NEW Trinidad and Tobago senior men's football team captain Aubrey David and US-based forward Ryan Telfer have been named in the Concacaf Nations League (CNL) A Best XI for the September window, following TT's victories over Curacao and El Salvador on September 7 and 10 respectively.
The 32-year-old David was given the Soca Warriors captaincy by coach Angus Eve following the retirement of playmaker Kevin Molino on September 1. He helped TT keep a clean sheet vs Curacao with a strong defensive showing at the back as the hosts got a 1-nil result at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo.
After two Group A matches, TT head the six-team table with six points. Panama and Guatemala (both four points) are second and third respectively, while Martinique (three points) are fourth. TT have two remaining group games versus Guatemala (October 13) and Curacao (October 17). Meantime, group B is jointly headed by Jamaica and Haiti (both four points), who played to a 2-2 draw at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica on Tuesday night.
The top two teams in each group will advance to the CNL quarter-finals where they will face off against the four seeded Concacaf nations in Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico and the US, in a home-and-away format in November 2023.
David, who is on loan at Costa Rican club CS Cartagines, stressed on the importance of getting full support for the Guatemala match at the Hasely Crawford Stadium next month.
"I think we need the support of the stakeholders and the fans to come and give that love," David said after the El Salvador match. "We played (on Sunday) against (15,000) people and we felt the atmosphere. We need that support also. I'd just like to say to the fans and stakeholders, come and throw your support behind the team."
The 29-year-old Telfer was instrumental in TT's first win in El Salvador at the senior level, as his crisp left-footed shot levelled the scores at 1-1 in the first half before Malcolm Shaw and Justin Garcia sealed the 3-2 win with goals in the second half. The speedy Telfer also assisted the lone goal for Nathaniel "Natty" James in TT's win over Curacao last week.
Telfer told the TTFA media it's an honour to represent the red, white and black.
"I don't think you need anything special or more motivation to play for your national team," Telfer said. "Obviously, it's always an honour and a privilege to represent your national colours. For me, that's more than enough.
"These last two games were pretty much a grind. I think it's important for us to regroup when the time comes again and just keep understanding that the hard work pays off in the end."
The four winners of the CNL quarter-finals will earn qualification to Copa America 2024. Two of the four losing quarter-finalists will also qualify for the prestigious Copa tournament via a single-match playoff involving said teams in March 2024.
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