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Defence Force striker Jamille Boatswain and Police FC forward Jameel Perry were rewarded for their fine form this Pro League season with their first international call-ups to the Trinidad and Tobago National Senior Team.
The 27-man squad, which was announced by Soca Warriors head coach Dennis Lawrence at a press conference this afternoon, consisted entirely of local-based players.
Looking on (right) is his teammate and captain Jerwyn Balthazar. Defence Force won 4-0.
(Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868)
Lawrence hopes to get two practice games for his local-based contingent before he decides which players will advance to his full team for next month’s World Cup qualifiers against Panama and Mexico.
“I wouldn’t have access to the foreign-based players until the 18th or 19th of March,” said Lawrence. “What I think is important is I work with the local players now […] to start building on something [so] that these players will be able to push for a position on the team [to face Panama] come March the 24th.”
Boatswain scored 16 goals in all competitions—eight with his former club, Point Fortin Civic—and is the joint second highest domestic scorer, alongside fellow national recruit Hashim Arcia, while Perry managed just one goal less for the “Lawmen”.
Club Sando attacker Akeem Roach, who managed a league high 11 goals, is in the squad too and keeps his place from the Trinidad and Tobago team which played in last month’s 2017 Gold Cup Play Offs under former coach Tom Saintfiet.
However, Lawrence omitted former 2006 World Cup teammate Carlos Edwards, who captained the national team under Saintfiet, as well as defender Maurice Ford who was also a regular starter under Saintfiet. Winger Aikim Andrews is also out although he is believed to be unavailable due to overseas commitments.
(Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868)
Defence Force poacher Devorn Jorsling, whose 16 goals in all competitions was the highest tally in the domestic game, was also overlooked from the 27-man squad.
Lawrence said he spoke to Defence Force coach Marvin Gordon before deciding on Jorsling’s fate and suggested that he felt the time was not right to consider the 33 year old forward at present. The burly striker has just returned to full fitness from an injury.
Lawrence did not offer an explanation for the exclusion of Edwards or anyone else, though.
“This is the group I am starting with,” said Lawrence, “this is not the group I am going to finish with.”
Other significant returnees are the Central FC pair of defender Julius James and midfielder Keron “Ball Pest” Cummings.
James, a former Columbus Crew player in the MLS, has not represented Trinidad and Tobago since 11 November 2011 when the Warriors lost 2-1 away to Guyana. But he caught the eye with a series of steady showings for the “Couva Sharks” as they clinched their third successive Pro League title.
(Courtesy Chevaughn Christopher/Wired868)
James joined Central just last month.
Cummings has not worn red, black and white strip since he was shot in his leg, just over a year ago, while he has not consistently commanded a starting role for Central this season.
“Keron [Cummings] plays in a position on the football pitch that was one of the positions that I was interested in finding players for,” said Lawrence. “Keron has demonstrated to me that he understands the position… He has the experience of being around the international football before.
“From that point of view, I would like to work with him and see if we can improve on him.”
Lawrence was certainly happy to be unconventional in his initial squad. Cummings apart, Defence Force goalkeeper Andre Marchan is not even a regular starter at his club while defender Jesus Perez has not always held on to a first team spot at W Connection.
St Ann’s Rangers winger Jomoul Francois, a speedy but raw prospect, barely played for his club in the past two months, as he considered an exit to greener pastures. But Lawrence was not put off.
“I saw him come on as a substitute a couple times,” said Lawrence, “so he has been playing for Rangers.”
(Courtesy Chevaughn Christopher/Wired868)
There were more debutantes too as Club Sando midfielders Jared London and former National Under-20 player Akeem Humphrey were also selected.
Central goalkeeper Jan-Michael Williams and midfielders Leston Paul and Sean De Silva are in as well, although club captain Darren “Chucky” Mitchell—who scored nine goals from a variety of positions across the midfield and even full back—was another surprise omission.
Lawrence explained that his coaching staff comprised of people he felt comfortable working with and who he felt shared his vision.
He said Connection coach Stuart Charles-Fevrier—who was initially recommended for his job by the TTFA technical committee—had valuable knowledge of the local league and its players while Central assistant coach Stern John, who is Trinidad and Tobago’s record goal scorer, could share his goalscoring knowledge with the squad.
Lawrence said he decided to appoint South African fitness trainer Riedoh Berdien based on the positive feedback of people who worked with him in Trinidad.
