Trinidad and Tobago national football team

This article is about Trinidad and Tobago men's national team. For the women's team, see Trinidad and Tobago women's national football team.
Trinidad and Tobago
Nickname(s) The Soca Warriors
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
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 53 Steady (5 May 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.

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 22 players were called up for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on March 25 and 29, 2016.[14]
Goals and caps are updated as of March 29, 2016 after the match against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

0#0 Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Marvin Phillip (1984-08-01) 1 August 1984 55 0 Trinidad and Tobago Morvant Caledonia United
1GK Adrian Foncette (1988-10-10) 10 October 1988 1 0 Trinidad and Tobago Police
2DF Daneil Cyrus (1990-12-15) 15 December 1990 53 0 Trinidad and Tobago W Connection
2DF Aubrey David (1990-10-11) 11 October 1990 27 1 Costa Rica Deportivo Saprissa
2DF Sheldon Bateau (1991-01-29) 29 January 1991 22 3 Russia Krylia Sovetov Samara
2DF Justin Hoyte (1984-11-20) 20 November 1984 18 0 England Dagenham & Redbridge
2DF Yohance Marshall (1986-01-22) 22 January 1986 13 1 Mexico Murciélagos
2DF Mekeil Williams (1990-07-24) 24 July 1990 12 1 United States Colorado Rapids
3MF Khaleem Hyland (1989-06-05) 5 June 1989 60 4 Belgium Westerlo
3MF Joevin Jones (1991-08-03) 3 August 1991 53 4 United States Seattle Sounders
3MF Andre Boucaud (1984-10-10) 10 October 1984 36 2 England Dagenham & Redbridge
3MF Hughtun Hector (1984-10-16) 16 October 1984 35 7 Trinidad and Tobago W Connection
3MF Kevin Molino (1990-06-17) 17 June 1990 32 13 United States Orlando City
3MF Neveal Hackshaw (1995-09-21) 21 September 1995 6 0 United States Charleston Battery
3MF Sean de Silva (1990-01-17) 17 January 1990 5 0 Trinidad and Tobago Central
3MF Jomal Williams (1994-04-28) 28 April 1994 3 0 Trinidad and Tobago W Connection
3MF Levi Garcia (1997-11-20) 20 November 1997 2 2 Netherlands AZ
3MF John Bostock (1992-01-15) 15 January 1992 0 0 Belgium OH Leuven
4FW Kenwyne Jones (Captain) (1984-10-05) 5 October 1984 81 23 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira
4FW Willis Plaza (1987-08-03) 3 August 1987 21 5 El Salvador Alianza
4FW Trevin Caesar (1989-04-26) 26 April 1989 9 3 United States Orange County Blues
4FW Shahdon Winchester (1992-01-08) 8 January 1992 8 1 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 72 0 Trinidad and Tobago Central v.  Haiti, 8 January 2016
DF Curtis Gonzales (1989-01-26) 26 January 1989 14 0 Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force v.  Grenada, 19 March 2016
DF Elijah Belgrave (1989-01-08) 8 January 1989 1 0 Trinidad and Tobago Police v.  Grenada, 19 March 2016
DF Andre Ettienne (1990-10-09) 9 October 1990 1 0 Trinidad and Tobago Central v.  Grenada, 19 March 2016
DF Jamali Garcia (1993-01-27) 27 January 1993 1 0 Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force v.  Grenada, 19 March 2016
DF Triston Hodge (1993-10-09) 9 October 1993 1 0 Trinidad and Tobago W Connection v.  Grenada, 19 March 2016
DF Alvin Jones (1994-07-09) 9 July 1994 1 0 Trinidad and Tobago W Connection v.  Grenada, 19 March 2016
DF Kevon Villaroel (1987-12-17) 17 December 1987 0 0 Trinidad and Tobago Central v.  Grenada, 19 March 2016
DF Carlyle Mitchell (1987-08-08) 8 August 1987 29 0 South Korea Seoul E-Land v.  Haiti, 8 January 2016
DF Radanfah Abu Bakr (1987-02-12) 12 February 1987 28 2 Denmark Køge v.  Haiti, 8 January 2016
DF Gavin Hoyte (1990-06-06) 6 June 1990 2 0 England Barnet v.  Nicaragua, 13 October 2015
DF Dwayne James (1992-05-15) 15 May 1992 3 0 Trinidad and Tobago North East Stars 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup
DF Shannon Gomez (1996-10-05) 5 October 1996 1 0 Trinidad and Tobago W Connection v.  Curaçao, 6 June 2015
DF Kaydion Gabriel (1990-12-01) 1 December 1990 0 0 Trinidad and Tobago Central v.  Curaçao, 6 June 2015
MF Jason Marcano (1983-12-30) 30 December 1983 12 0 Trinidad and Tobago Central v.  Grenada, 19 March 2016
MF Leston Paul (1990-03-11) 11 March 1990 7 0 Trinidad and Tobago Central v.  Grenada, 19 March 2016
MF Nathaniel Garcia (1991-10-29) 29 October 1991 1 0 Trinidad and Tobago Central v.  Grenada, 19 March 2016
MF Akeem Humphrey (1991-10-29) 29 October 1991 0 0 Trinidad and Tobago Club Sando v.  Grenada, 19 March 2016
MF Lester Peltier (1988-09-13) 13 September 1988 36 6 Kazakhstan FC Irtysh Pavlodar v.  Haiti, 8 January 2016
MF Kevan George (1990-01-30) 30 January 1990 21 0 United States Jacksonville Armada v.  Haiti, 8 January 2016
MF Cordell Cato (1992-07-15) 15 July 1992 15 1 United States San Jose Earthquakes v.  Haiti, 8 January 2016
MF Keron Cummings (1988-08-25) 25 August 1988 14 3 Trinidad and Tobago North East Stars v.  United States, 17 November 2015
MF Aikim Andrews (1996-06-21) 21 June 1996 0 0 Trinidad and Tobago W Connection v.  Nicaragua, 13 October 2015
MF Kadeem Corbin (1996-03-03) 3 March 1996 1 0 Trinidad and Tobago St. Ann's Rangers 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup
FW Marcus Joseph (1991-04-29) 29 April 1991 8 1 Trinidad and Tobago Central v.  Grenada, 19 March 2016
FW Jerwyn Balthazar (1982-12-17) 17 December 1982 1 0 Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force v.  Grenada, 19 March 2016
FW Makesi Lewis (1989-01-08) 8 January 1989 1 0 Trinidad and Tobago Police v.  Grenada, 19 March 2016
FW Ataullah Guerra (1987-11-14) 14 November 1987 40 6 United States Charleston Battery v.  Haiti, 8 January 2016
FW Jonathan Glenn (1987-08-27) 27 August 1987 6 1 Iceland Breiðablik v.  Haiti, 8 January 2016
FW Rundell Winchester (1993-12-16) 16 December 1993 4 0 United States Portland Timbers 2 v.  Haiti, 8 January 2016
FW Devorn Jorsling (1983-12-27) 27 December 1983 41 18 Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force v.  Curaçao, 6 June 2015

