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Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team head coach Derek King will have the services of United States-based midfielder Michel Poon-Angeron tomorrow, as they look to close off a two-legged Concacaf Play-In tie with Antigua and Barbuda at the Hasely Crawford Stadium from 8pm.
The Soca Warriors won the first leg 3-2 in Antigua on Thursday and can advance with even a narrow loss, based on the away goals rule. However, King will hope for a far more comprehensive result against a nation ranked 162nd in the world by Fifa—57 places lower than T&T—and who have just two professional players in their squad.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868.
But while King will welcome Poon-Angeron, a third division player in the US, into his troops, the coach loses Ryan Telfer and Andre Rampersad, who both started in Antigua.
Telfer and Rampersad will skip the second leg for assignments related to their coaching badges with the Canada football body.
Four more players, Levi Garcia, Rio Cardines, Kobi Henry and Steffen Yeates, did not travel to Trinidad to link up with the national team at all. And perhaps the uncertainty over the commitment of the players might explain why King named a 28-man squad for a two-match window in the first place.
In a pre-game press conference, King said Cardines and Garcia were not 100 percent fit while Henry is “fatigued”. The coach sidestepped a question from one reporter regarding his view on players choosing club over country.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
As far as the club versus country issue goes, only one of those parties is meeting its financial obligations to the Trinidad and Tobago players at the moment—and it sure is not the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA).
Still, King should have more than adequate firepower to handle the “Benna Boyz”.
Poon-Angeron, a tidy, deep-lying playmaker, should relish the space that Antigua and Barbuda afforded Rampersad last week, and is better equipped to help the Warriors’ link-up play.
And Noah Powder and Andre Raymond, both vastly experienced, would expect to fill in for the departed Telfer at left back.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
Attacking midfielders Dantaye Gilbert and Molik Khan, box-to-box midfielder Wayne Frederick II and nippy attacker Real Gill gave the Antigua and Barbuda defence no end of worry last week.
There is no reason why they would not build on that start in front of their home crowd tomorrow.
In 13 internationals as head coach across two stints on the job, King has led the Soca Warriors out in Port of Spain on two occasions. The results were a 2-1 loss to the Dominican Republic and a 1-1 draw with Curaçao.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
Facing Antigua and Barbuda in Port of Spain offers the chance of a personal milestone that the Arimian coach cannot afford to pass up.
The apparently frosty relations between players and administrators, with the national coach stuck in the middle, is another story.
(Trinidad and Tobago team)
Goalkeepers: Teshorne Ragoo (Club Sando FC), Denzil Smith (AV Alta—USA), Jahiem Wickham (Charlotte FC—USA);
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
Defenders: Justin Garcia (Defence Force), Neveal Hackshaw (Oakland Roots SC—USA), Jaheim Joseph (Club Sando FC), Déron Payne (FC Volendham—Netherlands), Noah Powder (Westchester SC—USA), Andre Raymond (Club Sando FC), Kaihim Thomas (Defence Force),
Midfielders: Daniel David (Club Sando FC), Wayne Frederick II (Colorado Rapids—USA), Shervohnez Hamilton (Club Sando FC), Molik Khan (Vanspor FK—Turkey), Ali Kazim Nakhid (FC Ferizaj—Kosovo), Michel Poon-Angeron (Portland Heart of Pine—USA),
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
Attackers: Nicholas Dillon (Defence Force), Real Gill (One Knoxville SC—USA), Dantaye Gilbert (FC Banik Ostrava—Czech Republic), Nathaniel James (North Texas SC—USA), Luke Phillip (Club Sando FC), Kathon St Hillaire (Defence Force).
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Lasana Liburd is the managing director and chief editor at Wired868.com and a journalist with over 20 years experience at several Trinidad and Tobago and international publications including Play the Game, World Soccer, UK Guardian and the Trinidad Express.
