Senior Multimedia Reporter
nigel.simon@guardian.co.tt
Canadian-born striker Malcolm Isaiah Shaw of Canadian Premier League strugglers Atlético Ottawa is among six uncapped overseas-based players named by Soca Warriors coach Angus Eve in a 60-man preliminary squad for the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup in the USA.
This after the 25 men’s senior national teams participating in the competition beginning with the preliminary round on June 16 submitted their preliminary rosters to CONCACAF ahead of the start of the competition which runs until July 16, 2023, and will crown the region’s best national team.
According to tournament rules, all players’ names in their respective country’s final 23-player rosters must come from their preliminary lists submitted.
In addition to Shaw, 27, the uncapped overseas players short-listed include former T&T youth players, England-born midfielder Rio Cardines of Crystal Palace; USA-born midfielder Micah Cain (TSV Meerbusch/Germany), and the Canadian-born trio of defender Luke Singh (Athletico Ottawa/Canada), midfielder Kristian Lee-Him (IFK Eskilstuna/Sweden), and goalkeeper Jaheim Wickham (Toronto FC/Canada) while England-born Michael Kedman of Danish club Aalborg BK, who made his lone appearance against Nicaraguan in the CONCACAF Nations League last year was also called up.
With a must-win preliminary round clash against Guadeloupe set for June 16 at DRV PNK Stadium, in Fort Lauderdale, USA, Eve also shortlisted regular overseas-based players in former captain Kevin Molino of US Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew and Levi Garcia, who is coming off a very successful season with AEK Athens in which he won both the League and Cup double.
Both men return to the squad after they missed out on recent internationals through injury layoffs.
They are joined by Sheldon Bateau (SK Beveren/Belgium), HFX Wanderers captain, midfielder Andre Rampersad, Leland Archer (Charleston Battery/USA), Nicklas Frenderup (Ranheim/Norway), Aubrey David (SD Aucas/Ecuador), Kareem Moses (Jaro/Finland), Shannon Gomez (San Antonio FC/USA), Ryan Telfer (Miami FC/USA), Kaile Auvray (Sporting Kansas/USA), Tristan Hodge (Hartford Athletic/USA), Molik Khan (Minnesota United/USA), Jomal Williams (Once Deportivo/El Salvador), Daniel Phillips (Gillingham/England), Samory Powder (Hudson Valley Hammers/USA), Anthony Herbert (FC Haka/Finland), Jelani Peters (Memphis 901 FC/USA), Andre Raymond (Dumiense CJP/Portugal), Ajani Fortune (Atlanta United/USA), his brother Andre Fortune II (Nomme JK Kalju/Estonia), Matthew Woo Ling (Miami United/USA), and Jesse Williams (Des Moines Menace/USA).
The locally-based contingent is headed by the experienced duo of past and present captains, midfielder Joevin Jones of Police FC, and goalkeeper Marvin Phillip of AC Port-of-Spain along with a core of standout performers in the T&T Premier Football League inclusive of Tiger Tanks Club Sando’s Nathaniel James, the tournament’s top scorer with 13 goals, along with his fellow former national Under-20 teammates Real Gill, and Kaihim Thomas, AC Port-of-Spain’s Michael Poon-Angeron, Duane Muckette, Jameel Neptune, and John-Paul Rochford, while La Horquetta Rangers’ duo Ataulla Guerra and Ross Russell Jr also make the list with the lone major omission being Malta-based striker Rundell Winchester who featured in the last CNL clash with Nicaragua before his home fans in Tobago.
Eve was also forced into a late change to his roster with Greece-based Judah Garcia of AEK Athens reserve team, the younger brother of Levi, before withdrawn from the squad after he sustained a hamstring injury and was replaced by AC Port of Spain’s influential midfielder Che Benny, with the request being approved by Concacaf on medical grounds.
“We’ve had to make one change to the provisional squad because Judah sustained a hamstring injury. We’ve been monitoring all the home-based and overseas-based players over the past few months and Che has been among the players we have been observing.
He missed out on making the original roster because of the tight competition among players for the position he plays, but with Judah now ruled out, we’ve decided to include Che as his replacement,” Eve stated.
The national coach will address the media next Thursday at a press briefing at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella before the team departed for Pennsylvania a day later.
Before the match against the ‘Gwada Boys on June 16, T&T meets Guatemala in an international friendly on June 11 at Subaru Park, Chester, Pennsylvania, from 6 pm.
