Trinidad and Tobago national football team

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 93rd in the world according to the FIFA Rankings, and 89 in the World Football Elo Ratings. They reached the first round of the 2006 World Cup and held the record of being the smallest nation (both in size and population) to ever qualify for a World Cup, until the 2018 World Cup, when Iceland broke the (population) record.

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Trinidad and Tobago women's national football team.

Trinidad and Tobago
Nickname(s)The Soca Warriors
AssociationTrinidad and Tobago Football Association
ConfederationCONCACAF
(North America)
Sub-confederationCFU (Caribbean)
Head coachTerry Fenwick
CaptainKhaleem Hyland
Most capsAngus Eve (117)
Top scorerStern John (70)
Home stadiumHasely Crawford Stadium
FIFA codeTRI
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 105 (16 July 2020)[1]
Highest25 (June 2001)
Lowest106 (October 2010)
First international
 British Guiana 1–4 Trinidad and Tobago 
(British Guiana; 21 July 1905)[2]
Biggest win
 Trinidad and Tobago 15–0 Anguilla 
(Arima, Trinidad and Tobago; 10 November 2019)
Biggest defeat
 Mexico 7–0 Trinidad and Tobago 
(Mexico City, Mexico; 8 October 2000)
World Cup
Appearances1 (first in 2006)
Best resultGroup stage (2006)
CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup
Appearances16 (first in 1967)
Best resultRunners-up (1973)

The national team competes in the World Cup and the Gold Cup, in addition to the Caribbean Cup and other competitions by invitation. The Soca Warriors lone appearance at the 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.[3][4][5]

1980s to 1990s: The Strike Squad

Trinidad and Tobago came within one game of qualifying for the 1990 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,[6] Paul Caligiuri of the United States scored the only goal of the game in the 38th minute dashing Trinidad and Tobago's qualification hopes.[7] 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.[8]

2000s

2006 FIFA World Cup
Main article: Trinidad and Tobago at the 2006 FIFA World Cup

Trinidad and Tobago qualified for the 2006 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 play-off 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, a record they held until Iceland reached their first World Cup in 2018.

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
Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)

Trinidad and Tobago began their campaign in the second round against Bermuda. Trinidad and Tobago lost the first match 2–1 at home, but bounced back to win the away leg 2–0 to progress to the third round 3–2 on aggregate. The Soca Warriors entered Group 1 alongside the United States, Guatemala, and Cuba. They then progressed to the Hexagonal round, finishing second in the group with eleven points from six games. There they faced Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico and the United States. The group began badly for Trinidad and Tobago as they drew 2–2 with El Salvador after leading 2–0, and then drew 1–1 with Honduras. Three consecutive losses, to the United States, Costa Rica and Mexico, put the Soca Warriors in last place with two points from five matches. After defeating El Salvador 1–0, they suffered further losses to Honduras and the United States the following month, ending their hopes of qualifying, and they eventually finished bottom of the group.

2014 World Cup Cycle
Main article: 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)

Trinidad and Tobago entered qualification for the 2014 World Cup in the second round as a seeded team, with Guyana, Bermuda and Barbados also drawn in Group B. The Soca Warriors defeated Bermuda (1–0) and Barbados (2–0) in their first two matches. However, on 7 October 2011, they lost away to Bermuda in Devonshire Parish 2–1.[9] The team recovered four days later by defeating Barbados 4–0 in the Hasely Crawford Stadium with a hat-trick from Lester Peltier.[10] Entering the final two matches in the Second Round, Trinidad and Tobago were in second place, behind Guyana by one point. As only the group winners would advance to the third round, the Soca Warriors needed to take four points in the two matches against Guyana to advance. Trinidad and Tobago first travelled 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 trailed 2–0 and faced elimination. Kenwyne Jones pull a goal back in the 93rd minute, but the match ended 2–1 to Guyana.[11] On 12 January 2012, Otto Pfister was sacked after the country's earliest exit from World Cup qualification since 1994.[12]

2018 World Cup Cycle
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)

Trinidad and Tobago entered qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in the fourth round and were drawn into Group C with Guatemala, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the United States. The team finished second in the group with 11 points to qualify for the Hexagonal. However, they finished in sixth place in the final round with only six points, even though they eliminated the United States from World Cup contention with a 2–1 victory in the final match.

