Joel Piroe named by Suriname as Jay-Roy Grot also selected for World Cup deciders | OneFootball

Leeds United striker Joel Piroe has earned a first call-up to Suriname’s 26-man squad and could debut this month as they pursue a first World Cup.

Henk ten Cate’s side are two wins from qualification. According to yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk, they face Bolivia in Guadalupe on Thursday, March 26, with victory setting up a decider against Iraq the following week.

Piroe, born in the Netherlands, switched allegiance earlier this year after representing the Dutch up to Under-20 level. He qualifies to play for Suriname through his father.

In January he said he had weighed the decision carefully with his father, who would be proud, and that he wants to make history with Suriname. He spoke of frequent visits to the country, a strong connection to its culture, and excitement about the qualifiers starting with Bolivia.

The Leeds forward will join up after Saturday’s Premier League trip to Brentford, having recently netted his first goal of the season in a 3-0 FA Cup win over Norwich City. He will also work under former Leeds striker Hasselbaink, an assistant to Ten Cate.

Fellow call-up Jay-Roy Grot is another Leeds link. The 28-year-old scored one goal in 23 appearances in 2017/18 after arriving from NEC Nijmegen as a 19-year-old, then left for VfL Osnabrück in February 2021 after loan spells. Now with Odense Boldklub, he has two goals in 11 games this season and could partner Piroe later this month.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk