The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Football Association’s senior men’s national team returns to the pitch this weekend to kickoff the second edition of the CONCACAF Nations League.

Team Bahamas will open League B play when they face St Vincent and the Grenadines at 3pm in the Thomas A Robinson Stadium in the first of its four Nations League matches this month.

In match two, The Bahamas will travel to Trinidad and Tobago to take on the hosts at Hadley Crawford Stadium on June 6 at 8pm.

On June 10, the venue shifts back to the Thomas A Robinson Stadium when The Bahamas hosts Nicaragua at 5pm.

They complete the home and away series against Nicaragua on June 13 at 8pm at the Nicaraguan National Stadium.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has the 1-0 upper-hand in the all-time series with the Bahamas, after a Shandel Samuel double helped pace the team to a 3-2 victory at the 2007 Caribbean Cup.

In the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2019, The Bahamas earned promotion when they won Group C.

They finished 3-0-1 against Bonaire and The British Virgin Islands to total 10 points.

Suiting up for The Bahamas on the defensive line are Lesly St. Fleur, Jean Francois, Troy Pinder, Evelt Julmis, Kenaz Swain, Derrick Ferguson and Quinton Carey. Playing the midfield positions are Alexiou Cartwright, Roen Davis, Michael Massey, Nathan Wells, Christopher Rahming, William Bayles, Marcel Joseph, Logan Russell and Nicolas Lopez.

Looking to put the ball in the back of the net in the forward positions are Wood Julmis, Jordin Wilson and Omari Bain.

The custodians between the goal posts are Julio Jemison, Ian Lowe, and Vance Wheaton. Nesly Jean is the head coach.

Jean will be assisted by Kevin Davies and Avery Kemp, and Larry Minns is team manager.

In preparation for the Nations League, The Bahamas hosted a pair of friendly matches with the Turks and Caicos Islands.

“Over the two days, it was really good,” said Bahamas head coach Nesly Jean.

“We really put on the match to see how the team would look going into the games on June 3.

“We tried new players just coming on the team and using some different formations. They’re buying into what we’re trying to do and hopefully by June 3, we will be ready to go.”

The Bahamas will also be represented on the pitch by Evens Julmis who received his first Nations League appointment as a referee.

Julmis has been appointed by CONCACAF to the 4th referee position for the League B, Group B match Haiti vs Bermuda in Bermuda on June 4.

A product of the Bahamas Referee Academy and having attended the CONCACAF Referee Academy, Julmis has five years of refereeing experience.