T&T starts Digicel Cup training on December 18.
By: Shaun Fuentes (TTFF).[/size]
Trinidad and Tobago head coach Wim Rijsbergen has invited forty-one (41) players based locally and in North America for a five-day training camp later this month ahead of the 2007 Digicel Caribbean Cup.
Rijsbergen, following a recent scouting exercise in South Carolina, has indicated that he has opened the doors to several of the players based in the T&T Pro League for the camp before selecting a 20-man squad later in the month for final preparations before T&T’s opening fixture with Barbados on January 12.
The list of invited players includes midfielder Silvio Spann, Densill Theobald, Aurtis Whitley, Anthony Wolfe and Cyd Gray, all part of the originally selected 2006 World Cup squad. Also in there is Kansas City Wizards striker Scott Sealy as well as former national midfielder Leslie Fizpatrick and ex-National Under 20 captain Makan Hislop.
Rijsbergen emphasized the selection of the locally-based players for the camp which runs from December 18-22 at the Ato Boldon Stadium.
“We are always looking at and seeing what the foreign-based players can do. We have also seen several matches in the local Pro League with a lot of players who we have invited now to be part of the training. We also have some of the players who we saw in the North American camp and they can all show us what they have on the field and whether they can be part of the twenty-man or eighteen-man squad for the Digicel Cup,” Rijsbergen told TTFF Media.
“We will finalize the group for the tournament and then train later in the year and of course in January before the tournament starts.”
Among some of the other names called include the trio from 2006 TT Pro League champions Joe Public – Gary Glasgow, Seon Power and Terrance McAllister. The other names coming out of the US camp are Abiola Clarence, Darryl Roberts, Osei Telesford, Keeron Benito, Darren Toby and Terrence Williams. Both Telesford and Roberts have trained with the national team before while Clarence and Benito are ex-St Anthony’s College players and Toby is a past member of St Clair Coaching School.
“The development process continues even though there may not be any matches taking place for the national team at this time. We continue to see the players that are on show here and of course there is the Under 17s preparing for the CONCACAF Finals next year and from this group of players we have now, the players will have a chance to get into the Olympic team for more qualifying games,” Rijsbergen added.
With the four top teams advancing to the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, T&T will open its Digicel Cup campaign against the “Bajans” at the Hasely Crawford Stadium and follow up against Martinique on January 15 and then two days later against the winner of Group J (Bermuda, Dominican Repubic, Haiti) which will be contested in Trinidad from January 5-9.
Players invited:
Osei Telesford (Liberty University), Darryl Roberts (Liberty University), Leslie Fitzpatrick (free agent), Darren Toby (Charleston College), Keeron Benito (University of Tampa), Terrence Williams (Lipscomb University), Abiola Clarence (University of Incarnate Word), Anthony Noreiga (Vancouver Whitecaps), Scott Sealy (Kansas City Wizards), Makan Hislop (University of South Carolina), Daurance Williams, Keyeno Thomas, Ian Gray, Marcelle Francois, Nigel Daniel, Glenton Wolfe, Kerry Baptiste, Aurtis Whitely, Trent Noel, Jason Marcano, Anthony Wofe, Cyd Gray (CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh); Marvin Phillip (Starworld Strikers); Kerwyn Jemmott (Superstar Rangers); Kevon Carter, Christian Baptiste (Defence Force); Tristan Charles, Sylvester Teesdale, Kevon Clement (United Petrotrin); Seon Power, Terrance McAllister, Gary Glasgow (Joe Public); Conrad Smith, Densill Theobald, Nigel Pierre, Hayden Tinto (Caledonia AIA); Dwayne Jack, Kwame Wiltshire (Tobago United); Jan Michael Williams, Nicholson Thomas, Silvio Spann (W Connection).
