WILLEMSTAD (DA) — Curaçao hosts Panama in its first CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal Thursday, with Sherel Floranus ruled out of the opener and Jerolldino Bergraaf in contention for his senior international debut. Curaçao won Group A unbeaten with 10 points from 4 matches, led by Kenji Gorré with 4 goals.
Kickoff is at 8:30 p.m. local time at Stadion Ergilio Hato. The return leg is Sunday at 6 p.m. local time at Estadio Rommel Fernández Gutiérrez in Panama City. The winner advances to the Nations League semifinals and qualifies directly for the 2027 Gold Cup. The losing team goes to the Gold Cup preliminaries.
Coach Dick Advocaat said Wednesday he would reassess Floranus before the second leg. Jeremy Antonisse stayed in Greece with an ankle injury and will miss both matches. Bergraaf replaced Jordi Paulina, who injured his knee in club training. Advocaat said he had enough players to field a team without any further call-ups.
Goalkeepers
Tyrick Bodak, 24 | Vitesse | Netherlands, Eerste Divisie (second tier)
Connor van den Berg has handled most of Vitesse’s league starts, and Bodak has yet to play a league minute this season. He was out of the matchday squad at Heracles in September and returned to the bench for matches against FC Emmen and Jong Ajax. He was also an unused substitute during Curaçao’s group stage.
Eloy Room, 37 | Miami FC | United States, USL Championship (second tier)
Miami lists Room with 5 clean sheets in 21 appearances in his first season with the club. He saved a penalty in a September draw at Brooklyn FC, then stopped one late in extra time and two more in the shootout as Miami eliminated top-seeded Tampa Bay in the playoffs. He remained in goal for the 3-2 loss to Louisville City that ended Miami’s season.
Kiyani Zeggen, 20 | Jong AZ | Netherlands, Eerste Divisie (second tier)
Zeggen played all 90 minutes in each of his 7 league starts, making 20 saves and conceding 12 goals. Jong AZ won 4 of those starts, including a 4-1 victory over FC Volendam. His most recent start was a 1-0 loss to FC Den Bosch on Oct. 9, and he has been on the bench for each of the 4 league matches since.
Defenders
Joshua Brenet, 32 | Kayserispor | Turkey, 1. Lig (second tier)
Brenet has yet to play in the league since Kayserispor dropped to the second tier. His only competitive club appearance came on Oct. 29, when he played the full 90 minutes in a 4-1 Turkish Cup loss at Bitlis 1916 Spor. He returned to the bench for the 6-0 league win over Muğlaspor.
Jurich Carolina, 28 | FK Borac Banja Luka | Bosnia and Herzegovina, Premier League (first tier)
Carolina played 570 minutes across 6 Conference League appearances for Borac. He was an unused substitute in the league-phase matches against Panathinaikos, KuPS and Mjällby, and missed two domestic matchday squads in late October. He returned to the starting lineup Sunday and played all 90 minutes in a 4-1 league win over Radnik Bijeljina.
Roshon van Eijma, 28 | AE Kifisia | Greece, Super League (first tier)
Van Eijma played all 90 minutes in 4 straight league matches in October, starting with a clean sheet in a 2-0 win over Panetolikos and ending with a 3-2 loss to Olympiacos. He also came off the bench in a Greek Cup win over Asteras Tripolis during that run. He kept his place at center back for Saturday’s 3-1 win at Volos.
Sherel Floranus, 28 | PEC Zwolle | Netherlands, Eredivisie (first tier)
Floranus started all 6 of his league appearances and logged 423 minutes. He played 87 minutes against Cambuur before going off in the 24th minute of Zwolle’s 4-1 derby win over Go Ahead Eagles on Oct. 18. The injury kept him out of subsequent league and cup matches, including Zwolle’s most recent game at Willem II.
Floranus joined Curaçao in Willemstad and took part in drills. He is out Thursday and remains day to day for Sunday’s second leg, with Advocaat set to reassess him before the match.
Deveron Fonville, 23 | NEC Nijmegen | Netherlands, Eredivisie (first tier)
Fonville had started 6 Eredivisie matches before a warmup injury forced him out of the lineup at Heerenveen. He had also played 81 minutes in NEC’s 4-2 Europa League win at Dinamo Zagreb. He was an unused substitute against Omonia Nicosia, then returned to the starting lineup and provided an assist in Sunday’s 3-2 league win at FC Utrecht.
Juriën Gaari, 32 | Abha | Saudi Arabia, Saudi Pro League (first tier)
Gaari captained Abha in its league opener and has played all 990 minutes through 11 matches, the most on the team. The newly promoted club is still looking for its first league win. Gaari was in central defense for its most recent match, a 1-1 draw with Al-Ittihad.
Armando Obispo, 27 | PSV Eindhoven | Netherlands, Eredivisie (first tier)
Obispo started PSV’s first 10 league matches at center back and played the full 90 minutes in the 7-0 win over Willem II. His workload has extended to the Champions League, where he has played 286 minutes across 4 appearances. He started against Club Brugge on Nov. 4, then was in the lineup for Sunday’s 5-2 league win at Cambuur.
