Fenwick picks fresh faces for US clash

TT senior men’s football coach Terry Fenwick has picked some fresh faces in a 24-man squad to face USA in an international friendly at Exploria Stadium in Orlando on Sunday from 8pm.

Fenwick selected the team, on Wednesday, which includes seven home-based players and 17 overseas-based players for TT’s first international match in over 13 months.

According to a statement issued by the TT Football Association (TTFA), goalkeeper Marvin Phillip and defender Alvin Jones are the two most capped players in the squad with 78 and 27 appearances respectively. Among the players earning first-time call ups is 22-year-old US-born defender Michael Deshields. He was selected by DC United with the fifth overall pick in the Major League Soccer (MLS) Super Draft, last Thursday. He was United’s second pick in the first round.

Also earning a first call is Canadian-based midfielder/full-back Federico Pena of Canadian Premier League club Valour FC. Pena appeared in six of Valour’s seven games at The Island Games in 2020, filling in at different roles due to some injuries to his team-mates.

He was born in Port-of-Spain and moved with his family, in 2009, to Winnipeg, where he played much of his youth football. He made a brief trip overseas, in 2017, to pursue a career in Europe. Pena spent a year each in the academies of Belgian clubs KAA Gent and Standard Liège, before signing for Valour in April 2019.

Fenwick has also invited US-born player Jonathan Jimenez. The 23-year-old is currently with USL club Rio Grande Valley FC Toros. Jimenez appeared for USL League sides Lakeland Tropics, in 2017, and Portland Timbers Under-23s during their 2018 and 2019 seasons.

Former national Under-17 and Under-20 defender Noah Powder, who is attached to MLS club Real Salt Lake, as well as former National Under-17 player Ajani Fortune of Atlanta United’s Academy have also been called up by Fenwick.

All the overseas-based players will join the TT squad in Orlando.

Meanwhile, some members of the previous 2019 Gold Cup and Nations League squad that are in the current roster for the match include Phillip, goalkeeper Adrian Foncette, Alvin Jones, Duane Muckette, Neveal Hackshaw, Ryan Telfer and Andre Fortune. On his selection of a youth-filled team, the former English defender was pleased to bring a new-look squad to the forefront. “It’s a great opportunity and experience for so many young players in TT who have not played competitive football for over a year. It’s a chance for them to make a name for themselves in a shop window. It’s a great opportunity for everybody involved,” Fenwick said.

“We have a few players from North America who we know are of a good quality playing in quality leagues but there is nothing like seeing them live and getting the chance to work them a bit on the training pitch.”

The 61-year-old coach is looking forward to meeting the foreign-based players for the first time and welcomes the opportunity to breathe new life into the national squad.He also recognised that TT has some talented players in the United Kingdom who are unable to travel at this time due to increased restrictions there owing to the new covid19 variant. Over time, Fenwick plans to fuse them with the local players.

He added, “Going into Orlando we’ll obviously try to prepare as best as possible under the circumstances while we are there a couple days before the match. We’ve had some sessions here on the ground and it’s a case of putting everything together for a good showing.”

Fenwick credited the efforts of the Ministry of National Security, Ministry of Health, the TTFA and everyone who chipped in to ensure TT can get its first international match of the year.

The national team concluded their two-day quarantine at the Home of Football in Couva, on Wednesday, and fly en route to Orlando from 9 am on Thursday. They will fly to Guyana and then to Miami. From there, the squad have an over two-hour coach ride to the Omni Championsgate hotel in Orlando.

Following the match on January 31, the team will stay a further two days at the hotel before returning home on February 3 and entering quarantine, once more, at the Home of Football.

Upon their return, Fenwick is hoping to have a three-team tournament including two of the teams from the Caribbean region to play on local soil.

TT Squad

Goalkeepers – Adrian Foncette (Police FC); Marvin Phillip (Neroca, India)

Defence – Neveal Hackshaw (Indy Eleven, USA); Noah Powder (Real Salt Lake, USA); Michael Deshields (DC United, USA); Leland Archer (Cahrleston Battery, USA); Josiah Trimmingham (Forward Madison FC, USA); Alvin Jones (Unattached, USA); Federico Pena (Valour FC, Canada); Justin Garcia (Defence Force, TT); Jesse Williams (Coleraine FC, Northern Ireland); Jamal Jack (Sacachispas, Guatemala)

Midfield – Andre Fortune (North Carolina FC, USA); Duane Muckett (Memphis 901, USA); Jonathan Jiminez (RGV Toros, USA); Matthew Woo Ling (AC Port-of-Spain, TT); Michael Poon Angeron (Banfield, Argentina); Ajani Fortune (Atlanta United, USA); Hashim Arcia (Defence Force, TT)

Attack – Jabari Mitchell (Police FC, TT); Gary Griffith III (Coleraine FC, Northern Ireland); Ryan Telfer (York United FC, Canada); Brent Sam (Defence Force, TT); Sean Bonval (Central FC, TT)

Staff - Terry Fenwick (head coach), Derek King (assistant coach), Adrian Romain (manager), Basil Thompson (logistics/safety and compliance manager), Dr Mario John (team chief medical officer, Dr Akash Dhanai (team doctor), Cassius Humphrey (fitness coach), Sion Cane (massage therapist/physiotherapist), Michael Williams (kit manager), Shaun Fuentes (communications officer).