By Neto Baptiste
Head coach of the Antigua and Barbuda senior men’s football team, Jacques Passy, is expressing confidence in the cadre of overseas-based players included on the team’s roster ahead of the country’s World Cup qualifying fixtures against Cuba on Friday and Honduras four days later.
The Antigua and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA), last week, named 25 players for the upcoming encounters in Group A of the qualifiers with Friday’s game slated for the FA’s technical center.
“We have overseas-based players like Luther Wildin who is returning after seven years and he has been outstanding. He is leading the team he currently plays for in League 1 in England. We have Antonio Morgan who is really doing great and we have TJ Bramble and we have some players who are based in the UK but came out of Antigua like ‘Pookie’ [Shahoi Dorsette] who is a goalkeeper currently over there. We have a couple of players that are based in the US like Amir Daley and this is the first time we are bringing him. Amir plays in Cincinnati FC in the MLS and there is Drake Hadeed so it’s a very interesting and new combination,” he said.
Passy, a native of Mexico who has served as the head coach for the Dominican Republic’s senior and under-23 men’s national teams, expressed confidence in the make-up of the entire team while highlighting what he believes is a group of talented young players ready to take Antigua and Barbuda’s football to a new level.
“The thing that I don’t understand is, how is it that Antigua has such a brilliant generation and we’re not making conversation around these players? I was [talking] with Sowerby and I was telling him that I believe that this generation which is 18, 19, 20 and even in the case Vaughn Jackson who is only 16. This generation can really turn around things for Antigua,” the coach said.
Passy, appointed on a six-month contract in April, credited local coaches, Schyan Jeffers and Lenny Hewlett for what he labelled ‘outstanding’ work in preparing the players.
“I have to say that the work that Schyan and Lenny did from the last four weeks has been outstanding and I told them I am so proud of them because the last time, we worked for about 10 days and the team looked ok but right now they look very sharp. They did so without a fitness coach and not because the FA said you cannot have a fitness coach; it was my decision but because they worked in a very modern way in which 90 to 95 percent of the training was football related, game related and that is the modern way to work so I am very proud of both of them,” he said.
Friday’s must-win clash against Cuba will kick off at 3:00 pm. Team Antigua and Barbuda is yet to win a game in Group A after two showings.
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