Updated Story:
FOXBOROUGH, Mass., May 24, 2011 – After wrestling with the
decision for the past several days, New England captain Shalrie Joseph has
accepted a call-up to Grenada and will join the Spice Boyz for the CONCACAF
Gold Cup next month.
Joseph
informed the Revolution of his decision on Tuesday morning and told
MLSsoccer.com that he struggled to reach a final verdict before ultimately
deciding to link up with his national team.
“I tried to
put my country first,” Joseph said. “I understand that my priorities will
always be with the Revolution, but, right now, my country needs me to represent
them.”
Joseph's
decision means the Revolution will have to cope without two of its three
starting central midfielders next month, as Benny Feilhaber was included in the
US squad announced on Monday.
Feilhaber
will play in his second Gold Cup as he continues to build on his World Cup
appearance last summer and retain his status as a mainstay in Bob Bradley's
squad.
“It's
always been a goal of mine to stay on the team,” Feilhaber said. “Obviously,
the World Cup was a step forward for me, and I'd like to continue going forward
with the national team and keep progressing.
It's really
important for me to still be a part of the team.”
Joseph and
Feilhaber will depart for national team duty after Saturday's home date with
Los Angeles. Both players will miss at least two matches (June 4 at FC Dallas
and June 10 at New York) and could miss a total of five domestic fixtures if
their respective nations reach the final.
Revolution
coach Steve Nicol said the absences of Joseph and Feilhaber will create a
difficult void for his side to fill in the center of the park, but he also said
it would give other potential options a chance to impress.
“It's going to be tough to replace the two of them, but, at the same time, it's an opportunity for someone else to come in, do well and make it hard for me not to keep playing them,” Nicol said.
“It's going to be tough to replace the two of them, but, at the same time, it's an opportunity for someone else to come in, do well and make it hard for me not to keep playing them,” Nicol said.
Although
Feilhaber and Joseph will link up with their respective national teams next
week, both players said they planned to keep an eye on the proceedings at
Gillette Stadium as they compete in the Gold Cup.
“You have to make sure and stay focused,” Joseph said about juggling his dual priorities. “The first game is against LA and I know how important it is that we pick up that three points at home against a great team in this league. The MLS season is more important to me right now. Once I go to my national team, then I will focus on that.”
“You have to make sure and stay focused,” Joseph said about juggling his dual priorities. “The first game is against LA and I know how important it is that we pick up that three points at home against a great team in this league. The MLS season is more important to me right now. Once I go to my national team, then I will focus on that.”
SOURCE: Kyle McCarthy – MLSsoccer.com
Earlier Story:
FOXBOROUGH,
Mass., May 24, 2011 - New England
Revolution captain Shalrie Joseph has accepted his call-up from Grenada for the
2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The midfielder was included the roster Grenada
submitted to CONCACAF for the tournament, but had not yet decided if he would
participate until Tuesday morning, when he informed the Revolution he would
play in the Gold Cup.
Joseph will
join the Grenada National Team following the Revolution’s match against the LA
Galaxy on May 28, and will miss at least two of the Revolution's MLS matches – at
Dallas on June 4 and at New York on June 10. He could potentially miss up to
five matches, including those against Toronto on June 15, against Chicago on
June 18 and at Seattle on June 26, should Grenada advance in the knock-out
stages of the tournament.
Grenada is
in Group B with Guatemala, Honduras and Jamaica, and will begin play against
Jamaica on Monday, June 6, at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. On
Friday, June 10, they will face Honduras at FIU Stadium in Miami, Fla., before
wrapping up group play against Guatemala on Monday, June 13, at Red Bull Arena
in Harrison, N.J.
Joseph has
made more than 20 appearances for Grenada, scoring one goal. He was previously
named to Grenada’s Gold Cup squad in 2009, but had to withdraw from
consideration because of a knee injury. He most recently appeared for Grenada
in the country’s FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Costa Rica on June 14 and
June 21, 2008. He is a two-time Grenada Footballer of the Year (2003, 2008) and
was the 2007 Caribbean Player of the Year.
SOURCE: New
England Soccer News
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