New England Revolution captain Shalrie Joseph has rejected the chance to represent Grenada at this summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup. The 33-year old midfielder was selected in the Grenada squad for the tournament to be played in the US from June 5 to 25 but has decided to pull out and focus on club duties with the sixth-placed club in the MLS' Eastern Conference.
"I think the best decision was to stay and play for the Revolution," Joseph told MLSsoccer.com. "I'm the captain. Guys look up to me.
"They need me to be to there in a time we're in desperate need. I couldn't afford to leave them and walk away."
Joseph admitted that if the Revs were sitting higher on the table then he could possibly afford to step away with the 98th-ranked team in the world.
"If we had more points and team was playing well, it'd be a different position - I would have been more comfortable leaving and coming back in couple weeks," he added.
"The best decision is to stay here [in New England]. I can't afford to leave my team in this position and play in a Gold Cup tournament. The team needs me more than anything else.
"I want to show them that this is where my heart is and this is how much it means to be with the Revolution. One way I can show it is by continuing to play here. [Grenada] understand that this is my job and this is where my future is. This is where I pay my bills. And at the end of day, I have to do what's best for me."
