King makes changes for Russia clash

T&T senior men’s football team coach Derek King has named five new players in his team from the South Korea encounter for Tuesday’s international friendly against Russia, which will be played at the iconic Kaliningrad Arena.

The match kicks off at 7:00 p.m. local time (1:00 p.m. T&T time) and is being used by the T&T squad as part of their preparations for the Concacaf Nations League, which kicks off in September.

The 46-year-old King and his squad were scheduled to arrive in Kaliningrad yesterday following their journey through Istanbul, Turkey, as the team prepares to take on the 35th-ranked Russians, who blanked Burkina Faso 3-0 in a friendly international yesterday, to follow up a 1-0 loss to World Cup-bound Egypt on May 28.

For Tuesday’s macth King will have to do without the US Major League Soccer MLS quintet of Dante Sealy (Colorado Rapids), Wayne Frederick II (Colorado Rapids), Tyrese Spicer (Orlando City), Jaylon Yearwood (Orlando City B), and defender Kobi Henry of Real Salt Lake, who captained team in the 5-0 loss to South Korea after they requested to be excused from this international window while New York red Bull’s Roald Mitchell and Lexingston SC’s Jacob Greene have also missed out

Also unavailable for selection are forward Levi Garcia, Crystal Palace defender Rio Cardines, Dutch-based defender Deron Payne, and Scotland-based defender Kieran Ngwenya, the latter of whom made his debut in T&T’s last outing.

In their absence, goalkeeper Denzil Smith, defender Andre Raymond, midfielders Andre Rampersad and Ryan Telfer as well as striker Reon Moore have been included.

Despite those absences, King believes the fixture presents an excellent opportunity to further assess the depth of the national programme and provide valuable international exposure to several emerging players.

“We are looking forward to the opportunity to play Russia in Russia,” King said.

“It is another important match in our preparation and development as a national team. While a few of our senior foreign-based players will not be available for this fixture, it provides an excellent opportunity for us to continue evaluating players and expanding our player pool.”

The T&T coach pointed to the squad’s experience as a key factor heading into the encounter.

“We will still have experienced players in the squad, including Reon Moore, Andre Rampersad, Daniel Phillips and Denzil Smith, whose leadership and experience will be valuable for the group.”

King also highlighted the importance of integrating the next generation of national team players into the senior environment.

“We are also excited that several players will have the opportunity to play for the senior team. This is part of our long-term vision of building depth, creating competition for places, and identifying players who can contribute to the future success of T&T football.”

“We see this match as a positive challenge against quality opposition. It is another step in our journey as we continue to build a strong and competitive national team.”

The friendly against Russia continues T&T’s programme of facing strong international opposition as preparations for future competitions progress.

T&T squad

Goalkeepers: 1. Jabari Brice (Central FC), , 21. Teshorne Ragoo (Club Sando), 22. Denzil Smith (AV ALta FC/USA)

Defenders: 3. Shervohnez Hamilton (Club Sando), 4. Andre Raymond (Tampereen Ilves/Finland), 17. Noah Powder (Westchester SC/USA), 6. Anthony Herbert (Indy Eleven/USA), 7. Justin Garcia (Song Lam Nghe An/Vietnam).

Midfielders: Daniel Phillips (Stevange FC/UK), Daniel David (Central FC), Judah Garcia (Pae GS Ilioupoli/Greece), Ali Kazim Nakhid (Al Ittifaq FC/UAE), Andre Rampersad (Halifax Wanderers/Canada), Michel Poon-Angeron (Portland Hearts of Pine/USA), Ryan Telfer (Hal;ifax Wanderers/Canada), Molik Khan (AS Trencin/Slovakia), John-Paul Rochford (Al-Khabourah/Oman), Kaihim Thomas (Corpus Christi FC/USA)

Forwards: Reon Moore (Song Lam Nghe An/Vietnam), Jaheim Faustin (San Juan Jabloteh), Isaiah Lee (Central FC)