Three newcomers for Soca Warriors’ Nicaragua trip

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – New Trinidad & Tobago Soca Warriors head coach Tom Saintfiet has named three uncapped players in a 23-member squad for a pair of international friendly matches against Nicaragua.

Midfielders Tyrone Charles and Nathan Lewis, as well as striker Akeem Roach will leave for the Nicaraguan capital of Managua with the rest of the squad on Christmas Day for the matches which will form the first assignment for Saintfiet.

“The reason they are invited is because they caught my eye,” said Saintfiet. “Secondly, there are absences of some other players and some players can fill those vacancies.

“The players can fit exactly into the system I want to play and I am very happy that they are added and I hope they can adapt very fast.”

United States-based midfielders Kevin Molino, who plays for Orlando City in the Major League Soccer, and Cordell Cato of the MLS franchise San Jose Earthquakes are both unavailable due to club business, while striker Willis Plaza is set to travel to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for a trial stint.

Defender Sheldon Bateau, along with midfielders Khaleem Hyland, Andre Boucaud and Levi Garcia are also unavailable for the matches against the Nicaraguans, due to club commitments.

“I think we have a mixed group of young players, talented players without experience in national team, but also players who played a lot for the national team and are very experienced, who also have experience abroad,” said Saintfiet.

“The atmosphere is good. The boys trained well last week and we are looking forward to preparing this team for Nicaragua, but Nicaragua is also preparation for the real matches against Suriname and Haiti (in the Caribbean Football Union Gold Cup qualifiers).”

The two matches are scheduled for December 27 and 30 at the Dennis Martínez National Stadium.

The Soca Warriors are also preparing for the next round of matches in qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. They are currently fifth in the final CONCACAF hexagonal.