MIAMI.- Bermuda manager Kyle Lightbourne knows some people don’t think his team belongs in the Concacaf Nations League League A. He’s out to prove them wrong.

A strong debut in the Gold Cup, which saw the Gombey Warriors defeat Nicaragua and fall by just one goal in games against each Haiti and Costa Rica, give fans on the island plenty of reason to think their team can do just that.

“The teams that we are going to be playing against in the coming months have way more experience than us,” Lightbourne told reporters in Bermuda after announcing his first squad. “We have to play at our maximum, and we’re going to have difficult moments if we fall short. It’s how we deal with those moments as a team.”

QPR forward Nahki Wells lends plenty of experience to the attack, with hulking center back Dante Leverock captaining the team from center back. And if the matches played at the Gold Cup are any indication, Lightbourne won’t have any reservations about sending his team out with a game plan designed to attack and get forward, rather than sitting back and defending.

He’s helped in that objective by Wells, Zeiko Lewis and Reggie Lambe, all of whom can stretch opposing defenses. Should they get caught out, goalkeeper Dale Eve has given his teammates plenty of confidence as a shot-stopper after standout showings in both Nations League qualification and in the Gold Cup.

All of it mixes together to form a team that could surprise in a strong group that includes Panama and Mexico. Bermuda isn’t a big name on the international stage - yet - but that could be changing.