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.[13] 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.[14]

In recent years, the TTFA have hosted matches at the smaller 10,000 seat Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, citing a problem with the lighting system at Hasely Crawford Stadium, lower expenses for matches at Ato Boldon, and fans being seated closer to the pitch.[15] Trinidad and Tobago hosted two games during "The Hex" in late 2017. They lost to Honduras 1–2 on 1 September 2017. On 10 October 2017, Trinidad and Tobago defeated the United States 2–1, causing the United States to fail to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986. Ato Boldon Stadium has since hosted friendlies against Grenada, Guyana, and Panama.

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 players were called up for the 2019-20 CONCACAF Nations League A match against Honduras on 17 November 2019.
Goals and caps are updated as of 17 November 2019, after the match against Honduras.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Marvin Phillip (1984-08-01) 1 August 1984 79 0 NEROCA
21 1GK Glenroy Samuel (1990-04-05) 5 April 1990 1 0 Terminix La Horquetta Rangers
2 2DF Aubrey David (1990-10-11) 11 October 1990 52 1 Saprissa
4 2DF Sheldon Bateau (1991-01-29) 29 January 1991 42 3 Mechelen
5 2DF Daneil Cyrus (1990-12-15) 15 December 1990 90 0 Mohun Bagan
12 2DF Carlyle Mitchell (1987-08-08) 8 August 1987 40 3 Kaya
3 3MF Ross Russell (1992-09-09) 9 September 1992 5 0 Terminix La Horquetta Rangers
7 3MF Nathan Lewis (1990-07-20) 20 July 1990 28 4 Unattached
8 3MF Kevon Goddard (1996-01-20) 20 January 1996 3 0 W Connection
9 3MF Ataullah Guerra (1987-11-14) 14 November 1987 47 8 Charleston Battery
10 3MF Marcus Joseph (1991-04-29) 29 April 1991 17 6 Gokulam Kerala
13 3MF Jomoul Francois (1995-09-04) 4 September 1995 3 0 San Juan Jabloteh
18 3MF Aikim Andrews (1996-06-20) 20 June 1996 7 1 Terminix La Horquetta Rangers
19 3MF Matthew Ling (1996-09-15) 15 September 1996 2 0 St. Andrews
23 3MF Aaron Lester (1993-01-29) 29 January 1993 5 1 Defence Force
11 4FW Ryan Telfer (1994-03-04) 4 March 1994 6 3 York9
17 4FW Jerrel Britto (1992-07-04) 4 July 1992 1 0 Honduras Progreso
20 4FW Jomal Williams (1994-04-28) 28 April 1994 20 3 Isidro Metapán

