Eve: Jamaica friendlies a good gauge for Trinidad and Tobago football

HEAD coach of the TT men’s senior football team Angus Eve said the two upcoming friendlies against Jamaica will be a “good yardstick” for his players as the Soca Warriors aim to re-establish themselves as a powerhouse in the Caribbean.

The first match against Jamaica takes place at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in Catherine Hall on Saturday and the second will be played at the National Stadium in Kingston on March 14.

TT will use the matches as preparation for upcoming Concacaf Nations League and Gold Cup qualifiers versus Bahamas in Nassau on March 24 and against Nicaragua on March 27 at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago.

TT were once feared in the region, but the results in recent years have seen the gap between the Soca Warriors and other teams decrease.

“I said from the beginning we need to establish ourselves in the Caribbean, so this would go some ways in assessing their local-based group against our local-based group,” Eve said during a training session at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella on Monday.

Eve, who expects one or two foreign-based players in the Jamaica team, said the matches would be a gauge for TT.

“It still would be a good yardstick for us to see where we are because people think Jamaica has left us from a standpoint of development. I think they are developing a national senior team because they tend to bring in a lot of players.”

Eve said Jamaica have the luxury of fielding players whose parents or grandparents are Jamaican. Footballers can only play for the TT senior team if at least one parent has TT roots. If a footballer interested in representing the Soca Warriors has TT grandparents only, he is ineligible.

Eve knows Jamaica will be a tough opponent for TT. “Jamaica is ranked more than a half-century higher than us. I think they have league football going on, we don’t. It is going to start (this week). These guys are at a disadvantage from a playing standpoint, but if we could be competitive and put in good results and I am seeing the players doing the things we asked them to do…those things would be success for me.”

Teenagers Kaile Auvray and Nathaniel James have earned TT senior call-ups.

Auvray, born in France, played for St Martin in a friendly against TT in January at Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo. Auvray, 18, has a Trinidadian mother and has decided to represent TT. Auvray’s father Stephane is the head coach of St Martin.

Eve and his TT technical staff were impressed by the midfielder during the match.

W Connection’s James, 18, demonstrated his ability last year at the Concacaf Under-20 Championships finding the net regularly and the striker has been rewarded by Eve.

Eve is elated to welcome Auvray and James to the team. “Auvray has been on the radar for us since the Under-20s when we went to Honduras. Unfortunately for him at that time he did not have a passport…so what we did is we brought him in over the Christmas period.

“We have Nathaniel James who is just 18 years old also is in the squad. Nathaniel scored the most for us in the Under-20 tournament so this is a step up for him.”

Eve is satisfied with the effort his players have been showing in training.

“Pretty much the guys have been working really well, really enthusiastic and we really looking forward to the two matches that we have in Jamaica to see how they would deal with the pressures playing in a climate like that.”

Levi Garcia, based in Greece, is not in the squad as he is trying to recover from a leg injury. Eve said he is aiming to give more of the local-based players an opportunity, but said Garcia will obviously be in his plans moving forward.

Eve described the friendlies against Jamaica as “invaluable.”

TT SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Marvin Phillip (AC Port Spain), Adrian Foncette (Police FC), Denzil Smith (W Connection)

Defenders: Alvin Jones (Unattached), Kareem Riley (Club Sando), Josiah Trimmingham (Club Sando), Andre Raymond (Dumiense FC, Portugal), Justin Garcia (Defence Force), Jameel Neptune (AC Port of Spain), Jelani Felix (Defence Force)

Midfielders: Matthew Woo Ling (AC Port of Spain), Noah Powder (Unattached), Jesse Williams (Unattached), Kaile Auvray (Sporting Kansas City, US), Jomal Williams (Once Deportivo, El Salvador), Justin Sadoo (Defence Force), Michel Poon Angeron (AC Port of Spain), Joevin Jones (Unattached), Reon Moore (Defence Force), John-Paul Rochford (AC Port of Spain)

Strikers: Jamoul Francois (AC Port of Spain), Kwesi Weston (Louisiana Krewe FC, US), Nathaniel James (W Connection), Kadeem Corbin (Central FC)