The Warriors squad had their first meeting this afternoon at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)
“I am trying to ensure that I prepare the team as best as possible,” said Lawrence. “And as I said before, as difficult as it might be, it is not impossible. So we are going to prepare as best as we can to make sure that—come March the 24th—we can go out and try and deliver what we would like to have, which is a successful result.”
(Trinidad and Tobago 27-man squad)
Goalkeepers: Jan-Michael Williams (Central FC), Marvin Phillip (Morvant Caledonia United), Glenroy Samuel (Ma Pau Stars), Adrian Foncette (Police FC), Andre Marchan (Defence Force);
Defenders: Carlyle Mitchell (Unattached), Curtis Gonzales (Defence Force), Julius James (Central FC), Radanfah Abu Bakr (Unattached), Daniel Cyrus (Unattached), Jelani Peters, Jesus Perez, Triston Hodge, Alvin Jones (all W Connection);
Midfielders: Leston Paul, Sean De Silva (both Central FC), Akeem Humphrey, Jared London (both Club Sando), Hughtun Hector (W Connection), Tyrone Charles, Nathan Lewis (both San Juan Jabloteh), Jomoul Francois (St Ann’s Rangers);
Forwards: Keron Cummings (Central FC), Jamille Boatswain, Hashim Arcia (both Defence Force), Akeem Roach, Jameel Perry (Police FC).
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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.
Boatswain is a player I like. He works very hard at perfecting his discipine. Great attitude towards the game. Year by year his goal tally has been increasing and thing call up should come as added motivation to him.
It would nice if he got some mintutes.
Boatswain great pic..he’s a natural old fashioned center forward…great with his back to goal..hold up play…power..pace and passion!!!
Well done bro
Surprising to see players who aren’t starting on their respective teams being chosen,or those unattached . Brent that comment seems a bit of a double edged sword. I’ve observed that our players fitness level and tactical awareness tend not to be on par with other international teams
Why is Jamal Gay not in this team?
Groom the younsters with the experienced local and foreign players. They need to play a match every week international or not.
Dennis Lawrence was trained by local peeps before his stardom but now feels is only foreign trainers are better??????
Yeah. Darren Mitchell apart, there are not many really shocking omissions when I think about it. Of course Nathaniel Garcia if he was available.
I feel Josiah Trimmingham, Jibri McDavid, Kareem Freitas, Rundell Winchester, Jameel Antoine and Jamal Gay might have come close based on that list.
But I am never a fan of players getting called up when they haven’t really paid their dues. Those never work in the long term. I think Dwayne James and Keon Daniel were examples of that for different reasons.
Nice mix of players. Hope the guys out on trail get and opportunity to. Especially Nathaniel Garcia
I now feel like I could watch football again win lost or draw .de ball pest is back .hope u get fit in time brother.really love how u fight de game .best of lock.
You can’t pick the best Pro League players and not select Cyrus. The thing is getting him fit and focused. But he is talented.
Those forwards are promising but green. We will see how quick they learn but Kenwyne Jones, Shahdon Winchester and Cornell Glen remain the first three names I’d think about.
Daz what I said, they really trying with him. They’re trying to bring out his potential. I will go with Winchester, but Jones, Fed up of that kinda back to goal hit it long kinda football. As regards to Glen, age not on his side. But he did look hungry under saintfeit. But I feel is time we build our future and change our style of football.
Don’t agree on this one Lasana. This particular player has been tried.. what more are we looking to see?
It hasn’t all been bad with Cyrus. He had some good periods. So it depends on if his bad form was just a temporary blip or maybe down to fitness or something.
But he has work to do to regain everyone’s confidence of course.
Found wanting at critical moments.. File under tried and cannot (or unable to) focus at crtitical match junctures. Stick a fork PLEASE!!
Any updates on Nathaniel Garcia?
Lol. No update on Nathaniel yet. Kevin Harrison how is he doing?
Last I heard the club wanted him but have reached their non EU quota so they were considering him for the summer transfer window. A lot will depend on his attitude while there. Some players don’t travel well. But he should be back this week and we’ll see what materializes.
I find for somebody who have 63 senior caps and countless international appearances for T&T youth teams, Cyrus is not performing at the expected level. This has been going on for the last 18 months to two years.