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 Nicklas Frenderup (1992-12-14) 14 December 1992 2 0 Køge v.  Ecuador, 14 November 2019
GK Adrian Foncette (1988-10-10) 10 October 1988 15 0 Police v.  Anguilla, 10 November 2019
DF Mekeil Williams (1990-07-24) 24 July 1990 29 1 Municipal v.  Ecuador, 14 November 2019
DF Alvin Jones (1994-07-09) 9 July 1994 25 1 Real Salt Lake v.  Ecuador, 14 November 2019
DF Keston Julien (1998-10-26) 26 October 1998 3 0 Trenčín v.  Ecuador, 14 November 2019
DF Curtis Gonzales (1989-01-26) 26 January 1989 34 0 Defence Force v.  Mexico, 2 October 2019
DF Isaiah Garcia (1998-04-22) 22 April 1998 2 0 W Connection v.  Mexico, 2 October 2019
DF Josiah Trimmingham (1996-12-14) 14 December 1996 1 0 Forward Madison v.  Mexico, 2 October 2019
DF Jameel Neptune (1993-07-19) 19 July 1993 2 0 Central v.  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 11 August 2019
DF Justin Garcia (1995-10-26) 26 October 1995 1 0 Unattached v.  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 11 August 2019
DF Malik Mieres (2000-01-07) 7 January 2000 0 0 Morvant Caledonia United v.  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 11 August 2019
DF Leland Archer (1996-01-08) 8 January 1996 0 0 Charleston Battery v.  Canada, 10 June 2019
MF Khaleem Hyland (1989-06-05) 5 June 1989 87 4 Al-Faisaly v.  Ecuador, 14 November 2019
MF Duane Muckette (1995-07-01) 1 July 1995 5 0 Memphis 901 v.  Ecuador, 14 November 2019
MF Dre Fortune (1996-07-03) 3 July 1996 2 0 North Carolina v.  Ecuador, 14 November 2019
MF Leston Paul (1990-03-11) 11 March 1990 30 0 Memphis 901 v.  Anguilla, 10 November 2019
MF Kevan George (1990-01-30) 30 January 1990 50 0 Charlotte Independence v.  Venezuela, 14 October 2019
MF Levi Garcia (1997-11-20) 20 November 1997 26 2 Beitar Jerusalem v.  Venezuela, 14 October 2019
MF Neveal Hackshaw (1995-09-21) 21 September 1995 13 0 Indy Eleven v.  Venezuela, 14 October 2019
MF Joevin Jones (1991-08-03) 3 August 1991 74 8 Seattle Sounders v.  Honduras, 10 October 2019
MF Kevin Molino (1990-06-17) 17 June 1990 50 21 Minnesota United v.  Honduras, 10 October 2019
MF Judah García (2000-10-24) 24 October 2000 3 0 Point Fortin v.  Mexico, 2 October 2019
MF Dwane James (1988-12-04) 4 December 1988 3 0 Cunupia v.  Mexico, 2 October 2019
MF Nicholas Thomas (1997-03-21) 21 March 1997 1 0 Club Sando v.  Mexico, 2 October 2019
MF Nathaniel Garcia (1993-04-24) 24 April 1993 5 0 Gokulam Kerala v.  Martinique, 9 September 2019
MF Akeem Humphrey (1995-11-25) 25 November 1995 4 0 Club Sando v.  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 11 August 2019
MF Kathon St. Hillaire (1997-11-05) 5 November 1997 4 0 Sereď v.  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 11 August 2019
MF Jelani Felix (1993-11-22) 22 November 1993 1 0 North East Stars v.  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 11 August 2019
MF John Paul Rochford (2000-01-05) 5 January 2000 1 0 Portland Timbers 2 v.  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 11 August 2019
MF Jabari Mitchell (1997-05-01) 1 May 1997 0 0 Club Sando v.  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 11 August 2019
FW Daniel Carr (1993-11-30) 30 November 1993 4 0 Apollon Limassol v.  Ecuador, 14 November 2019
FW Rundell Winchester (1993-12-16) 16 December 1993 4 0 Gudja United v.  Ecuador, 14 November 2019
FW Darius Lewis (1999-10-11) 11 October 1999 1 2 KI v.  Anguilla, 10 November 2019
FW Akeem Garcia (1996-09-11) 11 September 1996 3 0 HFX Wanderers v.  Venezuela, 14 October 2019
FW Jameel Perry (1987-09-18) 18 September 1987 2 0 Police v.  Mexico, 2 October 2019
FW Adriel Kerr (1997-09-15) 15 September 1997 1 0 Police v.  Mexico, 2 October 2019
FW Christian Thomas (1990-10-05) 5 October 1990 1 0 Police v.  Mexico, 2 October 2019
FW Nion Lammy (2000-01-31) 31 January 2000 0 0 Club Sando v.  Mexico, 2 October 2019
FW Neil Benjamin (1994-08-20) 20 August 1994 3 0 Nam Định v.  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 11 August 2019
FW Reon Moore (1996-09-22) 22 September 1996 3 0 Defence Force v.  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 11 August 2019
FW Isaiah Lee (1999-09-21) 21 September 1999 2 0 Monroe Mustangs v.  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 11 August 2019

Previous squads

Results and schedule

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

2019
11 August 2019 FriendlySaint Vincent and the Grenadines 1–0 Trinidad and TobagoKingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Cunningham  4' Report Stadium: Victoria Park
6 September 2019 Nations LeagueMartinique 1–1 Trinidad and TobagoFort-de-France, Martinique
18:00 UTC-4 Mandouki  41' Report Jones  65' (pen.) Stadium: Stade Pierre-Aliker
Referee: José Kellys (Panama)
9 September 2019 Nations LeagueTrinidad and Tobago 2–2 MartiniquePort of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
21:00 UTC-4 Molino  17'
Telfer  46'		 Report Carr  60' (o.g.)
Delem  80'		 Stadium: Hasely Crawford Stadium
Referee: Diego Montaño (Mexico)
2 October 2019 FriendlyMexico 2–0 Trinidad and TobagoToluca, Mexico
21:06 (UTC−6)
Report Stadium: Estadio Nemesio Díez
10 October 2019 Nations LeagueTrinidad and Tobago 0–2 HondurasPort of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
19:00 UTC-4 Report
Stadium: Hasely Crawford Stadium
Referee: Mario Escobar (Guatemala)
14 October 2019 FriendlyVenezuela 2–0 Trinidad and TobagoCaracas, Venezuela
18:00 UTC–4
Report Stadium: Estadio Olímpico de la UCV
Referee: Gustavo Murillo (Colombia)
10 November 2019 FriendlyTrinidad and Tobago 15–0 AnguillaCouva, Trinidad and Tobago
18:00 UTC−4
Report Stadium: Ato Boldon Stadium
14 November 2019 FriendlyEcuador 3–0 Trinidad and TobagoPortoviejo, Ecuador
19:00 UTC−5
Report Stadium: Estadio Reales Tamarindos
Referee: Kevin Ortega (Peru)
17 November 2019 Nations LeagueHonduras 4–0 Trinidad and TobagoSan Pedro Sula, Honduras
21:00 UTC−6
Report Stadium: Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano
Referee: Joel Aguilar (El Salvador)

