Injury concerns but spirit still up in T&T camp.
Issued By: Shaun Fuentes, TTFF Press Officer.
Trinidad and Tobago may have to do without goalkeeper Clayton Ince for the upcoming 2006 World Cup qualifier against Guatemala on March 26 after the Crewe Alexandra man suffered a broken finger in training last week.
It is understood that Ince could be out for up to eight weeks after X-rays showed that he had broken the finger and he will now undergo treatment before hopefully returning for his club’s closing set of games.
But T&T official Richard Braithwaite spoke to Ince yesterday and the former Defence Force custodian said that he may still be able to recover in time for the match against Guatemala. “He explained that while he is on the sidelines now, the injury is not too serious and he should be ready for the next match,” Braithwaite told TTFF Media.
Portsmouth goalie Shaka Hislop could now have his arms full as Scottish-based goalie Kelvin Jack is also recovering from a thigh injury which leaves local-based Daurance Williams and Jan Michael Williams as the two back ups.
There was also untimely news coming out of Spain where speedy striker Cornell Glen twisted his ankle and will now miss the remainder of Dallas FC’s training camp. Glen did the damage while in training and will remain with the club there for further evaluation over the next few days. “He too has been in touch for us and it seems like a touch and go situation with him at this point,” said Braithwaite.
There was better news though for striker Nigel Pierre as swelling on his right eye has gone down and he has resumed training while Marlon Rojas should join his Real Salt Lake teammates for training this coming week after pulling his hamstring in the Digicel Caribbean Cup match against Jamaica last month. Rojas did not travel to Portugal to meet the team but instead traveled to Salt Lake where he attended the Real Salt Lake and the Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation "Three for All" 3v3 Soccer Fest, conducting interviews and signing autographs on Saturday. He will then join the team for their preseason camp in California from March 14-30.
Midfielder Arnold Dwarika is also in training with the national team and will continue at the next session carded for Tuesday morning at the Larry Gomes Stadium.
With all the debates going on over the readiness of the team for the matches coming up, particularly following the Digicel Cup, Hislop is still firm on the thought that the “Warriors” will rise to the challenge in the matches that matter the most.
“I think that some people may get carried away by some of the things that may have happened but it is important to realize that we are about qualifying for the World Cup. I have no doubt that this team will rise to the occasion and pull itself together for the upcoming matches. It’s fair to say that there will be concerns raised over bad performances but I certainly don’t think that the team will just fall off the road to Germany as some may be thinking,” Hislop told TTFF Media.
