Trinidad and Tobago national football team
Nickname(s) | The Soca Warriors | ||
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Association | Trinidad and Tobago Football Association | ||
Sub-confederation | CFU (Caribbean) | ||
Confederation | CONCACAF | ||
Head coach | Stephen Hart | ||
Captain | Kenwyne Jones | ||
Most caps | Angus Eve (117) | ||
Top scorer | Stern John (70) | ||
Home stadium | Hasely Crawford Stadium | ||
FIFA code | TRI | ||
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FIFA ranking | |||
Current | 49 1 (04 February 2016) | ||
Highest | 25 (June 2001) | ||
Lowest | 106 (October 2010) | ||
Elo ranking | |||
Current | 88 (June 2015) | ||
Highest | 36 (1937) | ||
Lowest | 116 (September 1987) | ||
First international | |||
British Guiana 1–4 Trinidad and Tobago (British Guiana; 21 July 1905)[1] | |||
Biggest win | |||
Trinidad and Tobago 11–0 Aruba (Arima, Trinidad and Tobago; 23 April 1989) | |||
Biggest defeat | |||
Mexico 7–0 Trinidad and Tobago (Mexico City, Mexico; 8 October 2000) | |||
World Cup | |||
Appearances | 1 (First in 2006) | ||
Best result | Round 1; 2006 | ||
CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup | |||
Appearances | 13 (First in 1967) | ||
Best result | Runners-up; 1973 |
The Trinidad and Tobago national football team, nicknamed the Soca Warriors, represents the twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in international football. It is controlled by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association and competes in both CONCACAF (the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) and the Caribbean Football Union, its sub-continental confederation. The team is ranked 54th in the world according to the FIFA World Rankings, and 103rd in the World Football Elo Ratings. They reached the first round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup and currently holds the record of being the smallest nation (both in size and population) to ever qualify for a FIFA World Cup.
The national team competes in the FIFA World Cup and the CONCACAF Gold Cup, in addition to the Caribbean Cup and other competitions by invitation. The Soca Warriors lone appearance at the FIFA World Cup came in 2006 after the team defeated Bahrain 2–1 on aggregate in the CONCACAF-AFC intercontinental play-off. The team has qualified for the CONCACAF Gold Cup on eight occasions with their best performance in 2000 after reaching the semi-finals, finishing 3rd. However, the national team has experienced great success in the Caribbean Cup having won the sub-continental competition eight times and runners-up on five occasions.
The separate Trinidad and Tobago national football teams are not related to the national team and are not directly affiliated with the game's governing bodies of FIFA or CONCACAF, but are affiliated with the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation.
History
1970s
At the 1973 CONCACAF Championship, Trinidad and Tobago fell two points short of qualifying for the 1974 World Cup Finals in controversial fashion. Trinidad and Tobago lost a crucial game on 4 December 1973 against hosts Haiti 2–1 after being denied five goals. The referee, José Roberto Henríquez of El Salvador, and Canadian linesman James Higuet were subsequently banned for life by FIFA for the dubious events of the match.[2][3][4]
1980s to 1990s: The Strike Squad
Trinidad and Tobago came within one game of qualifying for the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. Nicknamed the Strike Squad during the qualifying campaign, Trinidad and Tobago needed only a draw to qualify in their final game played at home against the United States on 19 November 1989. In front of an over-capacity crowd of more than 30,000 at the National Stadium on Red Day,[5] Paul Caligiuri of the United States scored the only goal of the game in the 38th minute dashing Trinidad and Tobago's qualification hopes.[6] For the good behaviour of the crowd at the stadium, despite the devastating loss and overcrowded stands, the spectators of Trinidad and Tobago were awarded the FIFA Fair Play Award in 1989.[7]
2000s
2006 FIFA World Cup
Trinidad and Tobago qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, its first-ever qualification for the tournament. During their qualifying campaign, they sat at the bottom of the table in the final round of qualifying with one point from three. However, after the arrival of Leo Beenhakker as team coach and the recalling of veteran players Dwight Yorke and Russell Latapy, Trinidad and Tobago reversed its fortunes and placed fourth in the group. They qualified via a playoff against Bahrain, recovering from a 1–1 draw at home to win 1–0 in Manama, Bahrain to book a place in the finals. As a result, Trinidad and Tobago became the smallest country to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.
In Germany, Trinidad and Tobago were grouped with England, Sweden and Paraguay in Group B. They drew their first game 0–0 against Sweden despite going down to ten men early in the second half. They lost both their remaining matches against England and Paraguay by a 2–0 margin.
