A Soca Warriors squad left here yesterday for Willemstad, Curacao where it will play that country’s national team tomorrow in a friendly international at the Stadion Ergilio Hato.
Earlier this week, the match looked in doubt after the Dutch-speaking nation requested to have the match brought forward by two days to yesterday (Wednesday), a move that has not been met with a positive response from T&T coach Stephen Hart and the T&T Football Association (T&TFA). Commenting on the situation T&T coach Stephen Hart had stated that Curacao football authorities called and requested a change in the date of the friendly match, but his team only began training on Monday and it would have been difficult to get his team ready.”
In the end both parties decided to go back to the original decision to play the match on Friday with the Soca Warriors team returning home on Saturday and continuing to work towards its next engagement at Jordan on June 16. T&T last faced off with Curacao in the group stages of last November’s Caribbean Football Union Cup Finals in Montego Bay, with the Soca Warriors coming away with a 3-2 win courtesy a Kenwyne Jones double (26th & 38th) and a 52nd minute winner from Kevin Molino.
This after Curacao led through Rihairo Meulens in the 18th and then drew level in the 48th thanks to Gianluca Maria at the Catherine Hall Sports Complex. Included in the senior team for the first time that left yesterday are national Under-20 striker Kadeem Corbin of St Ann’s Rangers, and defenders, Kaydion Gabriel of Central FC and Elijah Belgrave of Police FC while Triston Hodge who was named in the provisional 20-man team was the odd man out.
Defence Force striker Devorn Jorsling, Stars’ Kerron Cummings and Central FC midfielder Sean De Silva have all earned recalls while regulars in the squad are goalkeeping duo, Jan-Michael Williams (Central FC) and Marvin Phillip (Pt Fortin Civic), defenders: Mekeil Williams (W Connection) and Daneil Cyrus (W Connection), midfielders Andre Boucaud (Dagenham & Redbridge—UK), Leston Paul (Central FC), Khaleem Hyland and Ataullah Guerra (Central FC).
The T&T squad is also set to face Croatia in Europe later this month, and Haiti next month in Miami as they continue preparations for the Concacaf Gold Cup. However, the clash against Croatia, the 1998 FIFA World Cup semifinalist, is yet to be finalised. With the Gold Cup just over a month away coach Hart is certain to be without midfield duo, Hughtun Hector and Kevin Molino while defender Carlyle Mitchell faces a fitness battle.
The Vietnam-based Hector and Molino of US Major League Soccer’s newcomer Orlando City are both out due to season ending knee injuries sustained over the last two months while Mitchell is into the second week of a month-long layoff right ankle injury suffered in his Seoul E-Land FC’s 4-0 win over Chungju at the Seoul Olympic Stadium, in the South Korean K-League Challenge (Second Division)..
At the Concacaf Gold Cup the Soca Warriors faces Guatemala in its opener on July 9, at Soldier Field, Chicago; Cuba on July 12 at the University of Phoenix Stadium, and Mexico (July 15) at Bank of America Stadium, in Pool C. USA, Haiti, Honduras and Panama are in Pool A while Costa Rica, El Salvador, Canada and Jamaica comprise Pool B.