The Sunday Mail
THE Liberian squad, which arrived in Zimbabwe last Thursday, is largely made up of locally-based players with their hopes invested mainly on the foreign based quintet called up by coach James Salinsa Debbah.
Promising 18-year-old forward Sylvanus Nimely of Russian champions Spartak Moscow is spoken of highly in Liberian football today.
Nimely is the Liberia Under 20 captain and only made his Spartak Moscow debut in March coming on as a second half substitute in a friendly match against Red Star Belgrade of Serbia. With Liberia ranked 151 on the FIFA rankings – tied with minnows Tahiti – their players struggle to make it into the top European clubs and most of their stars end up settling for lowly leagues in Jordan, Indonesia and Malaysia.
Attacking linkman Zah Rahan Krangar (33) turns out for Felda United who are currently sixth and 13 points behind log leaders Johor Darul Ta’zim in the Malaysian Super League.
In Spain the Liberians have goalkeeper Boison Wynney DE Souza who turns out for third tier team CD Llosentense. The West Africans, who are famed for producing the only African to win the World Footballer of the Year award in George Weah, are also banking on teenage midfielder Murphy Oscar Dorley who turns out for Trakai FC in the Lithuania A Lyga.
Liberian soccer.com – a website regarded as the home of Liberian football – has also been heaping praises on rising local right back Prince Kennedy who starred for the Lone Star in a 1-0 friendly win over Sierra Leone last week.
“He works really hard as a right sided defender. He gets the crosses in as well as falling back when the opponents attack,” reported the website recently.
Liberia are yet to beat Zimbabwe and their best FIFA ranking was 73rd in 2001 when their squad still had the great Weah.
