by Anmar Goodridge-Boyce
Thierry Gale is back.
Barbados’ biggest football sensation, along with several other overseas-based players, have returned to the senior men’s national squad ahead of Thursday’s highly anticipated clash against Cuba in the Concacaf Nations League at the Wildey Turf.
Gale, a 20-year-old forward was named in head coach Orlando da Costa’s 23-member team yesterday to face the Cubans in what will be the first international football match played on the island since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2019.
The last time Gale, who plies his trade for FC Dila Gori in Georgia’s first division, made an appearance for Barbados was in a 1-1 draw versus the Dominican Republic at the Felix Sanchez Olympic Stadium in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.
He will be joined by the likes of fellow overseas-based professionals Ryan Trotman, Curtis Jemmett-Hutson and Zachary Ellis-Hayden. Both Jemmett-Hutson and Ellis-Hayden have been called to the senior team before but are yet to make their international debuts for the Tridents.
Nineteen home-grown players have made the cut including Paradise and BFA Premier League top goal scorer Armando “Suga” Lashley and in-form striker Tajio James, who has netted three times in his last three matches.
Exciting Weymouth Wales winger Nadre Butcher along with flashy attacking midfielder Omani Leacock, are also among the selectees.
Head coach da Costa told reporters he is confident the Tridents can upset Cuba, which he considers to be the best team in the group.
“We trust our players and in the work we have done. Against Cuba it will be the first time for a while we are playing at home so for us, we cannot be afraid to play. We have good players, we are a team and once we put everything into the match, we can beat them. I believe in our work for sure.
“We are here to try to do our best and help the squad to improve and develop our players. After Grenada, we felt that our team developed well as a unit because the environment was good and we scored goals. Now we will try to transfer what we did good in Grenada, correct some aspects and play against Cuba,” da Costa said.
“We already started to study Cuba and in my opinion, Cuba is the best team in our group. We looked at their games and it is a team which has good quality. They play very well with good organization. The game has 90 minutes and we must have patience to win the game and try to do our best because in football anything can happen. We are hungry to win and especially at home. I want all of our supporters to come to the stadium and support our players so they can be motivated. Our mindset must be we can win everywhere and against anybody.”
Barbados will also feature versus Antigua and Barbuda in an away fixture on March 26 at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in North Sound.
FULL SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Liam Brathwaite, Kevon Allsopp, Raheem Agard
Defenders: Akeem Chandler, Ramon Griffith, Shane Codrington, Mario Williams, Andre Applewhaite, Ramon Manning, Zachary Ellis-Hayden, Keymar Holligan
Midfielders: Jomo Harris, Omani Leacock, Nadre Butcher, Rashad Jules, Elijah Downey, Shaquan Collymore, Shaquan Clarke, Curtis Jemmet-Hutson, Ryan Trotman.
Forwards: Tajio James, Armando Lashley and Thierry Gale.
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