Trinidad and Tobago national football team

Trinidad and Tobago
Nickname(s) The Soca Warriors
Association Trinidad and Tobago Football Association
Confederation CONCACAF
(North America)
Sub-confederation CFU (Caribbean)
Head coach Dennis Lawrence
Captain Carlos Edwards
Most caps Angus Eve (117)
Top scorer Stern John (70)
Home stadium Hasely Crawford Stadium
FIFA code TRI
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 83 Decrease 5 (10 August 2017)
Highest 25 (June 2001)
Lowest 106 (October 2010)
Elo ranking
Current 96 Steady (7 May 2017)
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 Group stage, 2006
CONCACAF Championship
& Gold Cup
Appearances 15 (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 76th in the world according to the FIFA World Rankings, and 91st in the World Football Elo Ratings. They reached the first round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup and currently hold 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.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 England 321052+37
 Sweden 312032+15
 Paraguay 31022203
 Trinidad and Tobago 301204−41
Team   Score   Team
Trinidad and Tobago  0–0  Sweden
England  2–0  Trinidad and Tobago
Paraguay  2–0  Trinidad and Tobago

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

Hasely Crawford Stadium became the home of the national team in 1980

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 23,000 and is owned by the Trinidad and Tobago government and managed through the Ministry of Sport via its special purpose state agency called SporTT.[13]

Supporters

Soca Warriors' supporters before the team's opening 2006 FIFA World Cup match against Sweden

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 20 players were called up for Friendly match against Ecuador on July 26, 2017.
Goals and caps are updated as of July 26, 2017 after the match against Ecuador.