This will be the first for T&T since its 1-1 draw with Nicaragua in their must-win CONCACAF Nations League (CNL) B Group B match at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago, which saw T&T failing to gain promotion for the 2023/2024 CNL League A competition as well as miss out on automatic qualification to the Gold Cup and should T&T get past Guadeloupe it will meet the winner of the Guyana/Grenada clash for a spot in the Group D of the main draw alongside top-seeded Canada, ranked 47th in the world, 116th-ranked Guatemala and Cuba, ranked 165th.
T&T qualified for the Gold Cup preliminary qualifiers as a League B second-place finisher with French Guiana, Guadeloupe, and Guyana, together with League A third-place finishers Curaçao, Grenada, Martinique and Suriname, and League C group winners Puerto Rico, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, and Sint Maarten.
The preliminary round one fixtures between Martinique and St Lucia and Curacao and St Kitts and Nevis will also take place on June 16 at the DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale from 7 pm and 9 pm, respectively.
A day later (June 17), at the same venue, the three remaining first-round preliminary matches will come off with French Guiana against Saint Maarten from 4.30 pm followed by Suriname versus Puerto Rico at 7 pm and two hours later, Guyana up against Grenada.
In the second round of the preliminaries, the winner of the Martinique/St Lucia match and the winner of the Suriname/Puerto Rico clash will square off for a place in Group C alongside the Central American trio of Costa Rica, Panama, and El Salvador while the third and final preliminary round pairings see Curacao and St Kitts and Nevis winners meeting French Guiana and Sint Maarten winner for a place in Group A where the USA, Jamaica, and Nicaragua await. Group B of the main draw will feature Mexico, Haiti, Honduras, Asian Champions, and guest nation, Qatar.
T&T preliminary Gold Cup roster
Goalkeepers: Marvin Phillip (AC PoS), Nicklas Frenderup (Ranheim IL/Norway), Denzil Smith (W Connection), Raheem Lee (Police FC), Jaheim Wickham (Toronto FC/Canada).
Defenders: Aubrey David (SD Aucas/Ecuador), Sheldon Bateau (SK Beveren/Belgium), Leland Archer (Charleston Battery/USA), Kareem Moses (FF Jaro/Finland), Shannon Gomez (San Antonio FC/USA), Alvin Jones (Club Sando), Triston Hodge (Hartford Athletic/USA), Stephon Marcano (VC Fusion/USA), Josiah Cooper (Club Sando), Ross Russell Jr (La Horquetta Rangers), Michael Kedman (Aalborg/Denmark), Luke Singh (Atletico Ottawa/Canada), Anthony Herbert (FC Haka/Finland), Jelani Peters (Memphis 901 FC/USA), Justin Garcia (Defence Force), Andre Raymond (Dumiense CJP/Portugal), Josiah Trimmingham (Club Sando), Jesse Williams (Des Moines Menace/USA), Noah Powder (unattached),
Midfielders: Joevin Jones (Police FC), Daniel Phillips (St Johnstone FC/Scotland), Ryan Telfer (Miami FC/USA), Michael Poon-Angeron (AC PoS), Nathaniel James (Club Sando), Kevin Molino (Columbus Crew/USA), Levi Garcia (AEK Athens/Greece), Real Gill (Club Sando), Neveal Hackshaw (Oakland Roots/USA), Andre Rampersad (HFX Wanderers/Canada), Kaile Auvray (Sporting Kansas/USA), Molik Khan (Minnesota United/USA), Samory Powder (Hudson Valley Hammers/USA), Kareem Riley (Club Sando), Jameel Neptune (AC PoS), Kevon Goddard (Defence Force), Micah Cain (TSV Meerbusch/Germany), Ajani Fortune (Atlanta United/USA), Andre Fortune II (Nomme JK Kalju/Estonia), Nathaniel Garcia (Point Fortin Civic), Kristian Lee-Him (IFK Eskilstuna/Sweden), Matthew Woo Ling (Miami United/USA), Ataulla Guerra (La Horquetta Rangers), Duane Muckette (AC PoS), Luke Phillip (Club Sando), Reon Moore (Defence Force), John-Paul Rochford (AC PoS), Justin Sadoo (Defence Force), Kaihim Thomas (Defence Force), Jomal Williams (Once Deportivo), Che Benny (AC PoS).
Forwards: Malcolm Shaw (Atketico Ottawa/Canada), Isaiah Garcia (Point Fortin Civic), Rio Cardines (Crystal Palace/England), Nicholas Dillon (Club Sando), Kadeem Corbin (La Horquetta Rangers).