York9 FC defender Justin Springer has been called up to the St. Kitts and Nevis national team squad for an upcoming and CONCACAF Nations League Qualifying tilt against Suriname, away on March 23 in Paramaribo.

Springer, 25, has made 10 appearances for the Sugar Boyz since earning his first international call-up in 2016. A native of Burlington, Ont., Springer qualifies for St. Kitts and Nevis through his father, who was born and still has family on the twin islands.

St. Kitts and Nevis currently sit ninth out of 34 teams in the CONCACAF Nations League Qualifying, and need a win and possibly a draw against Suriname to secure a berth in the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The Sugar Boyz have six points through their first three qualifying fixtures, having defeated Puerto Rico 1-0 in the opening round, followed by a resounding 10-0 victory over Saint Martin on Matchday 2.

But St. Kitts and Nevis will need to bounce back after suffering a 1-0 loss to Canada in its third of four matches, with 16th-placed Suriname standing in the way of both a Gold Cup and possibly a CONCACAF Nations League Group A spot.

Springer is hoping that a positive result will continue to change perceptions about his international side.

“This is where St. Kitts and Nevis is trying to go as a football nation,” Springer told CanPL.ca in February. “We don’t want to be known as a lower-tier team. We have very good players in the nation and we’re proving it right now.”