Manswell tabbed for Trinidad & Tobago U-20 squad
By Alex Glaze (The Towerlight)Malcolm Manswell was sitting in his theater class when his cell phone went off.
Though he did not answer because he was in class, he had an idea of who was calling.
When he called the number back, the Trinidad & Tobago Football Federation was on the other end, extending an invitation for him to attend the U-20 Trinidad & Tobago national team camp in Miami, Fla.
This camp was in preparation for the U-20 World Cup qualifiers, but was not a new experience for Manswell, who played for Trinidad & Tobago’s U-17 team in 2009 while attending River Hill High School.
Though he only played in seven games because he was not allowed to miss three weeks of high school, the experience was valued.
“I was at the U-17 camp two summers ago, so I guess my name got brought back up,” Manswell said. “I was in the pool for the last qualifiers, but I couldn’t miss that much school than I already did. I was a little bit more experienced [this time around], so it was easier for me to come in and use my abilities right away.”
Manswell flew in to Fort Lauderdale on Feb. 8, and from then on it was strictly business.
From the moment his plane touched down, he was focused and determined to make it to the qualifiers.
The first practice was held at 10 a.m. the day following his arrival, and competition began.
Of the roughly 25 players that were at the camp, Trinidad head coach Zoran Vranes was looking for the best of the best to put in the game.
“Coach determined through the training who would start,” Manswell said. “Right from the beginning, there were no excuses. Coaches kept bringing in players that they wanted to see, so it was hard for some of the players to get a chance to prove themselves because we only had one practice before the first game.”
That first game was against Canada, who beat Trinidad & Tobago 1-0.
Manswell did not get to start, but played the entire 45 minutes of the second half.
“The next day of practice was probably one of the most intense days at practice that I have had so far,” Manswell said. “Guys were really going at it because they really wanted to impress coach.”
It was his hard work in practice and play against Canada that made Vranes notice Manswell and earned him the start against D.C. United of Major League Soccer.
Manswell described playing D.C. United like no other game he had played before.
Unlike playing against players in his age group, he was playing against ‘grown men.’
“[The game] was way faster,” Manswell said. “You had to be focused all the time. Usually people don’t give that much credit to American soccer, but I tip my hat off to D.C. United because they were a very organized team and because of the athletes they have.”
“It was good to see a different side to the game and to see people who have been playing the game for a long time.”
Manswell played 65 minutes against D.C. United, but Trinidad & Tobago lost again 4-0.
Looking back on the experience, Manswell credited Towson’s off-season workouts to his success in Miami.
“The Towson offseason workouts helped,” Manswell said. “If you aren’t in shape, you lose everything. It doesn’t matter how good you are, if you aren’t in shape, they’re going to run all over you.”
When Manswell returned to campus on Feb. 13, he did not know if he would get called back to keep training with Trinadad & Tobago, but he knew he had given it all he had.
Two days after he returned, he got the call he had been waiting for.
At 1 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, Cheryl Abrams of the Trinidad & Tobago Football Federation called Manswell and told him that if he is able to participate, they want him to come down to Trinidad for a month leading up to the qualifiers.
Doing so would allow Manswell to get more comfortable playing center back and playing with the team.
He is waiting on word from Towson to see if he is able to go.
“I feel like it is an honor to be able to represent a national team using my abilities, Manswell said. “I’ll be able to use this experience and hopefully get Towson back to the CAA tournament.”
Malcom Manswell - file photo by Christopher Curry/ The Towerlight
