The Hornets have three more internationals in their ranks after a trio of young professionals made their debuts in World Cup qualifiers for their country this week.
Kane Crichlow (pictured above and below) scored on his debut for Bermuda, Dan Phillips played 90 minutes for Trinidad & Tobago and Bayli Spencer-Adams came on for the last third of the game for Guyana.
"It's great to see and a great experience for them," said Omer Riza, the club's Lead Under-23s coach. "It's great for the boys and great for the club. We've got a WhatsApp group going and everyone is so proud of them. We hope they have long international careers."
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Crichlow became the first Golden Boy to play for Bermuda when he lined up against Canada on Thursday. He scored Bermuda's consolation goal in a 5-1 defeat in Orlando.
"I was very proud to make my international debut and to score as well," said Crichlow, the 20-year-old forward. "I know my family and friends back home are proud of me. It was always going to be a tough match against a team like Canada, but we worked as hard as we could and now it's just time to focus on the next game [against Aruba on Wednesday] and hopefully come away with three points."
Phillips (pictured above) has come off the bench for the first team this season against Middlesbrough and Preston. The midfielder also played against Manchester United in the FA Cup in January. That was his last game of any sort because of a hamstring injury so he did remarkably well to play 90 minutes for Trinidad & Tobago against Guyana on Thursday.
"The experience was surreal," said the 20-year-old midfielder, "especially when the national anthems were playing before the game. I fully realised then I'm playing in a World Cup qualifier! Once the game started, I just tried to do what I normally do and had to adapt to the conditions because the heat was really taking its toll. I'm glad I was able to play the full 90 minutes, especially as it was my first start since December, and to start the qualifying campaign with such an important win."
Phillips became the first Hornet to play for Trinidad & Tobago since Jason Norville in 2003.
"I'm very proud," said Phillips. "I had a lot of support from my family and I know they're all proud too. It's a big honour to play for my country."
For the last 34 minutes of the game, Phillips came up against clubmate Spencer-Adams, the defender who was debuting for Guyana. The 19-year-old defender made his senior debut for the Hornets against Tranmere last year and now has international honours.
"It's an amazing experience," he said. "It was like a dream come true, like ticking something off my wish list. My parents are really proud and all my family tuned in to watch the game. They are all really happy for me. I'm buzzing and hopefully now I can kick on with my Watford career."