0#0 Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Marvin Phillip (1984-08-01) 1 August 1984 63 0 Trinidad and Tobago Point Fortin Civic
1GK Andre Marchan (1990-08-11) 11 August 1990 0 0 Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force
2DF Carlos Edwards (1978-10-24) 24 October 1978 96 4 Trinidad and Tobago Central
2DF Carlyle Mitchell (1987-08-08) 8 August 1987 36 3 India East Bengal
2DF Curtis Gonzales (1989-01-26) 26 January 1989 25 0 Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force
2DF Alvin Jones (1994-07-09) 9 July 1994 8 0 Trinidad and Tobago W Connection
2DF Tristan Hodge (1993-10-09) 9 October 1993 7 0 Trinidad and Tobago W Connection
2DF Maurice Forde (1996-09-06) 6 September 1996 3 0 Trinidad and Tobago W Connection
2DF Kevon Villaroel (1987-12-17) 17 December 1987 1 0 Trinidad and Tobago Central
3MF Hughtun Hector (1984-10-16) 16 October 1984 44 7 Trinidad and Tobago W Connection
3MF Leston Paul (1990-03-11) 11 March 1990 13 0 Trinidad and Tobago North East Stars
3MF Jomal Williams (1994-04-28) 28 April 1994 11 2 Mexico Murciélagos
3MF Hashim Arcia (1988-10-08) 8 October 1988 10 1 Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force
3MF Nathan Lewis (1990-07-20) 20 July 1990 10 1 Trinidad and Tobago San Juan Jabloteh
3MF Sean de Silva (1990-01-17) 17 January 1990 9 0 Trinidad and Tobago Central
3MF Tyrone Charles (1988-11-30) 30 November 1988 6 1 Trinidad and Tobago Club Sando
3MF Jared London (1995-02-06) 6 February 1995 3 0 Trinidad and Tobago Club Sando
3MF Nathaniel Garcia (1993-04-24) 24 April 1993 2 0 Trinidad and Tobago Central
4FW Willis Plaza (1987-08-03) 3 August 1987 27 7 India East Bengal
4FW Keron Clarke (1985-12-29) 29 December 1985 1 0 Trinidad and Tobago Santa Rosa
4FW Neil Benjamin (1994-08-20) 20 August 1994 0 0 Trinidad and Tobago 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
GK Jan-Michael Williams (1984-10-26) 26 October 1984 79 0 Honduras Juticalpa v.  Costa Rica, 13 June 2017
GK Adrian Foncette (1988-10-10) 10 October 1988 7 0 Trinidad and Tobago Police v.  Costa Rica, 13 June 2017
GK Glenroy Samuel (1990-04-05) 5 April 1990 1 0 Trinidad and Tobago Ma Pau Stars v.  Grenada, 29 April 2017
GK Greg Ranjitsingh (1993-07-18) 18 July 1993 0 0 United States Louisville City v.  United States, 6 September 2016
DF Aubrey David (1990-10-11) 11 October 1990 39 1 Finland PS Kemi v.  Costa Rica, 13 June 2017
DF Joevin Jones (1991-08-03) 3 August 1991 62 6 United States Seattle Sounders v.  Costa Rica, 13 June 2017
DF Sheldon Bateau (1991-01-29) 29 January 1991 29 3 Russia Krylia Sovetov Samara v.  Costa Rica, 13 June 2017
DF Daneil Cyrus (1990-12-15) 15 December 1990 68 0 Honduras Juticalpa v.  Costa Rica, 13 June 2017
DF Radanfah Abu Bakr (1987-02-12) 12 February 1987 36 2 Lithuania Sūduva Marijampolė v.  Costa Rica, 13 June 2017
DF Mekeil Williams (1990-07-24) 24 July 1990 20 1 United States Colorado Rapids v.  Costa Rica, 13 June 2017
DF Seon Power (1984-02-02) 2 February 1984 43 2 Trinidad and Tobago Central v.  Costa Rica, 13 June 2017
DF Yohance Marshall (1986-01-22) 22 January 1986 15 1 Mexico Murciélagos v.  Grenada, 29 April 2017
DF Taryk Sampson (1997-03-05) 5 March 1997 0 0 Trinidad and Tobago Ma Pau Stars v.  Grenada, 29 April 2017 PRE
DF Jesús Pérez (1995-09-11) 11 September 1995 1 0 Trinidad and Tobago W Connection v.  Barbados, 10 March 2017
DF Jelani Peters (1993-12-17) 17 December 1993 0 0 Canada Toronto FC II v.  Honduras, 15 November 2016
MF Khaleem Hyland (1989-06-05) 5 June 1989 72 4 Saudi Arabia Al-Faisaly v.  Costa Rica, 13 June 2017
MF Kevin Molino (1990-06-17) 17 June 1990 39 18 United States Minnesota United v.  Costa Rica, 13 June 2017
MF Andre Boucaud (1984-10-10) 10 October 1984 47 2 England Dagenham & Redbridge v.  Costa Rica, 13 June 2017
MF Kevan George (1990-01-30) 30 January 1990 33 0 United States Jacksonville Armada v.  Costa Rica, 13 June 2017
MF Cordell Cato (1992-07-15) 15 July 1992 22 2 United States San Jose Earthquakes v.  United States, 8 June 2017 PRE
MF Keron Cummings (1988-05-28) 28 May 1988 16 3 Trinidad and Tobago Central v.  United States, 8 June 2017 PRE
MF Marcus Joseph (1991-04-29) 29 April 1991 11 1 Trinidad and Tobago Central v.  Grenada, 29 April 2017 PRE
MF Kevon Goddard (1996-01-20) 20 January 1996 0 0 Trinidad and Tobago W Connection v.  Grenada, 29 April 2017 PRE
MF Darren Mitchell (1990-01-10) 10 January 1990 3 0 Philippines Davao Aguilas v.  Barbados, 10 March 2017
MF Jomoul Francois 1 0 Trinidad and Tobago St. Ann's Rangers v.  Barbados, 10 March 2017
MF Akeem Humphrey (1995-11-25) 25 November 1995 0 0 Trinidad and Tobago Club Sando v.  Barbados, 10 March 2017
MF Aikim Andrews (1996-06-20) 20 June 1996 6 1 Canada Toronto FC II v.  Haiti, 8 January 2017
MF Neveal Hackshaw (1995-09-21) 21 September 1995 6 0 United States Charleston Battery v.  Honduras, 15 November 2016
MF John Bostock (1992-01-15) 15 January 1992 0 0 France Lens v.  Honduras, 15 November 2016
FW Kenwyne Jones (Captain) (1984-10-05) 5 October 1984 90 23 United States Atlanta United v.  Costa Rica, 13 June 2017
FW Shahdon Winchester (1992-01-08) 8 January 1992 20 4 Mexico Murciélagos v.  Costa Rica, 13 June 2017
FW Jamille Boatswain (1993-09-30) 30 September 1993 6 2 Costa Rica Alajuelense v.  Costa Rica, 13 June 2017
FW Akeem Roach (1995-12-09) 9 December 1995 4 1 Trinidad and Tobago Club Sando v.  United States, 8 June 2017 PRE
FW Jerrel Britto (1992-07-04) 4 July 1992 1 0 Honduras Honduras Progreso v.  Grenada, 29 April 2017
FW Keston George (1993-01-29) 29 January 1993 0 0 Trinidad and Tobago Central v.  Grenada, 29 April 2017 PRE
FW Levi Garcia (1997-11-20) 20 November 1997 11 2 Netherlands AZ v.  Mexico, 28 March 2017
FW Jameel Perry (1987-09-18) 18 September 1987 1 0 Trinidad and Tobago Police v.  Barbados, 10 March 2017
FW Cornell Glen (1980-10-21) 21 October 1980 72 24 India Ozone v.  Haiti, 8 January 2017
FW Trevin Caesar (1989-04-26) 26 April 1989 14 3 United States Sacramento Republic v.  Haiti, 8 January 2017

Previous squads

Results and schedule

2016

2017

Records

As of 29 April 2017
Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.

