Keon Daniel Called Up To Trinidad And Tobago National Team For Two World Cup Qualifiers

Trinidad and Tobago national team head coach Otto Pfister has called up Keon Daniel to be a part of the country’s 2014 World Cup qualifying team. The midfielder is one of 11 international players that Pfister called up for this round of qualifiers.

Daniel will arrive in the Trinidadian training camp either on August 28 or August 29, as all international players have been allotted an extra day to travel back home. Tobago is set to play two qualifying games with the current group of internationals, on September 2 against Bermuda and on September 6 the country will travel to and play against Barbados.

Since coming to MLS after spending time with the Puerto Rico Islanders of the USL, Daniel has played in 18 games, starting 9, scoring once and assisting on two goals. The 25-year-old has impressed as the season has worn on, despite continually falling in and out of the starting line up. 

Due to the scheduling conflict, Daniel will most likely miss the Philadelphia Union’s home game on Sunday against the New England Revolution, unless the game date is changed due to the incoming Hurricane Irene.

Without Daniel the Union have few choices at outside midfielder. Michael Farfan is the only option other than Justin Mapp, Sebastien Le Toux and his brother, Gabriel Farfan, that has spent time at one of the two outside positions with any success. However, Gabriel is starting at left back, Mapp occupies one of those spots as of now and Le Toux has been left at striker more recently to get past the sale of former forward Carlos Ruiz.

It is likely that Michael may see a start for the first time in a while at outside midfield, a position that he had excelled in at UNC, prior to being drafted by the Union in the second round of the 2011 MLS SuperDraft. A two time First Team All American in college as an attacking midfielder, Farfan was shuttled into the right back position by Union head coach Piotr Nowak because of a lack of defensive depth, but has since been moved back into his more natual midfield position.