Sheriff Tiraspol's Keston Julien: Eve call-up 'special'

KESTON Julien will likely play his first match for TT under new head coach Angus Eve against Barbados, on Friday, in the Courts Caribbean Classic Tri-Nation International series.

The match kicks off at 7pm at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain.

Julien, coming off Europa League action with Moldovan club Sheriff Tiraspol, was named in the 24-man squad, along with brothers Levi and Judah Garcia, both of whom have featured prominently for AEK Athens.

Samory Powder, a Sophomore at the University of Detroit Mercy, has earned his first call up.

TT will play the second match against Guyana on Tuesday at the same time and venue.

Guyana and Barbados will meet on Sunday. “I feel delighted to get called up from Angus Eve,” Julien said on Wednesday ahead of the first Tri-Nation fixture.

“I never played under him before and for him to call me up, is special.”

Julien, who has not played for TT since the failed World Cup qualifiers, has featured increasingly for his Moldovan club, recently running the full match in his team’s penalty shoot-out defeat to Portugal’s Braga. He also played Champions League football earlier this season.

“We just need to stay calm (against Barbados and Guyana),” said Julien. “We know the football we can play. We are not a small (Caribbean) team.”

Eve, meanwhile, says he was pleased with the strength of the squad.

“When we looked at the squad, this would have been the first real opportunity to select all of the players that are available and bar some absences because of some personal issues here, club commitments there, basically we got the bulk of players we would have wanted in the squad.

“It’s a major boost for the country to have the likes of Levi Garcia back in the fray.

“He has not been in the squad since the World Cup qualifiers last year.”

Eve said the team is “now starting over after having a decent Gold Cup run.”

“These guys are experienced but they are young and then we also have a bit more experienced players in the squad such as Marvin Phillip (and) Radandfah Abu Bakr.

“We also have some younger players like goalkeeper Denzil Smith who has been doing really well for himself, Judah Garcia who is out in Europe, Powder who I expect a lot from. We brought back young Nicholas Dillion, a number nine as you know we are lacking in that area. So I am very excited to be working with the group.”