New faces join Brown?s select bunch
Somerset Trojans striker Dion Stovell, North Village ?keeper Adrian Burrows and Boulevard?s Torry Davis have each been invited to train with a local Select XI poised to take on Major League Soccer (MLS) side New England Revolution on Tuesday night at the National Sports Centre (NSC).
Following early-season battles with injury, Stovell and Davis appear to have cemented their spots in their respective teams while Burrows has impressed tending to duties between the posts for the Reds since his move from Somerset Eagles.
Stovell and Davis come in as last-minute replacements for Trojans striker Rohaan Simons and PHC sweeper Tokia Russell ? both recalled to the national team ? while Burrows has been rewarded for some consistent performances with adopted club Village.
However, Simons is currently nursing a hamstring injury which threatens to keep him sidelined next week while Russell is understood to be bogged down by work commitments.
The visiting Revolution close out their brief stopover in Bermuda with a match against Kyle Lightbourne?s national team next Thursday night at the NSC.
New England MLS side are expected to announce their touring entourage today.
Meanwhile, apart from the omissions of Simons and Russell, the local select have retained the nucleus of players who put up a brave performance in a losing cause against Santos at Somerset Cricket Club earlier this month.
The visiting Brazilians completed a three-match tour of the Island by edging by Dennis Brown?s side 1-0, second-half substitute Felipe?s injury-time winner denying the hastily assembled local side what would have been a hard-fought draw against quality opposition.
?At the higher level when you make a mistake at crucial times you pay for them. You might not pay for mistakes on a Sunday but against good opposition you?re going to pay for it and that?s what happened,? Brown told following his team?s heart-breaking loss.
The local select have scheduled a practice session for tomorrow at Devonshire Recreation Club where Brown will have a rare chance to iron out any remaining kinks among the ranks prior to Tuesday?s opening contest of the Revolution?s two-match tour of Bermuda.
The MLS Western Conference side arrive on the Island from Boston on Sunday.
While Brown is delighted to have the trio come onboard, the former Bermuda captain hopes his remaining players will have gained valuable experience against Santos which can be put to good use against the visiting MLS side next week.
?It was a heart-breaking loss but I think lessons will have been learned,? he said. ?One of my former coaches always used to say ?if you lose the match . . . don?t lose the lesson. And I think the lesson was that we need to maintain a high level of concentration for 90 minutes.
?But I thought our guys were very receptive to the game plan we had set out for the team and overall I thought they did really well for a team that only had three training sessions in which to prepare themselves.?
With that loss now behind them, Brown hopes to see a marked improvement this time around.
?Hopefully we can produce an even higher level of concentration and dedication this time around,? he added. ?The players and myself as coach need to ensure we are on top of our game 100 percent mentally.
?And one thing I always stress to players is trying to visualise things before you even go out onto the pitch. Once you start to develop that into your game then you will notice a big difference.
?And although they (Revolution) are professional athletes, we will not be the favourites, per se, but we do intend to put our best foot forward.?
As to the loss of Simons and Russell, Brown commented: ?With them going to the national team this gives other players an opportunity to come into the team and show myself as well as the national team coach just what they can do.?
Also, while on tour of the Island, Revolution will hold a mini-football camp at the Sports Centre?s northern field on Monday afternoon for youth players aged between five and 16. Anyone interested is asked to call 505-8401 for further details.
First Division leaders Ireland Rangers opened up a three-point lead over second-placed Devonshire Colts following Wednesday night?s 3-0 win over Social Club at Somerset Cricket Club.
Sean Brangman opened the West Ender?s scoring account as early as the 11th minute before additional second-half strikes from Andre Outerbridge (47th) and Henry Santucci (55th) condemned Social Club to a ninth defeat of the season while boosting Rangers? league title and promotion hopes.