Soca Warriors striker and captain Kenwyne Jones warmed up for this country’s opening 2018 World Cup Concacaf Semifinal Round Qualifier away to Gautemala by scoring in Cardiff City’s 2-0 win over Reading yesterday.
The headed goal by Jones from Joe Ralls’ free-kick, in the 44th minute was the first scored by a Cardiff player since October 3 while Matt Connolly doubled the lead as he nodded in from a corner in the 53rd, before David Marshall preserved the hosts’ clean sheet with several fine saves. The result sees Cardiff leapfrog Reading into seventh spot in the Championship, with 25 points from 16 matches, three points behind the play-off places.
The 31-year-old Jones was expected to link up with his T&T team-mates in Florida as they go into a live-in camp ahead of Friday’s World Cup qualifier against Guatemala at the Estadio Mateo Flores in Guatemala City.
In Slovakia, national winger Lester Peltier played the first 77 minutes for Slovan Bratislava in its 2-1 win over FK Senica to stay second with 34 points from 16 matches on the Fortuna League table, four behind Trencin which has a match in hand. On Wednesday, Mikheil Williams and his Antigua Guatemala club edged Depotivo Mictlan 2-1 while in Mexico’s Yohance Marshall’s Murcielagos had a 1-0 win over Correcaminos de la UAT.
And in Belgium, Khaleem Hyland picked up a yellow card in bottom club KV Westerlo’s 2-2 draw with Waasland-Beveren.
Yesterday, Soca Warriors coach Stephen Hart, his technical staff and the quintet of locally-based players in Central FC’s Jan-Michael Williams and Willis Plaza, North East Stars’ pair, Kerron Cummings and Neveal Hackshaw as well as Morvant Caledonia United goalkeeper Marvin Phillip left via 12.30 pm flight for Fort Lauderdale for the training camp before flying to Guatemala City on Wednesday.
The USA-based Daneil Cyrus, Kevan George, Joevin Jones, Trevin Caesar and Cordell Cato, as well as Iceland-based Jonathan Glenn and Justin Hoyte and Andre Boucaud of English League Two club, Dagenham & Redbridge while the rest of the team will arrive today ahead of the camp which gets going on tomorrow.
Today, Sheldon Bateau’s Krylya Sovetov Samara, 11th on the table faces 12th placed Rubin Kazan in the Russian Premier League. In the Denmark First Division’s Radanfah Abu Bakr’s HB Koege, third from bottom faces Fredericia and in Kazakhstan Aubrey David’s Shakhter Karagandy clashes with Okzhetpes in a relegation playoff match.
T&T Team
• Goalkeepers: Jan Michael Williams (Central FC/T&T), Marvin Phillip (Morvant Caledonia United/T&T).
• Defenders: Sheldon Bateau (FC Krylia Samara/Russia), Radanfah Abu Bakr (HB Koge/Denmark), Carlyle Mitchell (Seoul E-Land FC/South Korea), Justin Hoyte (Dagenham & Redbridge/England), Daneil Cyrus (Chicago Fire/USA), Aubrey David (FC Shakhter Karagandy/Kazakhstan), Yohance Marshall (Murcielagos FC/Mexico), Mekeil Wiliams (Antigua FC/Guatemala).
• Midfielders: Andre Boucaud (Dagenham & Redbridge/England), Keron Cummings (North East Stars/T&T), Kevan George (Columbus Crew/USA), Neveal Hackshaw (North East Stars/T&T), Khaleem Hyland (KVC Westerlo/Belgium), Joevin Jones (Chicago Fire/USA), Lester Peltier (Slovan Bratislava/Slovakia), Trevin Caesar (Austin Aztex/USA), Cordell Cato (San Jose Earthquakes/USA).
• Forwards: Jonathan Glenn (Breidablik Kopavogur/Iceland), Kenwyne Jones (capt) (Cardiff City/Wales), Willis Plaza (Central FC/T&T).