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Belize national football team

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by UncleTupelo1 (talk | contribs) at 12:32, 4 March 2022 (→Current squad: Salazar to LA Galaxy II as per https://www.lagalaxy.com/news/la-galaxy-ii-announce-2022-player-signings). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

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

Belize
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)The Jaguars
The Unbelizeables
AssociationFootball Federation of Belize
ConfederationCONCACAF (North America)
Sub-confederationUNCAF (Central America)
Head coachDavid Pérez Asensio
CaptainIan Gaynair
Most capsElroy Smith (61)
Top scorerDeon McCaulay (28)
Home stadiumFFB Field
FIFA codeBLZ
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 179 Increase 3 (24 October 2024)[1]
Highest114 (April–June 2016)
Lowest201 (November 2007 – January 2008)
First international
 British Honduras 1–0 Honduras 
(British Honduras; February 19, 1928)
as Belize
 El Salvador 3–0 Belize 
(San Salvador, El Salvador; November 29, 1995)
Biggest win
 Belize 7–1 Nicaragua 
(Belize City, Belize; April 17, 2002)
Biggest defeat
 Costa Rica 7–0 Belize 
(San José, Costa Rica; March 17, 1999)
 Mexico 7–0 Belize 
(Monterrey, Mexico; June 21, 2008)
Gold Cup
Appearances1 (first in 2013)
Best resultGroup stage (2013)

The Belize national football team represents Belize in international football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Belize, a member of the Central American Football Union of CONCACAF.

Although Belize has never qualified for a FIFA World Cup tournament, it has once qualified for a CONCACAF Gold Cup championship in 2013, in which they were eliminated in the group stage. Belize has also competed in the sub-regional Central American Cup championship in which their best result was fourth place in 2013. The nickname for the players of the national team is the "Jaguars".

History

Overview

Named British Honduras whilst under British colonial rule, the country's first international game came on February 19, 1928, beating Honduras 1–0. Following independence, Belize's first game came on December 8, 1983, in a 2–0 loss against Canada in Belize.[3] Although Belize gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1981 (and many of the UK's current colonies have international teams), Belize did not begin to regularly play international football until 1995. It made its debut at the 1995 UNCAF Nations Cup and was eliminated in the first round after losing to El Salvador and Costa Rica.

Belize has never qualified for the World Cup but finished fourth in the 2013 Copa Centroamericana. Their fourth-place finish in the 2013 Copa Centroamericana gave Belize its first qualification to a major international competition, that being the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

June 2011 suspension by FIFA

On June 15, 2011, Belize kicked off its 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign against minnows Montserrat, winning 2–5 away in a match played in the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, Trinidad. However, the return which was scheduled for June 19 was postponed by FIFA when they suspended the FFB due to governmental interference.[4]

Stadium

FFB Field in Belmopan is the home stadium for the Belize national football team. Prior to this stadium, Belize had no facilities that met FIFA specifications. Apart from this Belize has many fields to play on but with no facilities for the players.

Schedule and recent results

Main article: Belize national football team results

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

  Win   Draw   Loss

2021

25 March WC 1st Round Qualifying Haiti  2–0  Belize Port-au-Prince, Haiti
17:00
Report Stadium: Stade Sylvio Cator
Referee: Walter López Castellanos (Guatemala)
30 March WC 1st Round Qualifying Belize Belize 5–0 Turks and Caicos Islands Turks and Caicos Islands San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic
17:00 UTC−4
Report Stadium: Estadio Panamericano
Referee: Nima Saghafi (United States)
4 June WC 1st Round Qualifying Nicaragua Nicaragua 3–0 Belize Belize Managua, Nicaragua
19:00 UTC−6
Report Stadium: Nicaragua National Football Stadium
Referee: Nelson Salgado (Honduras)

2022

29 January Friendly Nicaragua  4–0  Belize Managua, Nicaragua
19:00 (UTC−6)
Report Stadium: Estadio Nacional de Fútbol
Referee: Ricardo Mendoza (Nicaragua)
1 February Friendly Nicaragua  1–1  Belize Managua, Nicaragua
19:00 (UTC−6)
Report
Stadium: Estadio Nacional de Fútbol

