Bermuda football head coach Michael Findlay will be forced into making a change in goal for the crucial upcoming Concacaf Nations League matches this week.

Regular goalkeeper and captain Dale Eve is unable to make the trip to Dominican Republic for personal reasons, which means Findlay will choose between North Village’s Detre Bell, Jahquil Hill, from St George’s, or young stopper Milai Perott, who plays in England for Notts County’s under-21 side.

Jai Bean, who scored the winning goal against Dominica in Bermuda’s previous Nations League match last month, is also unavailable for personal reasons, while forward Kole Hall and J’Nai Butterfield-Steede are out through injury.

Despite the absence of key players, Findlay remains philosophical as he prepares the side.

“In the case of Kole and J’Nai, their selection has been affected by recent injury and has eliminated them after featuring as consistent selections,” he said.

“In the case of Dale and Jai, personal circumstances have unfortunately also eliminated them from inclusion in the November window. This once again highlights the challenges member associations within the Concacaf region must manage on the international stage, and this is why a continued commitment to ongoing evaluation and player identification is a critical piece to our programme’s evolution moving forward.”

While a number of regular starters and squad members could be viewed as a blow to Bermuda’s chances against Antigua and Dominican Republic in their final two Nations League matches this year, it does hand an opportunity to a number of local players.

Defender Julian Carpenter, of Paget Lions, and Dandy Town’s David Jones Jr have been called up to the national squad for the first time, with Djair Parfitt and Remy Coddington also returning.

“We're pleased to have D’jair Parfitt, Remy Coddington and Jahquil Hill rejoin the squad following their recent absence due to club commitments and, in Jahquil’s case, with the absence of Dale Eve, the opportunity has presented itself to return to the national team,” Findlay said.

“We are also pleased to have David Jones and Julian Carpenter join the national team for the first time since I was appointed in August 2023. Including these international and domestic-based players demonstrates the continued expansion and depth of our talent pool as we continue to address the ongoing challenges of player availability in the Concacaf region because of injuries, work commitments and professional club commitments.”

Nahki Wells, who scored a hat-trick against Dominica last month before flying back to England and missing the second of the two games on island, has again been named in the squad, as has Zeiko Lewis, who will be available for only the second match after playing for Union Omaha at the weekend.

Bermuda go into their final two group matches on nine points, three behind league leaders Dominican Republic, who they play in their final game.

As it stands, Findlay’s side have the best points tally of the four second-placed teams in League B, with the two best group runners-up guaranteed to be in a play-off to qualify for the Concacaf Gold Cup.