Local Stars Aiming to Take Liberia to Brazil 2014


Written by Danesius Marteh,
danesius.marteh@frontpageafricaonline.com

Saturday, 05 November 2011

Goalkeeper Saylee Swen of LPRC Oilers, who is fresh from a three-match suspension, returns to national duty along with number-one goalie Nathaniel Sherman of UMC Roots and understudy Garley James of Invincible Eleven.

Twenty local players have been training at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium in Monrovia ahead of the preliminaries of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers with Mauritius on 11 November away and 15 November at home.

Goalkeeper Saylee Swen of LPRC Oilers, who is fresh from a three-match suspension, returns to national duty along with number-one goalie Nathaniel Sherman of UMC Roots and understudy Garley James of Invincible Eleven.

The defenders include Solomon Wesseh of LPRC Oilers, Alpha James, Teah Dennis, Junior and Myers Garlo of Barrack Young Controllers (BYC); Trokon Zeon of Invincible Eleven (IE) and Augustine Vambo and Morris Kaba of Mighty Barrolle.

Marcus Macauley of Monrovia Club Breweries, Gideon Gadafi Williams and Leon Power Quamie of Watanga FC; Martin Karndu of Mighty Barrolle, Momo Blamo, Junior of IE, Samuel Thompson of BYC and James Soto-Roberts of LPRC Oilers complete the list of midfielders.

Patrick Wleh of LISCR FC, Archie Harvey and Harry Jimmie of Mighty Barrolle have been deemed capable of banging in the goals.

The players are training under the watchful eyes of deputy coach Kelvin Sebwe, who guided another home-based team to a 3-2 win over Gambia at the Samuel Kanyon Doe (SKD) Sports Complex in Paynesville on July 24.

The technical staff has resolved to recall fewer foreign-based players for international matches following Liberia 0-3 lost to Zimbabwe in a 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifiers at the National Stadium in Harare on September 4.

Only France-based Alseny Keita of US Senart-Moissy, Sweden-based Dioh Williams of BK Hacken, Russia-based Sekou Jabateh-Oliseh of CSKA Moscow and Switzerland-based Ansu Toure of FC Locarno were recalled for the final qualifier with Mali, which ended 2-2 at the SKD on October 8.

But the big question lingering on the minds of pundits is whether the tried and tested home-based players can pick-up from where George Weah-eleven left it by taking Liberia to Brazil 2014?