Players with an equal number of caps are ranked in chronological order of reaching the milestone.

Most capped players

Rank Player Position Caps Goals Career[14]
1 Eve, AngusAngus Eve
MF
 117 34 1994–2005
2 John, SternStern John
FW
 115 70 1995–2011
3 Andrews, MarvinMarvin Andrews
DF
 102 10 1996–2009
4 Theobald, DensillDensill Theobald
MF
 98 2 2002–2013
5 Edwards, CarlosCarlos Edwards
MF
 94 4 1999–
6 Lawrence, DennisDennis Lawrence
DF
 89 5 2000–2010
6 Jones, KenwyneKenwyne Jones
FW
 89 23 2003–
8 Ince, ClaytonClayton Ince
GK
 79 0 1997–2009
9 Latapy, RussellRussell Latapy
MF
 78 29 1988–2009
10 Williams, Jan-MichaelJan-Michael Williams
MF
 77 0 2003–

Top goalscorers

Rank Player Position Goals Caps Rate Career[14]
1 John, SternStern John
FW
 70 115 0.61 1995–2011
2 Eve, AngusAngus Eve
MF
 34 117 0.29 1994–2005
3 Latapy, RussellRussell Latapy
MF
 29 81 0.36 1988–2009
4 Dwarika, ArnoldArnold Dwarika
MF
 28 73 0.38 1993–2009
5 Glen, CornellCornell Glen
FW
 24 72 0.34 2002–2013
6 Jones, KenwyneKenwyne Jones
FW
 23 89 0.28 2003–
7 Lewis, LeonsonLeonson Lewis
FW
 22 36 0.61 1988–1996
8 Pierre, NigelNigel Pierre
FW
 22 56 0.39 1999–2005
9 Yorke, DwightDwight Yorke
FW
 19 74 0.26 1989–2009
10 Jorsling, DevornDevorn Jorsling
FW
 17 42 0.40 2007–
10 Molino, KevinKevin Molino
FW
 17 37 0.47 2010–

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

Trinidad and Tobago first appeared at 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 Soca Warriors finished bottom of the group with one point from the team's three matches. Even though the team did not advance in the competition, Trinidad and Tobago recorded its first point from the FIFA World Cup after a 0–0 draw to Sweden in its first match.

Trinidad and Tobago failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup between 1966 and 2002, then again in 2010 and 2014.

* Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks. Darker color indicates win, normal color indicates lost.
** Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won.
*** Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.

Managers

former national team manager Stephen Hart

Honours

Continental competitions

Regional competitions

Friendly competitions

See also

References

General
Specific
  1. ↑ Trinidad and Tobago – List of International Matches
  2. ↑ Trinidad and Tobago's Soca Warriors set to give them all in Germany, Guardian UK. Accessed June 23, 2008.
  3. ↑ Football: Carnival time and the Trinis are up for the party, The Independent. Accessed June 23, 2008.
  4. ↑ Trinidad Express – Haitian robbery: Trinidad and Tobago cheated W/Cup spot, Socawarriors.net. Accessed June 23, 2008.
  5. ↑ Red-Day, Nov, 19, 1989, YouTube.com. Accessed: June 23, 2008.
  6. ↑ Pulse: Thank You Trinidad and Tobago Warriors Archived 17 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine., Trinidad Guardian. Accessed June 23, 2008.
  7. ↑ FIFA Fair Play Awards Archived 1 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine., FIFA.com. Accessed June 23, 2008.
  8. ↑ "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ – Matches – Bermuda-Trinidad and Tobago – FIFA.com". FIFA.com.
  9. ↑ "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™". FIFA.com.
  10. ↑ "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™". FIFA.com.
  11. ↑ Inshan Mohammed. "Corneal appointed TTFF Technical Director, Otto Pfister axed". socawarriors.net.
  12. ↑ "Queen's Park Oval". Cricinfo Staff. 2007-03-13. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
  13. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 23 March 2016. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  14. 1 2 Inshan Mohammed (13 October 2012). "Goalscorers". Soca Warriors Online. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
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