Guyana replaces N/Antilles for Tuesday's friendly.
By: Shaun Fuentes (TTFF).
The Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation has for the second time in a week had to cancel a proposed friendly international match due to unforeseen circumstances. The latest change has been the change in opponent for Tuesday’s friendly international at the Marvin Lee Stadium scheduled for 7:30pm.
It was announced on Thursday that the Netherlands Antilles would be arriving here for the encounter. However there are no flights available to bring the Netherlands team from Curacao to Port of Spain before Tuesday and the Netherlands FA General Secretary Hubert Isiena expressed his regret at this on Saturday.
“We are disappointed that an unavailability of flights to take the team to Trinidad in time for Tuesday has forced us to cancel the trip,” Isiena said.
There remained the possibility of the team being able to arrive later in the week but the TTFF and it’s Senior Team coaching staff preferred not to change the match schedule and will in fact stage a friendly international on Tuesday. The Guyana National Senior team will now face T&T at the same venue.
Team manager David Mohammed commented: “We had no choice but to ensure that we go ahead with a scheduled friendly for the date. We have scheduled a program with players attending training sessions etc and we felt there was the obvious need to play an international game. Unfortunately it’s not Netherlands Antilles or one of the Central American nations but Guyana we know have been improving and they are now focusing on qualification for the Digicel Cup and we expect they will present us with a good challenge on Tuesday.”
Meantime, recalled National Team striker Cornell Glen says he is hoping to press his claims to becoming a regular fixture on the team following his latest call up by Francisco Maturana.
“It’s good to get the recall and I just want to help the country as best as I can,” Glen told TTFF Media after his first session on Friday at the Marvin Lee Stadium.
“It’s been frustrating having to look on at the team playing the last few games knowing that I wasn’t able to make a contribution. I know a lot of the other guys have felt the same way. We have supported the rest of the players but at the same time we also want to make a contribution and I’m happy to have gotten this chance now.
“I’m still working on my form.. I’m maybe about 90 percent fully ready and I just hope to get some more playing time which is exactly what I need right now.”
Glen said that he felt assured that the Maturana and his staff will continue to monitor the players and pick the ones worthy of selection on merit.
“Definitely I think the coach is still looking at us. I think he’s doing well to keep the confidence level up among the players in the Pro League but I think he’s also monitoring the senior players and still has hopes of involving the ex-World Cup players who haven’t been involved too much. But generally I think he’s trying to build a team right now and you can’t fault that … it’s good too that he is willing to give the players an opportunity before he settles on a squad.”
The former LA Galaxy and Columbus Crew player still has ambitions of plying his trade overseas.
“That’s part of my career that I think is incomplete. I’m working on getting back out there, maybe in Europe and finishing on a high. I spent three years in the MLS and I’m disappointed that I didn’t win any titles or trophies.
“I’m fully recovered from the injuries, especially the one from the World Cup. It’s been more of a mental battle… having to get the thought of the injury out of my mind and being able to play and give my best. I’m working towards becoming back a fully fit player and I’m just looking to go all out and help the country qualify for the next World Cup,” Glen concluded.