Previous squads

FIFA World Cup squads
CONCACAF Gold Cup squads
Caribbean Cup squads

Results and schedule

2015

2016

Records

As of March 29, 2016. Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.

Most capped players

Rank Player Position Caps Goals Career[15]
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 Lawrence, DennisDennis Lawrence
DF
 89 5 2000–2010
6 Edwards, CarlosCarlos Edwards
MF
 88 4 1999–2013
7 Jones, KenwyneKenwyne Jones
FW
 81 23 2003-
8 Ince, ClaytonClayton Ince
GK
 79 0 1997–2009
9 Latapy, RussellRussell Latapy
MF
 78 29 1988–2009
10 Dwarika, ArnoldArnold Dwarika
MF
 74 28 1993–2009

Top goalscorers

Rank Player Position Goals Caps Career[15]
1 John, SternStern John
FW
 70 115 1995–2011
2 Eve, AngusAngus Eve
MF
 34 117 1994–2005
3 Latapy, RussellRussell Latapy
MF
 29 78 1988–2009
4 Dwarika, ArnoldArnold Dwarika
MF
 28 74 1993–2009
5 Glen, CornellCornell Glen
FW
 23 70 2002–2013
6 Jones, KenwyneKenwyne Jones
FW
 23 81 2003–
7 Pierre, NigelNigel Pierre
FW
 22 57 1999–2005
8 Lewis, LeonsonLeonson Lewis
FW
 21 31 1988–1996
9 Yorke, DwightDwight Yorke
FW
 19 72 1989–2009
10 Jorsling, DevornDevorn Jorsling
FW
 18 41 2007–

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
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1962 Did not enter
1966 to 2002 Did not qualify
Germany 2006 Group Stage 27th 3 0 1 2 0 4
2010 to 2014 Did not qualify
Russia 2018 To be determined
Qatar 2022
Total Group Stage 1/20 3 0 1 2 0 4
National team manager Stephen Hart

Managers

Honours

Continental competitions

Regional competitions

Friendly competitions

See also

References

General
Specific

External links

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