This week’s trialists are…

Brazilian midfielder Francisco Lima and “some guy named Lenny who used to play in the Dutch 2nd division.” That’s a direct quote from Frank Yallop.

Lima is a 37-year-old holding midfielder type who most recently played for Italian Serie B side Brescia. He has also played for (deep breath) FC Zurich, Lecce, Bologna, AS Roma, Lokomitiv Moscow, Qatar SC, and Dinamo Moscow. His nickname is “The Animal,” and if you’re thinking that moniker has been used before, it has, as it was the nickname of former Brazilian international forward Edmundo.

Brief impressions: seemed to hold on to the ball well and his passing was sharp, but you have to wonder if the Quakes can’t do better than an aging holding midfielder, even if he is Brazilian.

As for Lenny, he’s a forward, and either he’s a nobody or the Quakes really don’t want anyone to know who he is. My guess is it’s the former, as he didn’t make much of an impression at all on me. Supposedly he came recommended by Quakes’ assistant Ian Russell.

Other tidbits:

– Nick Garcia is back in full training, and looks ready to go.

– As Jay Hipps reported earlier in the day, both Jovan Kirovski and Gavin Glinton are still working their way back from injury. Kirovski is expected to miss a minimum of two weeks with a stress fracture in his foot, while Glinton is apparently still feeling some pain in his surgically repaired groin. “[Glinton] got the surgery and he’s still not healthy, so it’s a worry,” said Yallop.

– Also sitting out was Adam Smarte, and it was not out of embarassment from his terrible pass that set up D.C. United’s third goal on Sunday. Apparently his absence is down to some kind of muscle ailment.

– Kei Kamara is still trying to make his way back to the States. And for those of you confused by Sierra Leone playing South Africa in a World Cup qualifier, when South Africa are already in as hosts, apparently these games are doubling as African Nations Cup qualifiers as well, which explains why SA are playing.