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2010s
2010 World Cup Cycle
Trinidad and Tobago began their campaign in the Second Round with a home and away series against Bermuda. Trinidad and Tobago lost the first match at home 1–2, but bounced back to win the away leg in Bermuda 2–0 to progress to the third round 3–2 on aggregate. The Soca Warriors advanced to Group 1 of the Third Round alongside the United States, Guatemala, and Cuba. Trinidad and Tobago progressed to the Fourth Round by placing second in the group with eleven points from six games. This qualified Trinidad and Tobago for the Fourth Round, or Hexagonal, against Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, and the United States. The Fourth Round was also played in a home and away format among the six teams involved. Qualification quickly turned disastrous for Trinidad and Tobago as they tied 2–2 with El Salvador after leading 2–0. They would then tie 1–1 with Honduras following a late-strike. However, three consecutive losses to the United States, Costa Rica, and Mexico found the Soca Warriors bottom of the Hexagonal with two points from their first five matches. In their sixth match, they recorded their first win of the round by defeating El Salvador 1–0. However, the victory was short lived as they suffered losses to Honduras and the United States the following month; ending their hopes to qualify for the World Cup.
2014 World Cup Cycle
Trinidad and Tobago entered qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in the Second Round of CONCACAF as a seeded team with Guyana, Bermuda, and Barbados the other teams drawn in Group B. The Soca Warriors defeated Bermuda (1–0) and Bardados (2–0) in their first two matches to earn a full six points. However, on 7 October 2011, Trinidad and Tobago lost away to Bermuda in Devonshire Parish 2–1 to hurt its chances of advancing to the Third Round of qualification.[8] The team quickly rebounded four days later by defeating Barbados 4–0 in Hasely Crawford Stadium with a hat-trick from Lester Peltier.[9] Entering the final two matches in the Second Round, Trinidad and Tobago found itself in second place behind Guyana by one point. As only the group winner would advance to the Third Round of qualification, the Soca Warriors needed to take four points in the next two matches both facing Guyana to advance. Trinidad and Tobago first traveled to Providence, Guyana to face the Golden Jaguars on 11 November 2011. With an early goal from Ricky Shakes and another from Leon Cort in the 81st minute, Trinidad and Tobago found itself behind 2–0 and facing elimination. Kenwyne Jones managed to pull the team within a goal in the 93rd minute, but it was too late as the match would end 2–1 in favor of Guyana.[10] With the loss, Trinidad and Tobago were officially eliminated from qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. On 12 January 2012, Otto Pfister was sacked following a disappointing campaign which saw the country's earliest exit from World Cup qualification since 1994.[11]
Team image
Home stadium
For the first eighty years of their existence, Trinidad and Tobago played their home matches all around the country with Queen's Park Oval, generally thought of as the most picturesque and largest of the old cricket grounds in the West Indies, as the most often used venue.[12] The cricket ground served as the country's largest stadium until the new National Stadium was built in Mucurapo, Port of Spain, to host the nation's athletics competitions and international football matches.
The stadium later was renovated and renamed after Hasely Crawford, the first person from Trinidad and Tobago to win an Olympic gold medal, prior to Trinidad and Tobago hosting the 2001 FIFA U-17 World Championship. The stadium currently has a seating capacity of 27,000 and is owned by the Trinidad and Tobago government under the Ministry of Sport.
Supporters
The major supporters' group for the national team is the Soca Warriors Supporters Club or the Warrior Nation. The group is a non-profit organisation that is independent of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association. Formed shortly after Trinidad and Tobago secured qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the supporters' club was organised by Soca Warriors Online founder Inshan Mohammed and Nigel Myers.
The group's activities include promoting teams locally and globally, lobbying the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association as representatives of football fans, advocating fair pricing and allocation of event tickets, organising travel for fans to home and away matches, providing a family-oriented fans' organisation, and promoting football among the young people of Trinidad and Tobago.
Players
For all past and present players who have appeared for the national team, see Trinidad and Tobago national team players.
Current squad
The following 23 players were called up for the Copa América Centenario qualifying play-offs match against Haiti on January 8, 2016.[13]
Goals and caps are updated as of January 8, 2016 after the match against Haiti.
# | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
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21 | GK | Jan-Michael Williams | 26 October 1984 | 72 | 0 | Central |
1 | GK | Marvin Phillip | 1 August 1984 | 52 | 0 | Point Fortin Civic |
22 | GK | Adrian Foncette | 10 October 1988 | 0 | 0 | Police |
5 | DF | Daneil Cyrus | 15 December 1990 | 51 | 0 | W Connection |
12 | DF | Carlyle Mitchell | 8 August 1987 | 29 | 0 | Seoul E-Land |
6 | DF | Radanfah Abu Bakr | 12 February 1987 | 28 | 2 | Køge |
2 | DF | Aubrey David | 11 October 1990 | 25 | 1 | Deportivo Saprissa |
16 | DF | Justin Hoyte | 20 November 1984 | 16 | 0 | Dagenham & Redbridge |
18 | DF | Yohance Marshall | 22 January 1986 | 12 | 1 | Murciélagos |
17 | DF | Mekeil Williams | 24 July 1990 | 12 | 1 | Colorado Rapids |
8 | MF | Khaleem Hyland | 5 June 1989 | 58 | 4 | Westerlo |
3 | MF | Joevin Jones | 3 August 1991 | 51 | 2 | Seattle Sounders |
23 | MF | Lester Peltier | 13 September 1988 | 36 | 6 | Slovan Bratislava |
14 | MF | Andre Boucaud | 10 October 1984 | 34 | 2 | Dagenham & Redbridge |
19 | MF | Kevan George | 30 January 1990 | 21 | 0 | Unattached |
13 | MF | Cordell Cato | 15 July 1992 | 15 | 1 | San Jose Earthquakes |
15 | MF | Neveal Hackshaw | 21 September 1995 | 4 | 0 | North East Stars |
11 | FW | Ataullah Guerra | 14 November 1987 | 40 | 6 | Central |
11 | FW | Trevin Caesar | 26 April 1989 | 8 | 1 | Orange County Blues |
7 | FW | Jonathan Glenn | 27 August 1987 | 6 | 1 | Breiðablik |
10 | FW | Shahdon Winchester | 8 January 1992 | 5 | 0 | W Connection |
9 | FW | Rundell Winchester | 16 December 1993 | 4 | 0 | Portland Timbers 2 |
FW | Jomal Williams | 28 April 1994 | 1 | 0 | W Connection |
Recent call-ups
The following players have been called to the squad in the last twelve months.
Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
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DF | Sheldon Bateau | 29 January 1991 | 20 | 2 | Krylia Sovetov Samara | v. United States, 17 November 2015 |
DF | Gavin Hoyte | 6 June 1990 | 2 | 0 | Barnet | v. Nicaragua, 13 October 2015 |
DF | Dwayne James | 15 May 1992 | 3 | 0 | North East Stars | 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
DF | Shannon Gomez | 5 October 1996 | 1 | 0 | W Connection | v. Curaçao, 6 June 2015 |
DF | Elijah Belgrave | 8 January 1989 | 0 | 0 | Police | v. Curaçao, 6 June 2015 |
DF | Kaydion Gabriel | 1 December 1990 | 0 | 0 | Central | v. Curaçao, 6 June 2015 |
DF | Triston Hodge | 9 October 1993 | 0 | 0 | W Connection | v. Curaçao, 6 June 2015 |
DF | Jamal Jack | 17 December 1987 | 2 | 0 | Central | v. Panama, 28 March 2015 |
DF | Akeem Benjamin | 6 May 1989 | 0 | 0 | Central | v. Panama, 28 March 2015 |
DF | Uriah Bentick | 5 February 1989 | 0 | 0 | Central | v. Panama, 28 March 2015 |
MF | Keron Cummings | 25 August 1988 | 14 | 3 | North East Stars | v. United States, 17 November 2015 |
MF | Aikim Andrews | 21 June 1996 | 0 | 0 | W Connection | v. Nicaragua, 13 October 2015 |
MF | Marcus Joseph | 29 April 1991 | 7 | 0 | Point Fortin Civic | v. Mexico, 4 September 2015 |
MF | Kadeem Corbin | 3 March 1996 | 1 | 0 | St. Ann's Rangers | 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
MF | Kevin Molino | 17 June 1990 | 30 | 12 | Orlando City | v. Panama, 28 March 2015 |
MF | Leston Paul | 11 March 1990 | 4 | 0 | Central | v. Panama, 28 March 2015 |
MF | Sean de Silva | 17 January 1990 | 2 | 0 | Central | v. Panama, 28 March 2015 |
MF | Tyrone Charles | 30 November 1988 | 1 | 0 | San Juan Jabloteh | v. Panama, 28 March 2015 |
FW | Kenwyne Jones (Captain) | 5 October 1984 | 79 | 22 | Al Jazira | v. United States, 17 November 2015 |
FW | Willis Plaza | 3 August 1987 | 20 | 5 | Central | v. United States, 17 November 2015 |
FW | Devorn Jorsling | 27 December 1983 | 41 | 18 | Defence Force | v. Curaçao, 6 June 2015 |
FW | Hashim Arcia | 8 October 1988 | 3 | 0 | W Connection | v. Panama, 28 March 2015 |
Previous squads
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Results and schedule
2015
March 27, 2015 Friendly | Trinidad and Tobago | 0–1 | Panama | Couva, Trinidad and Tobago |
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Report | Torres 15' | Stadium: Ato Boldon Stadium Referee: Sherwin Moore (Guyana) |
June 5, 2015 Friendly | Curaçao | 1–0 | Trinidad and Tobago | Willemstad, Curaçao |
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20:00 UTC−4 | Vicento 85' | Report | Stadium: Ergilio Hato Stadion |
