By Simon Fudge/whitecapsfc.com
Looking to lead his country into next year's CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament, Vancouver Whitecaps FC striker
Cornelius Stewart
is looking forward to wearing the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines national team jersey over the next few weeks.
The 20-year-old recently returned to Vancouver's United Soccer Leagues (USL) Premier Development League (PDL) roster after spending a large part of the 2010 season with the Whitecaps FC men's team. Before the USSF D-2 Pro League roster freeze on September 3, Stewart started 18 of 22 appearances for 1,593 minutes of action, with the young attacker scoring two goals and recording five assists during that spell.
Cornelius Stewart - Highlights
While the 'Caps look to end their last season at the North American second division level in strong fashion, Stewart's focus takes him home to the island of Saint Vincent and his national team's preparations for the first-round stage of the
2010 Digicel Caribbean Cup
. The tournament, which serves as the Caribbean region's qualifying tournament for the
2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
, sees Stewart's 'Vincy Heat' host Barbados, Montserrat, and St. Kitts & Nevis in first-round Group B action from Wednesday, October 6, to Sunday, October 10.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines' preparations include an extended training camp and a pair of friendly matches at home to regional rivals Grenada on Friday and Sunday. "I'm looking forward to going home and performing for my country," Stewart told whitecapsfc.com. "There's no better feeling than playing for your country. It's the best feeling ever. I'm just going to go down there and do my best, try to score some goals, and assist my team. I'm trying to keep match fit, so I'm looking forward to keeping that up with national team duty."
The midfielder/striker, who last appeared for his country in FIFA World Cup qualifying versus Canada in June 2008, feels he is better equipped to perform at the international level, as Vincy Heat begin the long road towards Caribbean glory. "I feel I've improved so much in Vancouver, that I'm actually surprised at myself," Stewart revealed. "Teitur (Thordarson) always pushed me to work hard and get better as a player this season. I think that has allowed me to improve big time. My game is totally different now, as I'm thinking more on the ball. From where I used to be as a player, I feel I'm way better now."
A squad that includes former Whitecaps FC players Wesley Charles and Marlon James in their player pool, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines face a challenging Caribbean Cup campaign. The winners of all four first-round groups, plus the two best runners-up from those four groups, will advance to three second-round groups that will be played in late October and early November. The three group winners and runners-up will then move on to two final-stage groups in Martinique in late November. The four Caribbean Cup semifinalists will qualify as the region's representatives for the CONCACAF Gold Cup next summer.
