Close but no cigar.

That?s the general assessment Atlanta Silverbacks coach Jason Smith provided on Devonshire Cougars pair Domico Coddington and Kwame Steede who returned yesterday from weekend trials in Atlanta with the United Soccer League (USL) First Division club.

Speaking from Atlanta, Smith told : ?They did alright but one of the concerns we have here is that our league only permits five foreign players per team and currently we have four.

?So we only had one space available and although the boys played well, in order to fill the spot they would have had to be one of the players we see for 90 minutes every week.?

The Cougars pair are the first Bermudians to undergo trials with the Silverbacks since John Barry Nusum and Damon Ming in 2002.

Their brief trial commenced on Friday and concluded yesterday, each trial limited to 50 players per session.

?I particularly liked Domico, he actually played right back in the scrimmages and made some very good runs coming out of the back,? Smith continued.

?However, I also thought he was a little bit inconsistent and he did score a goal after making a spectacular run, knocked the ball off and received it back, split two players and scored. But then he kind of hid for a little while.

?Kwame also had some good touches but wasn?t as proactive as I would have liked him to be as an international player.?

Last year saw Coddington, Bermuda Football Association?s current Most Valuable Player, complete a second straight season representing Oakville Blue Devils in the Canadian Professional League and venture to Italy to undergo trials with Serie C club AS Acireale.

?But both players are still very young and have time to develop and it will be interesting to see just how they do develop in years to come,? Smith added.

?Whenever space is available we can see whether or not they fit the need and see if we can have them come back. I certainly saw a lot of potential but not quite enough as yet.?

Both Coddington and Steede will be thrust back into the local limelight when Cougars travel to Bernard Park on Sunday to take on current league leaders North Village.

Village presently have a four-point lead over nearest rivals Cougars.

?These two players are really up for this game just like everyone else and we have been through challenges such as these before,? said Cougars assistant coach Gary (Tuba) Mallory.

?So we will be up for this match. We just need to concentrate on what we have to do and playing away from home shouldn?t be a problem for us.?