2020
27 March 2020 FriendlyCanada cancelled Trinidad and TobagoLangford, Canada
19:30 (UTC-8) Report Stadium: Westhills Stadium
31 March 2020 FriendlyCanada cancelled Trinidad and TobagoLangford, Canada
19:30 (UTC-8) Report Stadium: Westhills Stadium
8 September 2020 FriendlyIndonesia v Trinidad and TobagoCikarang, Indonesia
Stadium: Wibawa Mukti Stadium

Records

As of 29 April 2017
Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.[16]

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[17]
1 Angus Eve
MF
 117 34 1994–2005
2 Stern John
FW
 115 70 1995–2011
3 Marvin Andrews
DF
 103 10 1996–2009
4 Densill Theobald
MF
 99 2 2002–2013
5 Carlos Edwards
MF
 96 4 1999–2017
6 Kenwyne Jones
FW
 91 23 2003–2017
7 Dennis Lawrence
DF
 89 5 2000–2010
8 Jan-Michael Williams
GK
 81 0 2003–
9 Clayton Ince
GK
 79 0 1997–2009
10 Russell Latapy
MF
 78 29 1988–2009

Top goalscorers
Rank Player Position Goals Caps Rate Career[17]
1 Stern John
FW
 70 115 0.61 1995–2011
2 Angus Eve
MF
 34 117 0.29 1994–2005
3 Russell Latapy
MF
 29 81 0.36 1988–2009
4 Arnold Dwarika
MF
 28 73 0.38 1993–2008
5 Cornell Glen
FW
 24 71 0.34 2002–2013
6 Kenwyne Jones
FW
 23 91 0.25 2003–2017
7 Nigel Pierre
FW
 22 57 0.39 1999–2005
8 Leonson Lewis
FW
 21 31 0.68 1988–1996
9 Dwight Yorke
FW
 19 72 0.26 1989–2009
10 Devorn Jorsling
FW
 18 41 0.44 2007–2015
10 Kevin Molino
FW
 18 39 0.46 2010–

Competitive record
Further information: Trinidad and Tobago national football team cup results

FIFA World Cup

Trinidad and Tobago first appeared at the 2006 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 to 2018.

* 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

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See also

References
General
Specific
  1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  2. Trinidad and Tobago – List of International Matches
  3. Trinidad and Tobago's Soca Warriors set to give them all in Germany, Guardian UK. Accessed June 23, 2008.
  4. Football: Carnival time and the Trinis are up for the party, The Independent. Accessed June 23, 2008.
  5. Trinidad Express – Haitian robbery: Trinidad and Tobago cheated W/Cup spot, Socawarriors.net. Accessed June 23, 2008.
  6. Red-Day, Nov, 19, 1989, YouTube.com. Accessed: June 23, 2008.
  7. Pulse: Thank You Trinidad and Tobago Warriors Archived 17 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Trinidad Guardian. Accessed June 23, 2008.
  8. FIFA Fair Play Awards Archived 1 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine, FIFA.com. Accessed June 23, 2008.
  9. "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ – Matches – Bermuda-Trinidad and Tobago – FIFA.com". FIFA.com.
  10. "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™". FIFA.com.
  11. "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™". FIFA.com.
  12. Inshan Mohammed. "Corneal appointed TTFF Technical Director, Otto Pfister axed". socawarriors.net.
  13. "Queen's Park Oval". Cricinfo Staff. 13 March 2007. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
  14. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 23 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. "U.S.'s World Cup qualifier in Trinidad set for 10,000-seat stadium". ESPN. 15 September 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  16. Mamrud, Roberto. "Trinidad and Tobago  – Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  17. Inshan Mohammed (13 October 2012). "Goalscorers". Soca Warriors Online. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
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