Liberia List 14 Professionals To Face Eagles

The Liberia Football Association, on recommendation of the technical staff of the national team, has invited 14 overseas players for the first leg on the road to the 2013 African Nations cup finals in South Africa, and the players begin arriving this Sunday September 2nd.

The players are: Defenders Jimmy Dixon (Turkey), Solomon Grimes (Cyprus), Omega Roberts Alamadine (Serbia) and Patrick Gerdhart (Australia); midfielders Alseny Keita (France), Theo Weeks Lewis (Turkey), Zah Krangar and James koko Lomel (Indonesia); forwards Tonia Tisdell (Turkey), Sekou Jabateh Oliseh (Russia) and Ansu Toure (Demark) and Strikers Patrick Wleh (Malaysia), Junior Wilson and Boakai Foday (Indonesia).

Already, the Indonesia based players invited are currently on camp with the local players. Of the four, Zah, Koko and Boakai were part of the recent trip to Equatorial Guinea. However, striker Junior Wilson, who could not make the team to Malabo recently for Fifa matchday due to injury, is going through rehabilitation and Coach Smith is confident Wilson will recover in full before the match against the Super Eagles.

On Sunday, Theo Weeks and Ansu Toure are expected to arrive, while Patrick Wleh, Solomon Grimes, Tonia Tisdell and Omega Roberts are expected on Monday. CSKA’s Sekou Jabateh, who has a game on Sunday, is also expected on Monday.

The rest are expected on Wednesday. This is to say players arriving between Sunday and Monday will form part of the Tuesday’s international friendly with Malawi in Monrovia.

Coach Smith has brought back two leading local midfielders in Martin Karndu and Marcus Macaulay to the team. They join ranks with Captain George Gebro, Teah Dannis and others.

The local players along with the Indonesia based have been camping in Monrovia even before the August 15 friendly away to Equatorial Guinea. They are training at various locations including Harbel in Firestone, Margibi County.

Training continues Sunday at the Sime Darby Rubber Plantation (formerly Gurtrice) in Bomi and Cape Mount counties. The Plantation team (same name with plantation) will host the national team which will also travel with the female national team.

According to technical director Henry Browne, the initiative is part of creating awareness for the national team. He said inhabitants in surrounding counties: Bomi, Cape Mount and Gbarpolu, have been invited to have a feel of their national team.

Liberia’s three international matches on 4th, 8th and 11th of September against Malawi, Nigeria and Ghana respectively, will begin at 6pm (GMT) at the SKD in Paynesville outside Monrovia.
 
(Source: liberiansoccer.com, Media Partner, allnigeriasoccer.com)