Trinidad and Tobago national football team

Trinidad and Tobago

Nickname(s)	The Soca Warriors
Association	Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation
Sub-confederation	CFU (Caribbean)
Confederation	CONCACAF
Head coach	Hudson Charles
Asst coach	Anton Corneal Angus Eve
Captain	Kenwyne Jones
Most caps	Angus Eve (117)
Top scorer	Stern John (70)
Home stadium	Hasely Crawford Stadium
FIFA code	TRI
FIFA ranking	82
Highest FIFA ranking	25 (June 2001)
Lowest FIFA ranking	106 (October 2010)
Elo ranking	91
Highest Elo ranking	35 (January 1929)
Lowest Elo ranking	116 (September 1987)
Home colours Away colours
First international
Dutch Guiana 3–3 Trinidad & Tobago (Suriname; 6 August 1934)[2]
Biggest win
Trinidad & Tobago 11–0 Aruba (Grenada; 4 June 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, is the national team of Trinidad and Tobago and is run by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation. It reached the first round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals. The country currently holds the record of being the smallest nation (both in size and population) to ever qualify for a World Cup Finals.

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

1974 World Cup qualification: Controversy

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, all of which were scored by Nikolai G. The referee, Alex Knaggs of El Salvador and a Canadian linesman James Higuet were subsequently banned for life by FIFA for the dubious events of the match.

1990 World Cup qualification: Within grasp

Trinidad and Tobago came within one game of qualifying for the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. Dubbed 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, Paul Caligiuri of the United States scored the only goal of the game in the 38th minute dashing Trinidad and Tobago's qualification hopes. 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.

2006 World Cup: Country's first World Cup

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

Main article: Trinidad and Tobago at the FIFA World Cup

Trinidad and Tobago qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals 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 against England and Paraguay by a 2–0 margin.

2010 World Cup qualification

Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)

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. In their final two matches, Trinidad and Tobago lost 4-0 to Costa Rica and drew 2-2 with Mexico. Trinidad and Tobago finished last in the Hexagonal with just six points from ten matches.

Qualification

Main article: 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)

Main article: 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF Second Round

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Guyana 6 4 1 1 9 6 +3 13 Trinidad and Tobago 6 4 0 2 12 4 +8 12 Bermuda 6 3 1 2 8 7 +1 10 Barbados 6 0 0 6 2 14 −12 0

Barbados – 1–2 0–2 0–2 Bermuda 2–1 – 1–1 2–1 Guyana 2–0 2–1 – 2–1 Trinidad and Tobago 4–0 1–0 3–0 –

Competitive record

Further information: Trinidad and Tobago national football team cup results

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 once, which came in 2000 where the Soca Warriors lost to the eventual winners Canada in the Semifinals.

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	Did Not Enter
1934
1938
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966	Did Not Qualify
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006	Group Stage (Group B)	4th	3	0	1	2	0	4
2010	Did Not Qualify
2014
2018	To Be Determined
2022
Total	Group Stage	1/19	3	0	1	2	0	4

Schedule and recent results

Matches from the past six months, as well as any future scheduled matches.

Date	Venue	Opponent	Competition	Result	T&T Scorers
21 August 2011	Hasely Crawford Stadium	India	IF	3–0 W	John  18' (pen.) Roberts  46', 84'
2 September 2011	Hasely Crawford Stadium	Bermuda	WCQ	1–0 W	Jones  45'
6 September 2011	Waterford National Stadium	Barbados	WCQ	2–0 W	Daniel  20' Roberts  69'
7 October 2011	Bermuda National Stadium	Bermuda	WCQ	2-1 L	Molino  82'
11 October 2011	Hasely Crawford Stadium	Barbados	WCQ	4-0 W	Peltier  7', 54', 62' Hector  90'
11 November 2011	Providence Stadium	Guyana	WCQ	1-2 L	Jones  90+'
15 November 2011	Hasely Crawford Stadium	Guyana	WCQ	2-0 W	Jones  58' Peltier  64'
22 January 2012	Hasely Crawford Stadium	Finland	IF	3-2 W	Williams  32' Molino  66'

Current squad

The following players is the squad named for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Guyana on 11 & 15 November 2011.

0#0 Pos. Player Date of Birth (Age) Caps Goals Club 1 GK Marvin Phillip 1 August 1984 (1984-08-01) 32 0 T&TEC 21 GK Jan Michael Williams 26 October 1984 (1984-10-26) 36 0 W Connection 3 DF Carlyle Mitchell 8 August 1987 (1987-08-08) 3 0 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 4 DF Akeem Adams 13 April 1991 (1991-04-13) 5 0 T&TEC 5 DF Julius James 9 July 1984 (1984-07-09) 14 0 Columbus Crew 6 DF Osei Telesford 12 February 1987 (1987-02-12) 19 1 Puerto Rico Islanders 17 DF Anthony Wolfe 23 December 1983 (1983-12-23) 34 3 North East Stars 20 DF Seon Power 2 February 1984 (1984-02-02) 21 1 North East Stars 7 MF Chris Birchall 5 May 1984 (1984-05-05) 38 4 Port Vale 8 MF Khaleem Hyland 5 June 1989 (1989-06-05) 29 3 Racing Genk 10 MF Hayden Tinto 31 August 1985 (1985-08-31) 20 2 Joe Public 11 MF Carlos Edwards 24 October 1978 (1978-10-24) 80 4 Ipswich Town 13 MF Lester Peltier 13 September 1988 (1988-09-13) 14 4 Trenčín 15 MF Hughton Hector 16 October 1984 (1984-10-16) 17 5 W Connection 16 MF Kevin Molino 17 June 1990 (1990-06-17) 5 1 Orlando City 18 MF Andrei Pacheco 20 September 1984 (1984-09-20) 9 0 T&TEC 19 MF Keon Daniel 16 January 1987 (1987-01-16) 49 8 Philadelphia Union 9 FW Kenwyne Jones (Captain) 5 October 1984 (1984-10-05) 49 7 Stoke City 12 FW Kendall Jagdeosingh 30 May 1986 (1986-05-30) 7 0 Chainat F.C. 14 FW Stern John 30 October 1976 (1976-10-30) 112 70 Free Agent

Recent call-ups

The following players were named to the 20-man squad for the friendly against India at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on 21 August 2011.

