This country's senior men's hockey team will have to do without the services key player Kwandwane Browne for its first two Pool B matches against 19th world ranked Russia and USA (#27) at the FIH World Hockey League Round Two qualifiers.
The eight-team tournament flicks off tomorrow until March 8 in San Diego, California, USA.
The two other players with 100 appearances for the national team are Akim Toussaint (109) and newly installed captain Solomon Eccles (103).
While Browne is considered the key player in the T&T team, he is also the player/coach at Pension's Men's English Hockey League Premier Division club Canterbury.
However, the club is currently bottom of its ten-team table with a mere six points from 14 matches, six adrift of Southgate and will play two important matches on the weekend against sixth placed Brookslands MU on Saturday and a day later versus fifth placed Reading, two matches Browne will be needed for as his teams seek to climb out of the automatic relegation spot.
This means he will be unavailabe for T&T's opener versus Russia at 12.30 pm (TT time) tomorrow and against Pan American rivals, USA on Sunday from 2.45 pm, but will arrive in time for Tuesday's clash with 16th ranked Canada from 12.30 pm.
Already placed in a difficult group, but certain of a quarterfinal spot with only eight teams entered, Browne's absence adds to an already depleted 30th ranked T&T squad which is minus no fewer than inclusive of its regular captain Darren Cowie and his deputy, Dwain Quan Chan.
Cowie, who led the team when it topped its Round One qualifiers in Jamaica last September and also to a silver medal at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in November, is recovering from a right foot achilles injury while the duo of Kiel Murray and Stefan Mouttet are also out injured.
In addition, regular vice-captain Quan Chan, Aidan De Gannes, Christopher Scipio, Ishmael Campbell and Dillet Gilkes will all miss out due to work commitments.
Pool A comprises, the highest ranked competitor in Ireland #14, Austria (#22), Chile (#25) and Italy (#32).
The teams will compete in two round-robin pools at the end of which they will play cross-over quarterfinals followed by semifinals, third placed and final matches.
At the end of the competition, the top two teams will advance to the World League semifinal round.
Following the World League round-two series, the national men's team is carded to head to the Pan Am Games in Toronto, Canada, from July 10-26 and with little hope of a top two finish in the USA, Francis said the qualifiers in the USA will serve as part of its preparations.