. US-based player Joevin Jones was also in the initial 20-man squad but was also released after the player failed to report to camp. The players recalled are Trevin Caesar, Curtis Gonzales and Akeem Roach.
Saintfiet spoke more about his decision moments before a training session at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on Sunday evening.
T&T 20-man SquadGoalkeepers:Adrian Foncette (Police FC), Glenroy Samuel (Ma Pau Stars).
Defenders:Carlos Edwards (Ma Paul Stars), Curtis Gonzales (Defence Force), Carlyle Mitchell (Seoul E-Land—Korea Republic), Radanfah Abu Bakr (Sillamae Kallen—Estonia), Maurice Ford (W Connection), Aubrey David (Deportivo Saprissa—Costa Rica).
Midfielders:Kevan George (Jacksonville Armada—USA), Andre Boucaud (Dagenham & Redbridge—England), Alvin Jones, Hughtun Hector (both W Connection), Aikim Andrews (W Connection), Trevin Caesar (Orange County Blues—USA), Hashim Arcia (Defence Force), Nathan Lewis, Tyrone Charles (both San Juan Jabloteh).
Forwards:Akeem Roach (Club Sando), Shahdon Winchester (Murcielagos FC—Mexico), Cornell Glen (Ozone FC Bengalaru—India).
Technical Staff:Tom Saintfiet (head coach), Russell Latapy (assistant coach), Jamaal Shabazz (assistant coach), Lukas Wojciak (goalkeeper coach), Riedoh Berdien (trainer), Dr Terence Babwah (doctor), Dave Isaac (paramedic), Michael Williams (equipment manager), Shaun Fuentes (press officer), Azaad Khan (interim manager).
Video -
Saintfiet on 20-man Squad selection for CFU Gold Cup playoffsRELATED NEWSSaintfiet sends home Cyrus, Jomal.
T&T Newsday Reports.National coach Tom Saintfiet yesterday sent home Daneil Cyrus and Jomal Williams after the pair allegedly arrived late to camp at Cara Suites Hotel.
Saintifiet later omitted them from his 20-man squad for the Gold Cup qualifiers vs Suriname and Haiti this week. Saintfiet, speaking at yesterday’s training session at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, was quoted by CNMG news as saying: “Two players came one and a half hours too late in camp and had still a decent smell of alcohol around them.
That was Daneil Cyrus and Jomal Williams. Both were immediately sent home back to party.” Meanwhile, Saintfiet has also left out Seattle Sounders’ Joevin Jones from his squad after the player failed to report to camp.
The T&T coach explained that the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) had an agreement with Joevin that he would skip the Nicaragua friendlies but report for duty on New Year’s Day.
Trinidad and Tobago were back on the training pitch yesterday, less than 24 hours after arriving home from their two match training camp in Managua, Nicaragua.
Saintfiet and his squad returned home on Saturday afternoon before assembling for a residential camp ahead of their training session at the Hasely Crawford Stadium yesterday. T&T face Suriname at 7pm on Wednesday at the Ato Boldon Stadium and then square off with Haiti on Sunday at 5pm at the Couva venue in Gold Cup qualifiers.
T&T are coming off a 3-1 victory over Nicaragua on Friday night and team captain Carlos Edwards said he felt the result was a timely confidence booster for the T&T squad.
“It felt good to get the win. At the same time we were under a little bit of pressure after the first game, we needed to get a victory and put in a good performance.
The guys came out and rolled their sleeves up and took the game to Nicaragua and we came away with the 3-1 victory,” Edwards told TTFA Media.
“We worked on a few things and we really got into the game.
We got a sucker punch with the Nicaragua first game but the guys stuck to it, we had a game plan and we had to improvise also and I think by getting the equaliser it built our rhythm and we took the game to them,” he added.
“It was nice for the coach to call this camp at an early stage and we also have a few guys joining the squad for the two games against Suriname and Haiti. It’s a good bond and hopefully with the boys coming in we can complete the jigsaw puzzle,” the former Wrexham player added.
W Connection’s Aikim Andrews who put T&T 3-1 ahead with a brilliant second half goal, said he had it in his mind that something remarkable would have to be on the cards after he missed the original flight with the team to Managua due to a passport issue.