Peltier in for Argentina trip
By: Shaun Fuentes (TTFF)
Striker Lester Peltier and midfielder Akeil Guevera have been drafted into the Trinidad and Tobago Senior Team which departs for Argentina on Wednesday for a training camp ahead of next month’s 2010 World Cup Qualifier against El Salvador.
Both players are coming in at the expense of Osei Telesford who sustained a knee injury last week which may require surgery, and Khaleem Hyland is in Europe at the moment hoping to secure a contract with a club in Belgium.
Peltier already trained with the team under the watchful eyes of Francisco Maturana and Russell Latapy while Guevera will join training within the next few days.
Meantime, the T&T versus Chile friendly international carded for January 24 in Santiago has been put off after the Chile Football Association made a request on Monday for the game to be brought forward to January 21. However, team manager David Muhammad explained that all travel arrangements had already been confirmed for the team to travel out of Trinidad on January 21. It is likely though that two further matches against Argentine clubs will be scheduled.
The other matches, as previously announced, will go on as planned. Those games are against Primera Division club Independiente (January 28), Velez Sarsfield (January 30), Gimnasia y Esgrim de la Plata (February 1) and Second Division club Quilmes on February 3.
Latapy added that the upcoming training camp will serve the team well ahead of the all important World Cup qualifier against El Salvador.
“It’s obviously a long trip ahead before the El Salvador game and we have got to be careful with our preparations. But in saying that I think the camp in itself will do the team a lot of good and despite the game (against Chile) being off, we have quite a few matches to looking forward to,” Latapy told TTFF Media.
Meantime, midfielder Chris Birchall has made a plea to Brighton to sign him following his ongoing trial with the club.
“I have been here for nine or ten days now and I am just waiting to see if Micky Adams wants me to stay. There is nothing more that I want at the moment. He knows I want to stay, I don’t want to go anywhere else. I have an option on the table in America (with San Jose Earthquakes) but that is something I don’t really want to do at this stage of my career. I’d rather stay in England.
Adams has expressed concerns over Birchall’s hectic traveling schedule in connection to his international duties with T&T.
“"It caused a few problems at Port Vale and sometimes at Coventry. Micky thought I was a bit jet-lagged but I was flying from Trinidad to Gatwick then all the way up to Manchester and back to Coventry where as if I was settled here the flight would only be back to Gatwick,” Birchall added.
"I would be back to training the day before matches. That is really up to the gaffer, I can't help that. I have got to play for Trinidad. He understands that, he never had a problem with the World Cup qualifiers at Coventry, only friendlies."