Coaching staff

Name Nat Position
Dale Pelayo Sr. Belize Head coach
Philip Marin Honduras Technical director
Jack Striders Belize Technical director
Carlos Slusher Belize Assistant Head coach
Peter Jones Belize Assistant Head coach
Kent Gabourel Sr. Belize Goalkeeping coach
Shaun Woodmac Belize Physical Trainer
Thomas Rivars Belize Physiotherapist

Coaching history

Since the creation of the national team in 1995, several coaches have been in charge of managing Belize. From 1995 to 1996, Winston Michael was appointed as Belize's first ever manager. As of January 2012, the Belize national football team has had 11 managers.

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for friendlies against Nicaragua on 29 January and 1 February 2022.[5]

Caps and goals updated as of 1 February 2022, after the game against  Nicaragua.
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Woodrow West (1985-09-19) 19 September 1985 (age 39) 44 0 Belize Verdes
1GK Charles Tillett (2001-07-29) 29 July 2001 (age 23) 1 0 Belize Verdes
1GK Isaac Castillo (2003-01-25) 25 January 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Belize Garden City
2DF Ian Gaynair (1986-02-26) 26 February 1986 (age 38) 57 2 Belize Belmopan Bandits
2DF Evral Trapp (1987-01-22) 22 January 1987 (age 37) 38 0 Belize Verdes
2DF Norman Anderson (1997-01-25) 25 January 1997 (age 27) 10 0 Belize Verdes
2DF Collin Westby (1995-02-19) 19 February 1995 (age 29) 6 0 Belize Altitude
2DF Donell Arzu (1999-09-27) 27 September 1999 (age 25) 3 0 Belize Wagiya
2DF Deshawon Nembhard (1994-10-08) 8 October 1994 (age 30) 3 1 United States Stumptown
2DF Alence Ayala (1999-04-24) 24 April 1999 (age 25) 1 0 Belize Verdes
2DF Allan Barillas (1999-01-13) 13 January 1999 (age 25) 0 0 Belize Altitude
3MF Denmark Casey Jr. (1994-01-14) 14 January 1994 (age 30) 22 1 Belize Garden City
3MF Nana Mensah (1989-01-19) 19 January 1989 (age 35) 21 0 United States Morris Elite
3MF Jordy Polanco (1996-06-08) 8 June 1996 (age 28) 17 0 Belize Verdes
3MF Luis Torres (1993-02-03) 3 February 1993 (age 31) 6 0 Belize Altitude
3MF Darrel Myvett (1993-12-15) 15 December 1993 (age 30) 5 0 Belize Verdes
3MF Warren Moss (1999-10-13) 13 October 1999 (age 25) 0 0 Belize Wagiya
3MF Eldon Reneau (2003-05-22) 22 May 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Belize Verdes
3MF Rene Leslie (1999-12-12) 12 December 1999 (age 24) 0 0 Belize Altitude
4FW Deon McCaulay (captain) (1987-09-20) 20 September 1987 (age 37) 58 28 United States Georgia Revolution
4FW Michael Salazar (1992-11-15) 15 November 1992 (age 31) 17 2 United States LA Galaxy II
4FW Krisean Lopez (1998-11-02) 2 November 1998 (age 26) 15 3 Belize Verdes
4FW Carlos Bernárdez (1992-12-28) 28 December 1992 (age 31) 6 2 Honduras Platense
4FW Jesse August (1994-01-22) 22 January 1994 (age 30) 3 1 Belize Altitude