Shurandy Sambo, 25 | Burnley | England, Championship (second tier)
Sambo has yet to play a Championship minute this season. He was an unused substitute against West Ham, Norwich City and Middlesbrough early in the campaign and has been outside Burnley’s matchday squads in recent rounds. His playing time has come with Curaçao, where he appeared in all 4 Nations League group matches.
Midfielders
Juninho Bacuna, 29 | Gaziantep FK | Turkey, Süper Lig (first tier)
Bacuna has made 6 league appearances, including 5 starts, and provided an assist in the season-opening draw with Alanyaspor. He moved back into the starting lineup in late October and started 3 straight league matches, the last a 2-0 home loss to Kasımpaşa. He also started Gaziantep’s Turkish Cup tie against Etimesgut during that stretch.
Leandro Bacuna, 35 | Iğdır FK | Turkey, 1. Lig (second tier)
Bacuna’s first 8 league appearances all came off the bench, totaling 111 minutes. His biggest contribution came against Boluspor on Oct. 18, when he entered in the second half and scored the only goal in the 72nd minute. He was back in a late substitute role the following round against Bandırmaspor.
Livano Comenencia, 22 | FC Zürich | Switzerland, Super League (first tier)
Comenencia has started 7 of his 8 league appearances, with a goal and an assist. He set up a goal against Vaduz in September and scored in the 5-3 win at Young Boys on Nov. 1. That performance came between starts against Luzern and Servette, giving him 3 straight league starts heading into the international break.
Godfried Roemeratoe, 27 | FC Voluntari | Romania, SuperLiga (first tier)
Roemeratoe assisted in his league debut off the bench against FCSB after joining Voluntari in October. He scored in his first league start, at Csikszereda, and has since played all 90 minutes against Farul Constanța and Sepsi. He also started against Universitatea Craiova in the Romanian Cup.
Nicky Souren, 26 | SC Cambuur | Netherlands, Eredivisie (first tier)
Souren has started all 12 league matches in Cambuur’s first season back in the Eredivisie and has played more than 1,000 minutes. The central midfielder has a goal and an assist. His first league goal of the campaign came Sunday, when he played the full match in a 5-2 loss to PSV.
Forwards
Jerolldino Bergraaf, 20 | AZ Alkmaar and Jong AZ | Netherlands, Eredivisie (first tier) and Eerste Divisie (second tier)
The Excelsior loanee has 4 goals and an assist in 11 league appearances for Jong AZ. He scored against FC Dordrecht, Jong PSV and FC Volendam in September, then scored and assisted in a 4-4 draw at VVV-Venlo in October. Two days later, he made his AZ first-team debut off the bench against Cambuur. Advocaat said he sees Bergraaf as a center forward.
Tahith Chong, 26 | Sheffield United | England, Championship (second tier)
Chong has made 9 league appearances, including 7 starts, with a goal against Lincoln City and an assist against Portsmouth. He has started every league match since coming into the lineup against Lincoln on Oct. 10. After going off injured against Wrexham, he started the 3-2 win at Preston North End and played all 90 minutes at Charlton Athletic.
Kenji Gorré, 32 | Maccabi Haifa | Israel, Premier League (first tier)
Gorré has been a regular on the left for Maccabi Haifa. He scored in a 3-2 win over Ironi Tiberias in September and again in a 4-1 win at Hapoel Jerusalem in October. He went on to start against Maccabi Petah Tikva and Hapoel Be’er Sheva before coming off the bench at Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Jearl Margaritha, 26 | SK Beveren | Belgium, Belgian Pro League (first tier)
Margaritha has 2 goals and 2 assists in 9 league appearances, including 6 starts. He scored in a 2-0 win over Sint-Truiden and set up Elohim Kaboré in a 4-4 draw at Westerlo. Beveren ruled him out against Standard Liège with a minor injury. He traveled to Curaçao, and his availability for Thursday remains unconfirmed.
Ar’Jany Martha, 23 | Telstar | Netherlands, Eredivisie (first tier)
Martha made 4 substitute appearances in England’s League Two before joining Telstar on loan from Rotherham United. He has since made 7 Eredivisie appearances and worked his way into the lineup with 4 straight starts. He scored and assisted in a 4-2 win over FC Utrecht, then played all 90 minutes in the 2-2 draw at Fortuna Sittard.
Nigel Thomas, 25 | ADO Den Haag | Netherlands, Eredivisie (first tier)
Thomas has scored 4 goals in 8 league appearances and added another in the Dutch Cup. He scored at Feyenoord in August, struck twice off the bench against Heerenveen in October and put ADO ahead for good in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Sparta Rotterdam. He also scored the cup equalizer against Excelsior ’31 before ADO went out on penalties. He is still awaiting his Curaçao debut.