Former national Under-20 team goalkeeper Thorne Holder is currently on trial with MLS club Philadelphia Union for their month-long pre-season training.
Holder, formerly of Queen's Royal College, was invited for the trial after an outstanding 2010 season with Adelphi University after an earlier stint with Maryland.
He was not selected during the MLS draft but is hopeful of impressing the Union coaching staff sufficiently to warrant a contract offer.
"This is the opportunity of a lifetime and to get invited itself is a real big honour. I'm pretty excited to work with players and coaches alike at this level," Holder told TTFF Media.
"It's going to be a challenge but one I've been preparing for ..for many years. I'm going be taking it one session at a time, bringing the level of intensity and presence that is needed at this level.
I spoke to Shaka (Hislop) this evening as well and he told me 'not to be nervous, and have fun. He said I was invited because I showed that I can compete at this level'.
Words from such a respected and proven mentor significantly adds to my confidence and I'm going to show up with something to prove," Holder added.
His stint with the Union goes until February 18.
"This is a wonderful opportunity for one of our goalkeepers to enhance his development by receiving the kind of exposure in the USA.
Thorne has been a persistent and hardworking goalkeeper and this could only auger well for him and the expansion of our pool of goalkeepers for the country," former T&T goalkeeper and TTFF technical director Lincoln Phillips said.
Holder is not the only T&T player getting a chance at an MLS deal. The Under-23 duo of Daneil Cyrus and Sheldon Bateau are scheduled to join Sporting Kansas for a trial later this month.
Bateau is the T&T Under-20 team captain, while Cyrus has already made his senior international debut for T&T.
Earlier this week, former T&T Under-17 team captain Javed Mohammed was snapped up by Colorado Rapids at the MLS Supplemental Draft.