June 16, 2015 Friendly | Jordan | 3–0 | Trinidad and Tobago | Irbid, Jordan |
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Al-Dardour 16' Deeb 24' Al-Saify 73' |
Report | Stadium: Al-Hassan Stadium |
July 9, 2015 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup | Trinidad and Tobago | 3–1 | Guatemala | Chicago, United States |
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18:00 (UTC−4) | Bateau 10' Cato 13' J. Jones 25' |
Report | C. Ruiz 61' | Stadium: Soldier Field, Chicago Attendance: 54,126 Referee: Jhon Pitti (Panama) |
July 12, 2015 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup | Trinidad and Tobago | 2–0 | Cuba | Glendale, United States |
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16:30 (UTC−4) | Bateau 17' Boucaud 42' |
Report | Stadium: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale Attendance: 62,910 Referee: David Gantar (Canada) |
July 15, 2015 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup | Mexico | 4–4 | Trinidad and Tobago | Charlotte, United States |
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20:30 (UTC−4) | Aguilar 32' Vela 51' Guardado 88' K. Jones 90' (o.g.) |
Report | Cummings 55', 67' K. Jones 58' Marshall 90+3' |
Stadium: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte Referee: Mark Geiger (United States) |
July 19, 2015 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup | Trinidad and Tobago | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (5–6 p) |
Panama | East Rutherford, United States |
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16:30 (UTC−4) | K. Jones 53' | Report | Tejada 36' | Stadium: MetLife Stadium Referee: Héctor Rodríguez (Honduras) |
Penalties | ||||
Guerra Bateau J. Jones Williams K. Jones Abu Bakr Cyrus Boucaud Peltier |
R. Torres G. Torres Davis Arroyo Cooper Cummings Quintero Pérez Pimentel |
September 4, 2015 Friendly | Mexico | 3–3 | Trinidad and Tobago | Utah, United States |
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22:00 (UTC−4) | Esquivel 41' Cyrus 56' (o.g.)Herrera 85' |
Report | Glenn 7' Cummings 39' Jones 69' |
Stadium: Rio Tinto Stadium Attendance: 35,000 Referee: Adrian Skeete (Barbados) |
October 8, 2015 Friendly | Panama | 1–2 | Trinidad and Tobago | Panama City, Panama |
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21:30 (UTC−4) | Pimentel 60' | Report | K. Jones 35' Abu Bakr 53' |
Stadium: Estadio Rommel Fernández |
October 13, 2015 Friendly | Trinidad and Tobago | 0–0 | Nicaragua | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |
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19:00 | Report | Stadium: Hasely Crawford Stadium |
November 13, 2015 2018 FIFA World Cup Q | Guatemala | 1–2 | Trinidad and Tobago | Guatemala City, Guatemala |
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19:06 UTC−6 | Mejía 90' | Report (FIFA) | Hyland 67' Jones 80' |
Stadium: Estadio Mateo Flores Referee: Mathieu Bourdeau (Canada) |
November 17, 2015 2018 FIFA World Cup Q | Trinidad and Tobago | 0–0 | United States | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |
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19:00 UTC−4 | Report (FIFA) Report (CONCACAF) |
Stadium: Hasely Crawford Stadium Referee: César Arturo Ramos (Mexico) |
2016
January 2016 Copa América Centenario qualifying play-offs | Trinidad and Tobago | 0 – 1 | Haiti | Panama City, Panama |
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Belfort 83' | Stadium: Estadio Rommel Fernández Referee: David Gantar (Canada) |
March 25, 2016 2018 FIFA World Cup Q | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | v | Trinidad and Tobago | TBA, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
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Stadium: TBA |
March 29, 2016 2018 FIFA World Cup Q | Trinidad and Tobago | v | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | TBA, Trinidad and Tobago |
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Stadium: TBA |
March 29, 2016 2018 FIFA World Cup Q | Trinidad and Tobago | v | Guatemala | TBA, Trinidad and Tobago |
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Stadium: TBA |
March 25, 2016 2018 FIFA World Cup Q | United States | v | Trinidad and Tobago | TBA, USA |
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Stadium: TBA |
Records
As of July 19, 2015. Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.
