“Fit, focused and ready to perform!” King names first 23-man T&T squad—Levi unavailable

King returns to the fray as T&T begin Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign on 25th March

Head coach Terry Fenwick has named a 23-man squad for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Qualifying match against Guyana, carded for the National Stadium, Providence, Guyana on Thursday 25th March 2021. Levi Garcia was a high-profile absentee from the squad as the 23-year-old midfielder was not released by his club AEK Athens for international duty due to Covid-19 travel restrictions. Despite the unavailability of Garcia and Belgium-based duo Daniel Phillips and Kadeem Corbin, Fenwick handed debuts to US-based defender Justin Garcia and Greece-based goalkeeper Nicklas Frenderup.

King returns to boost squad

Meanwhile, former captain Khaleem Hyland and his Al Faisaly teammate Duane Muckette both make a return after missing the last two international friendlies following the suspension of the Saudi Arabian League as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. In announcing the squad, Fenwick said he was pleased with his team's progress, despite the challenges of the past year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “I’m excited about the camp and I’m expecting a very good session and a great performance from the players when we take to the field in Guyana,” Fenwick said. “I’ve had an opportunity to see most of the players. Of course, not all of them, but the majority and I had good camps in December, January and February, so the nucleus of the squad is the same and we’ve just added one or two new players. “I expect us to be fit, focused and ready to perform.” T&T will depart for Guyana on Tuesday 23rd March and return immediately following the game.

The full squad reads as follows:

Goalkeepers Nicklas Frenderup (Lamia FC, Greece) Marvin Phillip (W Connection FC) Adrian Foncette (Police FC) Defenders Alvin Jones (TBC Bank SC, Armenia) Mekeil Williams (Pittsburgh Riverhounds, USA) Justin Garcia (Rio Grande Valley FC Toros, USA) Sheldon Bateau (Al-Fujairah SC, UAE) Curtis Gonzales (Defence Force FC) Ross Russell Jr (Humble Lions FC, Jamaica) Aubrey David (Deportivo Saprissa, Costa Rica) Midfielders Khaleem Hyland (Al Faisaly FC, Saudi Arabia) Duane Muckette (Al Faisaly FC, Saudi Arabia) Joevin Jones (Seattle Sounders FC, USA) Kevin Molino (Columbus Crew FC, USA) Neveal Hackshaw (Memphis 901 FC, USA) Ataullah Guerra (Club Sando, T&T) Forwards Russell Latapy (Police FC) Shahdon Winchester (CSKA Sofia, Bulgaria) Ryan Telfer (York United FC, Canada) Levi Garcia (AEK Athens, Greece) - Not released Daniel Phillips (Sint-Truidense VV, Belgium) - Not released Kadeem Corbin (KMSK Deinze, Belgium) - Not released