Talented T&T midfielder Kevin Molino has been ruled out of T&T’s CONCACAF Nations League matches against the Bahamas and Nicaragua due to injury.
Molino, who has not played for T&T for some time because of injuries, picked up the knee injury last week while training with his club Columbus Crew and was expected to miss his club’s game Saturday evening against the New York Red Bulls. He is expected to return in two weeks.
Yesterday, Molino told Guardian Media Sports that he didn’t want to talk about the injury, only to say that he will be out for the short term.
“I will be out for the matches against the Bahamas and Nicaragua,” Molino said.
With nine points in the second position in Group C, T&T will be away to the Bahamas on March 24 before returning home at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago, to face the Nicaraguans in their final match, needing to win the group to be promoted to group A.
Nicaragua leads the group with 10 points after beating T&T in the first match between the teams in Managua in June last year. Molino said the coming two matches can determine the future of T&T football which is why he really wanted to be in the team.
“I was 100 per cent looking forward to these games, more than before because it’s so important, these two games. It’s important in the short term and it’s important for the long term, in terms of qualifying for tier 1, which is Group A if we win the two games, qualifying for the Gold Cup and also the World Cup that is coming up.
“We have to improve our rankings to be in the Hex stage. These two games can determine our future both in the short term and the long term,” Molino said.
Meanwhile, Molino praised the T&T team and its staff for the 1-0 series win against Jamaica in two international friendly encounters last week.
T&T beat the Jamaicans, 1-0, courtesy of a 67th-minute Reon Moore goal on March 11 and later held their counterparts to a goalless draw on Tuesday.
Molino said: “It was a good showing when you look at players who haven’t been active for quite some time to still go out there and give a good showing of themselves. I think the people at the front desk of the office deserve a little credit for keeping the group together for quite some time, since November, and to get a couple of games in, which is good.
“Unfortunately, now, we have injuries and hopefully, the guys who got selected can pull it off,” Molino said.
SOURCE: T&T Guardian