I actually saw Pest in the bank yesterday and told him he’d got the call. After 10 mins of trying to convince him, he still didn’t believe me! Was only when he got a message to report that he finally accepted it! All he kept saying is “why not Chucky?” Lol I told him as it was Valentines, it proves his country loves him! He was very moved to be selected.
Cyrus is proven talent though. He has all attributes needed for attacking and defending. Its his head that needs the help, his concentration and decision making. Maybe Tallest and Sol Campbell can fix that.
I think his positioning too Kion. He just doesn’t seem to know his position well. He is fast, aggressive and a good one on one defenders. But he doesn’t seem to really have the basics down well enough.
They really trying with Cyrus. With regards to the forwards picked, there is a lot of talent there. With the right midfield mix I seeing goals with whoever starts.
Small factor to consider is the fact that tallest hasn’t really seen the pro league this season … so he’s going on recommendations …. cyah call everyone …
He saw a lot of games actually. He has watched well over a dozen games in the last two weeks.
I see …I stand corrected
Guys, we can’t throw names in the ring based on their performances locally. You have to dissect the player’s attributes and select based on their perceived ability to perform at international level.
So while Chucky, Marcano, Kaydion Gabriel may have consistent performances locally, it’s not a definite criteria to justify selection.
That’s very true. However, it also works the other way. If guys are not as consistent as those three in the local league, it’s unlikely that they’ll give their best game exactly when you need it.
Yes…but one doesn’t determine the other as we know.
We all know player’s who highly consistent at club level and flop at international level
First, Chucky has also played Champions League football for two seasons and won two Caribbean Cups. On the other hand, some of the new players have never played outside Trinidad. So I won’t use that as a gauge in this case Kirwin.
And I have zero faith that a player who isn’t a starter at Pro League level can do the business against Panama and Mexico, which is a much tougher level.
Maybe he wanted to give certain players an emotional boost by having them around. That’s your prerogative as coach. But this isn’t like Europe where the difference in fitness and football understanding between a Manchester City player and Watford player may not be that wide.
When you have players still clearly learning the game at Pro League level being called up, you aren’t going to convince me that they can play at CONCACAF level yet.
I’m assuming he is trying to give them a boost to keep pushing on in their careers.
I wouldn’t. For me, you get to a particular standard first. But I can see there may be merits his way too.
The whole team played Champs League chief.
Not sure about giving a boost
But some other players selected haven’t played regional, Concacaf or international football before.
I am thinking he is looking for specific qualities that players bring that he belives he can utilise. If a man not playing 90 minutes for his club, but when he comes on for a15 minutes he brings a level of unpredictability…its an asset that Larence could use around the more experienced and steady core of players.
Sounds great in practice. What you discover generally is that a man who isn’t performing for his club–especially at that level–tends to be lacking something in mental toughness.
He is not going to deliver at a higher level. There are always exceptions but those might prove the rule.
For instance, Argentina played Riquelme while he wasn’t playing for his club. And he did well for his country. But then they didn’t win anything. And his attitude continued to be a problem straight to his retirement.
To play devil’s advocate James Rodriguez does bench regularly for Madrid lol
The argument then becomes whether training sessions at Real Madrid are of sufficiently high quality to prepare him for international football. And whether Colombia has players of equal or close quality to do without him.
Teams of Madrid’s caliber can argue that they have superior talent to most international squads. Whereas the Pro League is unquestionably below the standard of Concacaf international football.
So even starting for a Pro League team isn’t an iron clad case. Let alone benching for one.
Chucky’s omission could be his willingness to represent central at any position. Kind of jack of all trades, master of none. I don’t mean he’s not capable but perhaps Dennis didn’t think he was the best left back and maybe hadn’t seen him enough in the right AM role or the left AM role. To me, he is the only 90 minute box to boxer we have and I really thought that would appeal to Dennis. On the other hand, maybe Dennis has him on the list and will bring him in when he cuts some of the wild cards he wants to see up close? I agree with Lasana about him being the MVP this season. Captain Fantastic!
I’ve been telling Lasana about specialising in a position for the longest while
So Kevin in your opinion what is his best role in which he really impacts the team and how old is he now??
Whe marcus joesph ????
Perry, London, and Foncette inclusion confusing me real bad.
Cleon John, Javon Sample, and Marchan come before him by farrrrrrrr !!!!!
