Wanderers Captain Rampersad Gets Trinidad and Tobago Call-Up

The midfield engine and locker room leader of the Halifax Wanderers will finally be suiting up for Trinidad and Tobago in the next few days.

Team Captain Andre Rampersad, 28, has confirmed his attendance for his country’s upcoming Concacaf Nations League B matches against the Bahamas and Nicaragua.

The east coast midfield engine has been called up by The Soca Warriors before, but circumstances had prevented the Wanderers Captain from joining the national team and representing his country for the first time.

Now, however, Rampersad is more than ready to heed the call.

“One of the dreams as a kid playing soccer is representing the country,” he told CanPL.ca’s Benedict Rhodes. “To finally see all the hard work that I’ve put in come into play now, it’s definitely a great feeling for me. [I’m] definitely excited to represent the red, white and black. Circumstances made it what it was before, why I wasn’t able to go, but now I’m excited and I’m up for the challenge.”

The Wanderers dynamo is keen to play under athletes like Kevin Molino, who plays for the Columbus Crew and is an athlete Rampersad has long looked up to. The experience, he says, will raise his level.

The 28-year-old has established himself as a top defensive CPL midfielder who can dictate possession and influence both ends of the pitch, so it’ll be quite interesting to see how he represents the league whilst with the national team.

It won’t all be new faces for Rampersad to see in the flesh, though: Trinidad and Tobago assistant coach Derek King was Stephen Hart’s assistant in 2019, and had coached Rampersad before that back with FC Santa Rosa.

Andre says that King and current Soca Warriors head coach Angus Eve had been pushing for him to get into the national team fold for some time, with the stars now finally aligning.

Trinidad and Tobago will face the Bahamas on March 23 before hosting Nicaragua on March 27.