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up within the past 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Eithon Wagner (1990-05-02) 2 May 1990 (age 34) 0 0 Belize Police United v.  Turks and Caicos Islands; 30 March 2021
DF Jordan Casanova (2004-04-30) 30 April 2004 (age 20) 1 0 Belize San Pedro Pirates v.  Nicaragua; 4 June 2021
DF Asrel Sutherland (1993-03-08) 8 March 1993 (age 31) 3 0 Belize San Pedro Pirates v.  Nicaragua; 4 June 2021 PRE
DF José Urbina (1995-02-13) 13 February 1995 (age 29) 1 0 Belize Altitude v.  Nicaragua; 4 June 2021 PRE
DF Mike Atkinson (1994-12-02) 2 December 1994 (age 29) 6 0 England North Leigh v.  Turks and Caicos Islands; 30 March 2021
MF Ean Lewis (1991-02-25) 25 February 1991 (age 33) 5 1 Belize Belize Defence Force v.  Nicaragua; 4 June 2021
MF Izon Gill (1999-12-27) 27 December 1999 (age 24) 1 0 Belize Verdes v.  Nicaragua; 4 June 2021
MF Jahlin Pelayo (2001-08-29) 29 August 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Belize Belmopan Bandits v.  Nicaragua; 4 June 2021
MF Andrés Makin (1992-04-11) 11 April 1992 (age 32) 25 0 Belize Belmopan Bandits v.  Nicaragua; 4 June 2021 PRE
MF Nahjib Guerra (1994-08-18) 18 August 1994 (age 30) 10 0 Belize Verdes v.  Nicaragua; 4 June 2021 PRE
MF Tony Rocha (1993-08-21) 21 August 1993 (age 31) 3 0 United States Orange County v.  Nicaragua; 4 June 2021 PRE
MF Angelo Capello (2002-01-27) 27 January 2002 (age 22) 2 0 England Sheffield United U23s v.  Nicaragua; 4 June 2021 PRE
MF Jesse Smith (1991-11-24) 24 November 1991 (age 32) 1 0 Belize San Pedro Pirates v.  Nicaragua; 4 June 2021 PRE
MF Johny El Zein (1992-03-24) 24 March 1992 (age 32) 0 0 Free agent v.  Turks and Caicos Islands; 30 March 2021
FW Gilroy Thurton (1993-09-07) 7 September 1993 (age 31) 4 0 Belize Wagiya v.  Nicaragua; 4 June 2021
FW Desmond Wade (1997-08-31) 31 August 1997 (age 27) 1 0 Belize Belize Defence Force v.  Nicaragua; 4 June 2021 PRE
FW Jonard Castillo (1999-12-11) 11 December 1999 (age 24) 0 0 Belize Wagiya v.  Nicaragua; 4 June 2021 PRE
FW Carlos Gonzalez (1999-07-27) 27 July 1999 (age 25) 0 0 Belize Belmopan Bandits v.  Nicaragua; 4 June 2021 PRE

INJ Withdrew due to injury
PRE Preliminary / Standby squad
RET Retired from the national team
SUS Serving suspension
WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

Records

As of 1 February 2022
Players in bold are still active with Belize.

Competition records

World Cup record

FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Part of  United Kingdom Part of  United Kingdom
Italy 1934
France 1938
Brazil 1950
Switzerland 1954
Sweden 1958
Chile 1962
England 1966
Mexico 1970
West Germany 1974
Argentina 1978
Spain 1982 Did not enter Declined participation
Mexico 1986
Italy 1990
United States 1994
France 1998 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 2 6
South Korea Japan 2002 4 0 1 3 2 10
Germany 2006 2 0 0 2 0 8
South Africa 2010 4 1 1 2 4 11
Brazil 2014 8 4 1 3 17 13
Russia 2018 6 2 3 1 7 6
Qatar 2022 3 1 0 2 5 5
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined To be determined
Total 0/22 29 8 6 15 37 59

CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup record

Main article: Belize at the CONCACAF Gold Cup
CONCACAF Championship & CONCACAF Gold Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
El Salvador 1963 Part of  United Kingdom
Guatemala 1965
Honduras 1967
Costa Rica 1969
Trinidad and Tobago 1971
Haiti 1973
Mexico 1977
Honduras 1981 Did not exist
1985
1989
United States 1991
Mexico United States 1993
United States 1996 Did not qualify
United States 1998
United States 2000
United States 2002
Mexico United States 2003 Did not enter
United States 2005 Did not qualify
United States 2007
United States 2009
United States 2011
United States 2013 Group stage 12th 3 0 0 3 1 11
Canada United States 2015 Did not qualify
United States 2017
Costa Rica Jamaica United States 2019
United States 2021
Total Group stage 1/16 3 0 0 3 1 11

