Everything you need to know about Central FC

Kenwyne Jones will be joining Central FC on loan from Atlanta United through the end of December. He will jump into action tonight with the Sharks as they face the Sporting Kansas City in CONCACAF Champions League action.

Why Sharks?

The nickname and logo was chosen to link to team to its region of the country. The team is based in the town of California, which is very close to the Gulf of Paria making the sea a vital part of the town and club’s culture.

It is also a link to bake n’ shark. It’s a classic street foot dish consisting of a fried flatbread filled with pieces of shark meat and other toppings.

Operations Director Kevin Harrison said upon club’s launch:

“It was important to us that the name of the club reflected the area that we will represent. So Central F.C. was the obvious choice. The shark logo was selected to represent the areas’ links to the sea, as well as the Trini delicacy, bake ‘n’ shark.”

What is the history of the club?

Central is a very new club, formed in the summer of 2012, and led by former Trinidad and Tobago national team star Brent Sancho. Sancho played for the Charleston Battery and Atlanta Silverbacks during his eleven year career as a professional and represented his country 43 times.

The club joined the TT Pro League for the 2012-13 season. They finished second in their first two seasons in the league before winning the last two championships. Central has also won the last two CFU Club Championships.

What can Jones expect this season?

With the lack of a posted schedule for the TT Pro League, It is hard to know how many games Jones will play with the Sharks. They have three more games scheduled in the CONCACAF Champions League, starting with the Kansas City match.

This move is as much influenced by his desire to be close to the Trinidad and Tobago national team for some crucial games they have this fall.

In September, T&T plays two crucial World Cup qualifiers that will decide their fate moving forward. A win or a draw at home against Guatemala on September 2 will book their passage to the final round of CONCACAF qualifying. They want to settle things there to avoid needing a result in their final match against the U.S. in Jacksonville on September 6. If Trinidad and Tobago qualifies for the Hex, they will then play two World Cup qualifiers in November.

In October, Trinidad and Tobago will have two matches to qualify for the 2017 Caribbean Cup. That tournament also serves as a qualifier for the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup. They play the Dominican Republic on October 5 and Martinique on October 11.