I actually think Ford performances improved after the Saint era
Yes to sample
What does Chucky have to do again?
Darren Mitchell has a good shout to be the Pro League MVP this season. He would have every right to be disappointed at missing out.
But he has just got to keep plugging away and hope his chance will come.
What’s the point In keep plugging away the man has been performing really well and is a hard worker. Given the fact that Dennis has been away from local football for years I would of thought Stern would of been advising him of the top performers in the league. There is a couple of boys who aren’t even getting a game for their pro league teams that have been named
Yeh, it’s bizarre to think Chucky cyar make an all-local squad. He would definitely be on a Pro League All Star XI.
Well perhaps we can nudge Tallest in the right direction to give the man a callup??
Lass …is there anyway you can find out why this player was left out if he is so highly thought of by his peers?
Well, I think Darren Mitchell is a winger Malik. The four wingers in the team are Nathan Lewis, Tyrone Charles, Jomoul Francois and, I’m guessing, Sean De Silva.
Darren’s qualities are terrific work ethic, personality and pace.
Tyrone is trickier and has set pieces in his game. Nathan is probably the most penetrative in terms of pace. Francois is also like lightening. And Sean is a great passer and will probably tuck inside to help overload the midfield.
Darren has a better work ethic than all four, can cover defensively better than any and has a better all-round game. But I guess Dennis preferred the qualities the other had.
I think Francois was lucky. If the coach is looking for variety, then he already had a speed merchant in Nathan and might not have needed Francois. Mitchell is well ahead of Francois at the moment in every aspect of the game except raw speed. But Francois is young and could have a bright future ahead if he continues to learn.
Well I was just reading a report and supposedly he is the leading goalscorer for Central with 9 and has played wingback as well ….. so doesn’t he tick the mold of a box to box mid or even a defensive mid based on your assessment of his qualities? Isn’t our midfield maintaining possession and defensive coverage a liability we’ve been having for a while?? Seems to me this kid ticks those boxes … no??
He can play in a midfield three. But his range of passing won’t be like a Leston Paul or so. He can fit in anywhere. But I feel he is best as an attacking winger. I’ve never seen him as a midfield anchor.
Once again Kaydion Gabriel is missed out. Would of been nice to see him get his chance
Admittedly, he hasn’t been at his best this season. Hasn’t played much this season either, through injury and loss of form
Yes Amiel I know this but I still woulda giving him a run out I feel that would of given his form a confidence boost he is needing. Chucky aswell isn’t there and he has been playing well
Chucky not being there is a massive surprise. But with Drogba, I don’t believe the National Team is the arena to give internationally inexperienced players a run out to gain form and confidence.
Oh yea I understand what you mean but we both know that Kaydion more than capable and i was thinking that these were just run out games for the local based players to give Tallman a chance to get to see them seen as he has been away from local football for a long time. All aside it’s great he is having these run out games time for some of the local talent to shine
There is relatively little time to prepare.
Julius, Cummings and Leston … I approve.
Yes boi Ovøxö Jamille Boatswain boi congrats
Nice , I like that Julius is in the squad . I found Ford shakey at best .
Good to see Ball Pest back in the mix ?
Ball Pest is a gamble based on his performances this season. He has not been international class. But I hope he eventually returns to where he was.
Aye I nearly forget we have a football team for a minute!
????
Cyrus has a fairy godfather somewhere for sure. Couple ommission questions. Marcus Joseph injured? Nathaniel Garcia still overseas? Caledonia left back a possible oversight I believe
Marcus hasn’t played a competitive game since last year I think. Not sure he has even been training.
Question is why Amiel FullyFocus Mutilal. Do you know why?
I think he and Ettiene left Central in the January window. But are free agents
K
Brian, Caledonia left back?
Can’t remember the youth’s name. He can play though
Lemme know when you remember eh. Lol
Think he’s referring to Jameel Neptune
Oh. Neptune doesn’t play left back anymore and apparently isn’t interested in that position. I do like Neptune.
I think Taje Commissiong was playing LB for Cale…but I believe is Neptune you referring to
Saw him play left back a few times. Kid is effective
He was suppose to go on a tryout with a team in Canada eh, don’t know if he ever did, but I agree the kid has plenty potential.
I also heard Marcus Joseph and Etienne left Central FC
Thanks Sheldon..
Hmmm