Saint Lucia Men’s National Team Coach Stern John has confirmed the selection of Wycombe Wanderers defender Chris Forino to the St Lucia Men’s National Team as part of Forino’s commitment to his international future.
John, the former Birmingham City, Sunderland and Southampton striker said he had been following Forino for several months.
Forino was added to the squad following the recruitment of Charlton Athletic defender Terell Thomas, who joined the St. Lucia this June, to help the team secure promotion to the CONCACAF Nations League and a place in the Gold Cup preliminaries. Saint Lucia are also looking to build on their recent success against a European-based professional team, in which the home side won and drew two friendly matches against San Marino at the Daren Sammy Cricket Grounds. [DSCG].
Said John: “We have been keen to strengthen the depth of the squad and add players who can bring a different experience to the group. With a professional league about to arrive in St Lucia, it is important that our developing local players learn from those playing in professional leagues overseas.”
John, who featured in the 2006 World Cup finals for Trinidad & Tobago, met the 22-year-old after Wanderers’ game at Charlton Athletic.
He added, “I knew Chris was eligible to represent St Lucia and I had seen some videos of him in action, but I wanted to know more about his character. As my assistant coach Francis Lastic and I left the meeting feeling that Chris can bring a lot more to the camp than just football.
The 6’3″ defender from Islington is a product of Brentford’s Academy and gave up a place at university to focus on his football career.
The head coach continued, “Chris is a very intelligent, grounded young man and I believe he will be an excellent role model. I also think that gaining international experience will enhance his domestic career and I look forward to seeing him play at a higher level in the future.”
In the meantime, John will continue his search for experienced professionals playing overseas. He stated: “I already have a great group of players, but my goal is to add quality options in all positions.”
Saint Lucia returned to a perfect record with wins over Dominica and Anguilla. John is currently preparing for the return matches with both countries in March.
