National coach Leo Beenhakker has made it clear that he will not close the door on any player trying to get on the team for the 2006 World Cup but has hinted that he may just have already seen the men who will represent the smallest nation ever at the finals.
On Tuesday, he saw for the first time, Ricky Shakes, goalie Anthony Warner and former St Anthony's College player Kevon Neaves while two others - Anthony Noreiga and Nigel Henry did not leave the places on the bench.
But with FIFA now stating that it may consider delaying the deadline for the final submission of World Cup final squads to after May 15, Beenhakker, despite this, seems to be firm on his selections up to now.
"There will be no new guys. We have seen everybody," he said replying to questions over Bobby Zamora and Jlloyd Samuel.
"We have done a lot of searching and we have seen all the guys. At the same time, the door is not closed on any player," he added and those statements would have come as good news for the missing Brent Sancho, Jason Scotland, Cornell Glen, Ian Cox, Atiba Charles, Scott Sealy and Densill Theobald who were not considered for the Iceland match.
"At the same time I have said that we have to protect the guys who did the job of getting us to the World Cup. They have done a wonderful job and now while all the players will go back to their clubs and take care of themselves and play and train we also in the technical staff will do our part and do everything possible to ensure we have the best squad of 23 players for the World Cup," Beenhakker told TTFF Media.
Having already drawn up his list, he is expected to make public a provisional squad of maybe 28 players in due course and will continue to look at T&T's overseas-based pros in coming months, already stressing to his players that they must continue to maintain their fitness and keep on playing. "And by that I don't mean staying free from injury but I mean to keep yourselves well and keep active. It helps a lot to do more on your own as well apart from what you all are doing with your clubs as professionals," he said.
He also introduced European-based manager Hans Hagelstein to the team at the Renaissance Hotel on Tuesday, describing him as the man who will serve the team well because of his knowledge and experience of the wherabouts in Europe and he expects him to work well along with current team manager Bruce Aanensen and assistant George Joseph.
Hagelstein will take up duty with the team from it's England-based training camp in mid-May. Before that, the team will reassemble in Port of Spain on May 7 for its friendly with Peru on May 10.
"Thank you very much for the effort. It was a pleasing victory and we will be together again for the match against Peru in May," he added.
Coventry City striker Stern John, though missing a first half sitter was pleased with the win and the return to goalscoring form for country by Yorke.
"It's great to see him scoring again and it felt even better with the way we pulled it off as a team. For a long time we haven't held control for such a long part of the game and come away with the win. The coach seems satisfied but at the same time he let us know that there's more hard work to come and we must be prepared to go the distance," John told TTFF Media.