Most capped players
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Top goalscorers
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Competitive record
Trinidad and Tobago have competed the FIFA World Cup, as well as CFU and CONCACAF regional tournaments.
The team qualified for its first World Cup in 2006, with the team finishing 0–1–2 in its three First Round matches. Even though the team did not advance further in the competition, Trinidad and Tobago recorded its first point from the World Cup in its first appearance.
In regional competitions, Trinidad and Tobago best finish in the CONCACAF Championship and later the Gold Cup came in 1973 when the team came in 2nd. Since then they have only advanced beyond the First Round twice; the first came in 2000 where the Soca Warriors lost to the eventual winners Canada in the Semifinals and the second in 2013.
All CFU members have competed in the Caribbean Cup as a qualification tournament for the Gold Cup since 1989. Trinidad and Tobago has won eight out of thirteen Caribbean Cups since its inception.
World Cup record
FIFA World Cup record | ||||||||
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Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
1930 to 1962 | Did not enter | |||||||
1966 to 2002 | Did not qualify | |||||||
2006 | Group Stage | 27th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
2010 to 2014 | Did not qualify | |||||||
2018 | To be determined | |||||||
2022 | ||||||||
Total | Group Stage | 1/20 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
Managers
- George Chambers (1964)
- Amerigo Brunner (1965–1966)
- Conrad Braithwaite (1965–1967)
- Michael Laing (1968)
- Trevor Smith (1969)
- Kevin Verity (1972–1973)
- Rudi Gutendorf (1976)
- Edgar Vidale (1976)
- Alvin Corneal (1980)
- Kenneth Butcher (1980)
- Roderick Warner (1984–1985)
- Everald Cummings (1988–1989)
- Kenwyn Cooper (1989)
- Alvin Corneal (1990)
- Edgar Vidale (1990–1991)
- Muhammad Isa (1992)
- Clovis D'Oliviera (1992)
- Everald Cummings (1993)
- Kenny Joseph (1994)
- Zoran Vraneš (1994–1996)
- Jochen Figge (1995)
- Kenny Joseph (1996)
- Sebastian de Araújo (1996)
- Edgar Vidale (1997)
- Bertille St. Clair (1997–2000)
- Ian Porterfield (2000–2001)
- René Simões (2001–2002)
- Clayton Morris (2002)
- Hannibal Najjar (2002–2003)
- Zoran Vraneš (2003)
- Stuart Charles-Fevrier (2003)
- Ron La Forest (2004)
- Bertille St. Clair (2004–2005)
- Leo Beenhakker (2005–2006)
- Wim Rijsbergen (2006–2007)
- Anton Corneal (2008)
- Francisco Maturana (2008–2009)
- Russell Latapy (2009–2011)
- Otto Pfister (2011–2012)
- Hutson Charles (2012–2013)
- Jamaal Shabazz (2012–2013)
- Stephen Hart (2013–present)
Honours
Continental competitions
- CONCACAF Championship
- CONCACAF Gold Cup
- Third place (1): 2000
Regional competitions
Friendly competitions
See also
References
- General
- Specific
- ↑ Trinidad and Tobago – List of International Matches
- ↑ Trinidad and Tobago's Soca Warriors set to give them all in Germany, Guardian UK. Accessed June 23, 2008.
- ↑ Football: Carnival time and the Trinis are up for the party, The Independent. Accessed June 23, 2008.
- ↑ Trinidad Express – Haitian robbery: Trinidad and Tobago cheated W/Cup spot, Socawarriors.net. Accessed June 23, 2008.
- ↑ Red-Day, Nov, 19, 1989, Youtube.com. Accessed: June 23, 2008.
- ↑ Pulse: Thank You Trinidad and Tobago Warriors, Trinidad Guardian. Accessed June 23, 2008.
- ↑ FIFA Fair Play Awards, FIFA.com. Accessed June 23, 2008.
- ↑ "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ - Matches - Bermuda-Trinidad and Tobago - FIFA.com". FIFA.com.
- ↑ "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™". FIFA.com.
- ↑ "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™". FIFA.com.
- ↑ Inshan Mohammed. "Corneal appointed TTFF Technical Director, Otto Pfister axed". socawarriors.net.
- ↑ "Queen's Park Oval". Cricinfo Staff. 2007-03-13. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
- ↑ http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/01/04/anibal-godoy-joevin-jones-among-mls-players-named-rosters-copa-america-centenario
- 1 2 "Goalscorers". Inshan Mohammed (SocaWarriors.net). 2012-10-13. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Trinidad and Tobago national football team. |
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