Trinidad and Tobago’s Futsal Head coach Paul Decle has selected a fairly strong 14-man squad to challenge for Concacaf Futsal Championship honours, as they brace for tough competition in Managua, Nicaragua.

Decle’s team includes Soca Warriors midfielder Michel Poon-Angeron and his AC Port of Spain teammates Sedale McLean, playmaker Che Benny, and flanker Jameel Neptune, for the April 13-20 tournament. Neptune has been on the rebound from a fractured leg which he suffered in a Trinidad and Tobago Premier Football League (TTPFL) match against 1976 FC Phoenix last December.

Poon-Angeron, 22, who made his debut with the senior Soca Warriors in 2021, has over 10 caps for the Angus Eve-coached team, three of which he earned during their quarterfinal run in a fairly successful 2023/24 Concacaf Nations League A campaign. He also featured in their recent friendly against Jamaica, but failed to make the final squad that lost the Copa America play-in to Canada.

The squad also includes four players from reigning TTPFL tier one champions Defence Force, as the quartet of Jelani Felix, Dylon King, Darius Ollivierra, and Matthew Woo Ling have all found favour with Decle and his assitant Clayton Morris. Veteran player and former Defence Force captain, Jerwyn Balthazar, 41, is also a member of the squad.

The twin island republic will square off against the likes of Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and the United States in group C of the 12-team tournament that features three groups of four. The top two teams from each group will progress to the quarterfinals, along with the two best third-place teams.

The competition’s semi-finalists will represent Concacaf at the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan, scheduled for September 14 to October 6, 2024.
In the previous Concacaf Futsal Championship in 2021, Costa Rica captured their fourth title after defeating United States in the final, while the hosts Guatemala bettered Panama to third spot.

The delegation is scheduled to depart Trinidad and Tobago for Managua next Thursday.

T&T Futsal Squad: Kelvin Henry (goalkeeper), Andre Marchan (goalkeeper), Jerwyn Balthazar, Che Benny, Jelani Felix, Shane Hospedales, Dylon King, Sedale McLean, Jameel Neptune, Darius Ollivierra, Kareem Perry, Michel Poon-Angeron, Adrian Welch, Matthew Woo Ling.

Trinidad and Tobago hammered Martinique 8-2 on Sunday to secure the bronze medal in Men’s Futsal at the Caribbean Games in Guadeloupe.

Captain Che Benny carried the Trinidadians with five goals and two assists in the game played at the Palais des Sports du Gosier.

Cuba won the gold medal after a 6-2 win over Suriname while Guadeloupe came fifth after a 12-6 win over Curacao.