Pos. Player Date of Birth (Age) Caps Goals Club Latest Call-up GK Tony Warner 11 May 1974 (1974-05-11) 2 0 Wellington Phoenix v. Bermuda; 2 September 2011 DF Radanfah Abu Bakr 11 April 1984 (1984-04-11) 8 1 Olympic Charleroi v. Bermuda; 7 October 2011 DF Mekeil Williams 24 July 1990 (1990-07-24) 1 1 Pogoń Szczecin v. Bermuda; 7 October 2011 DF Kern Cupid 11 April 1984 (1984-04-11) 13 0 W Connection v. India; 21 August 2011 DF Keston Williams 27 February 1981 (1981-02-27) 11 0 Defence Force v. India; 21 August 2011 DF Noel Williams 2 February 1984 (1984-02-02) 21 1 Police FC v. India; 21 August 2011 MF Clyde Leon 8 December 1983 (1983-12-08) 40 1 Itagüí Ditaires v. Bermuda; 7 October 2011 MF Andre Boucaud 10 October 1984 (1984-10-10) 6 0 York City v. Bermuda; 2 September 2011 MF Jake Thomson 12 May 1989 (1989-05-12) 2 0 Kettering Town v. Bermuda; 2 September 2011 MF Densill Theobald 27 June 1982 (1982-06-27) 78 2 Dempo S.C. v. Bermuda; 2 September 2011 FW Juma Clarence 17 March 1989 (1989-03-17) 2 0 Caledonia AIA v. India; 21 August 2011 FW Darryl Roberts 26 September 1983 (1983-09-26) 21 6 Denizlispor v. Bermuda; 2 September 2011 FW Andre Toussaint 26 August 1981 (1981-08-26) 29 6 Joe Public v. Bermuda; 2 September 2011 FW Devorn Jorsling 27 December 1983 (1983-12-27) 25 13 Orlando City v. Bermuda; 7 October 2011 FW Kevaughn Connell 23 July 1983 (1983-07-23) 6 0 North East Stars v. Bermuda; 7 October 2011

Player records

Most capped players

The following players have received the caps in national team history:

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Years
1	Angus Eve	117	34	1994–2005
2	Stern John	113	70	1995–
3	Marvin Andrews	101	10	1996–2009
4	Dennis Lawrence	89	5	2000–2010
5	Carlos Edwards	80	4	1999–
6	Clayton Ince	79	0	1997–2010
7	Densill Theobald	78	2	2002–
	Russell Latapy	78	29	1988–2009
9	Arnold Dwarika	73	28	1993–2009
10	Dwight Yorke	72	19	1989–2009

Top scorers

The following players are the top scorers in national team history:

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Years
1	Stern John	113	70	1995–
2	Angus Eve	117	34	1994–2005
3	Russell Latapy	79	29	1988–2009
4	Arnold Dwarika	73	28	1993–2005
5	Cornell Glen	59	23	2002–
6	Nigel Pierre	56	22	1999–2005
7	Leonson Lewis	32	21	1988–1996
8	Dwight Yorke	72	19	1989–2009
9	Steve David	16	16	1972–1976
10	Kerry Baptiste	50	12	2003–

Manager history

Name	From	To
Bertille St. Clair	May 1997	February 2000
Ian Porterfield	1 March 2000	25 June 2001
René Simões	June 2001	May 2002
Hannibal Najjar	23 October 2002	1 April 2003
Zoran Vraneš	2 April 2003	14 May 2003
Stuart Charles Fevrier	15 May 2003	16 January 2004
Bertille St. Clair	16 January 2004	31 March 2005
Leo Beenhakker	31 March 2005	20 June 2006
Wim Rijsbergen	11 July 2006	4 December 2007
Francisco Maturana	4 January 2008	8 April 2009
Russell Latapy	8 April 2009	31 January 2011
Otto Pfister	24 March 2011	1 January 2012

Other former managers include the following:

• Anton Corneal
• Everald Cummings
• Ronald La Forest
• Edgar Vidale (1976)
• Roderick Warner
• Jan Zwartkruis
• Kevin Verity (1973–1974)
• Americo Brunner
• Jimmy Hill
• Frank Brennan
• Michael Laing
• Casa Grande
• Jochen Figge (1995)
• Jim McGuinness

Supporters' Groups

Main article: Soca Warriors Supporters Club

The major supporters' group for the Trinidad and Tobago national team is the Soca Warriors Supporters Club. Also known as The Warrior Nation, the group is a non-profit organization that formed shortly after Trinidad and Tobago secured qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

External links

• Official Website
• Soca Warriors Online, National Team
• Soca Warriors, Official Website
• Soca Warrior SSC
• Trinidad & Tobago Football History
• RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers
• Trinidad and Tobago at FIFA website