CONCACAF Nations League

CONCACAF Nations League record
Year Division Group Pld W D* L GF GA P/R Rank
United States 2019−20 B A 6 2 0 4 6 12 Same position 24th
2022–23 B To be determined
Total 6 2 0 4 6 12 24th

Copa Centroamericana

Copa Centroamericana record
Year Round Position GP W D L GF GA
Costa Rica 1991 Did not exist
Honduras 1993 Did not exist
El Salvador 1995 Group Stage 6th 2 0 0 2 1 5
Guatemala 1997 Preliminary 7th 2 0 1 1 1 2
Costa Rica 1999 Group Stage 6th 2 0 0 2 1 12
Honduras 2001 Group Stage 6th 2 0 1 1 3 7
Panama 2003 Did not enter
Guatemala 2005 Group Stage 7th 3 0 0 3 0 7
El Salvador 2007 Group Stage 7th 3 0 0 3 3 7
Honduras 2009 Group Stage 7th 3 0 1 2 3 7
Panama 2011 Group Stage 7th 3 0 1 2 3 8
Costa Rica 2013 Fourth Place 4th 5 1 1 3 2 4
United States 2014 Group Stage 7th 3 0 0 3 1 6
Panama 2017 Group Stage 6th 5 0 1 4 2 10
Total Fourth Place 10/13 30 1 6 23 19 69

The 1995 tournament in El Salvador saw Belize's international debut. They played the hosts in their first-ever international on November 29 in Group A. El Salvador won 3–0 with all goals coming in the second half.[6] On December 1, Belize scored their first-ever international goal as they lost 2–1 to Costa Rica and were eliminated from the tournament. Both other teams advanced to the semi-finals and were defeated there, Costa Rica's conqueror Honduras beat Guatemala in the final.

Head-to-head record

Updated on 1 February 2022 after match against  Nicaragua[7]

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record

Opponent P W D L GF GA GF
 Bahamas 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4
 Barbados 2 1 1 0 1 0 +1
 Canada 5 0 1 4 1 14 −13
 Cayman Islands 2 0 2 0 1 1 0
 Costa Rica 6 0 0 6 1 18 −17
 Cuba 2 1 0 1 3 6 −3
 Dominican Republic 2 2 0 0 5 1 +4
 El Salvador 10 0 0 10 6 29 −23
 French Guiana 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2
 Grenada 5 2 0 3 11 11 0
 Guatemala 11 0 4 7 9 19 −10
 Guyana 2 1 0 1 4 3 +1
 Haiti 1 0 0 1 0 2 –2
 Honduras 10 1 0 9 4 24 −20
 Jamaica 1 0 1 0 2 2 0
 Mexico 2 0 0 2 0 9 −9
 Montserrat 3 2 0 1 8 4 +4
 Nicaragua 12 4 3 5 19 21 –2
 Panama 6 0 2 4 3 10 −7
 Puerto Rico 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1
 Saint Kitts and Nevis 4 2 1 1 5 6 −1
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4 2 2 0 5 2 +3
 Turks and Caicos Islands 1 1 0 0 5 0 +5
 Trinidad and Tobago 2 0 2 0 0 0 0
 United States 1 0 0 1 1 6 −5
Total 96 23 18 55 101 188 −87

References

  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. October 24, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  2. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. October 16, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  3. ^ "World Football Elo Ratings: Belize". Elo Ratings. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  4. ^ Suspension of the Football Federation of Belize – FIFA
  5. ^ "Belize Men's National Football Team is already in training at FFB in Belmopan to face Guatemala, Nicaragua next week". Breaking Belize News.
  6. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 20, 2009. Retrieved 2010-11-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ "World Football Elo Ratings: Belize". Elo Ratings. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
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