Sint Maarten national team assistant coach Harry Kerssies is seen instructing his players during training in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico on Wednesday.
SCSA Eagles goalkeeper Chandro Wilkin poses with the St. Maarten Football Federation Super Cup Champion trophy in this file photo from 2023.
PHILIPSBURG—A slimmed down Sint Maarten national football team are currently in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico to prepare for their opening match against Aruba in the CONCACAF Nations League Group B on Friday, September 6.
While the team usually travels with 23 players, coach Piet de Jong has this time only selected 21 players because of budgetary reasons. This has not stopped him from including two new faces: goalkeeper Chandro Wilkin and defender Mike Richardson.
With his callup, Wilkin will be the only player in the squad who currently plays in the local competition. The 17-year-old Sint Maartener is described as “great in the air” and having a “natural born talent” for goalkeeping.
“Chandro is always ready to do extra work, both before and after training,” notes his club coach Edson Oehlers from Sint Maarten Football Federation senior division champions SCSA Eagles. “He is very coachable and ready to take on advice.”
Since joining the club, Wilkin has won two trophies with the Eagles and he recently travelled with the team to participate in the Caribbean Club Shield in Curacao. He also won the Best Keeper award during last season’s senior competition, when Eagles emerged champions.
Wilkin will travel as the third keeper in the squad.
Center back Mike Richardson is even younger than Wilkin as he will turn 16 this month. He came to the attention of Federation officials after excelling for the Under 15 team of Alphense Boys in the Netherlands. Although he was out injured with a broken ankle for most of last season, he has now moved up to the Under 17.
Richardson was being followed by several Dutch professional football clubs, but because of his injury he has not yet been able to take the step up to the next level.
Aside from Wilkin and Richardson, the squad remains mostly unchanged from previous outings with all key players fit to play, including Ilounga Pata, Gerwin “Smally” Lake and Chovanie Amatkarijo. After the Aruba game, Sint Maarten will also take on Haiti at the Estadio Centroamericano de Mayaguez in Mayaguez on Monday, September 9.
