National soccer squad to open qualifying against Bonaire

National soccer squad to open qualifying against Bonaire

NASSAU, BAHAMAS- The Bahamas’ senior men’s national soccer team is gearing up for the start of the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) Nations League Group C Qualifying next month.

In its first match, The Bahamas will take on Bonaire. That match is set for Monday, September 9, starting at 6 p.m. at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium. Both nations are lowly ranked in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings, and will be looking for world ranking points.

The CONCACAF Nations League began with a one-off qualifying phase. Following 68 matches, the 34 participating teams were compiled into an aggregate table, ranking them 1-34. The final standings of each team determined if they were placed into League A, B or C. The six teams that participated in the Hexagonal Round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Russia 2018 were pre-seeded directly into League A.

The CONCACAF Nations League is a new centralized men’s national team competition representing a new era of national team football for CONCACAF member associations. Through this new centralized competition, all 41 CONCACAF member associations will keep the soccer dream alive, by participating in competitive international football year-round.

Named to represent The Bahamas are: Ethan Willie, Jacob Charles, Isiah Collie, Ricardo McPhee, Cameron Hepple, Terry Delancey, Jonathan Miller, Logan Russell, Raymourn Sturrup, Dwayne Beneby, Troy Pinder, Rejohn Ene, Happy Hall, Ian Lowe, Valentino Hanna, Nathan Wells, Valin Bodie and Dwayne Whylly Jr.

The head coach of the team is former national team player Nesley Jean, who will be assisted by player/coach Happy Hall.

Training sessions are ongoing, set for Monday to Thursday, from 7-9 p.m. at the Roscow A.L. Davies Soccer Field.

CONCACAF is one of FIFA’s (International Federation of Association Football) six continental governing bodies for association football.