TTPFL golden boot race heats up

This weekend is expected to be an intriguing one in the 2025/26 TT Premier Football League (TTPFL) season, as the top four teams will be squaring off against each other. 

Holders and current leaders, Defence Force (46 points), will take on third-placed rivals Miscellaneous Police FC (36 points) from 4 pm at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar, on March 15. Meanwhile, the second-placed Club Sando (42 points) are expected to have their hands full when they take on the fourth-placed Prisons FC (35 points) from 8 pm at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, tomorrow (March 14). 

Tarik Lee (number 9) is the man to watch in the Club Sando attack. Photo courtesy Club Sando

While the top four teams and the fifth-placed AC Port of Spain (34 points) are still jostling for Concacaf spots, another race is brewing as the TTPFL's golden boot charge is well and truly on. The league's leading goals scorer, Joevin Jones (11 goals), is away to Bolivia on international duty with the Trinidad and Tobago men's national team. Jones' absence could leave the door open for a new player to soar to the top of the scoring charts, as the trio of Teejay Cadiz, Dominic Douglas, and Tarik Lee are all tied on ten goals. 

From 6 pm today at the Phase 2 La Horquetta recreation grounds, Douglas' Eagles team will take on AC PoS. Meanwhile, when Lee's Club Sando take on Prisons tomorrow, the nippy striker will be hoping to help his team reverse their 1-0 loss to Dexter Cyrus' Prisons outfit earlier this season. 

A look at the TT Premier Football League's top scorers heading into match 19

And in an early 2 pm kickoff in Malabar on March 15, Cadiz will be looking to inspire the ninth-placed 1976 FC Phoenix team when they take on the inconsistent Central FC Reboot, who find themselves in seventh place with 24 points. Phoenix have conceded the joint-highest number of goals this season (48), while Central will be without some key players such as Daniel David, Alvin Jones, Ross Russell Jr, and goalie Jabari Brice. All four have been called up by interim coach Derek King for TT's friendly with Bolivia on March 15. With that being said, expect goals to flow in the first game of the Malabar double-header this weekend. 

Do you have any picks for the golden boot winner? 

This is how the TTPFL top five is shaping up with just four games to go. 

Fatima, St Joseph's Convent PoS bag water polo hat-tricks

The students of Fatima College and St Joseph's Convent Port of Spain (SJCPoS) displayed their dominance when the Republic Bank Aquatic Sports Association of TT (ASATT) National Secondary Schools Water Polo League concluded on the weekend, as both splashed to a hat-trick of titles. 

When the action wrapped up at the National Aquatic Centre in Balmain, Couva, on March 8, both schools had won the respective under-14, under-16, and open trophies. On the previous weekend, the Form One titles went to Bishop Anstey High School PoS (BAHS) and Diego Martin Central, respectively. BAHS beat Diego Central to the girls' Form One crown, but the Diego Martin boys put things right when a seven-goal showing from Andriel Williams powered them to a tight 9-8 victory over Queen's Royal College in the boys' Form One finale. 

The girls from SJCPoS made their intentions clear when they drubbed BAHS 15-2 in the under-14 final to clinch their first of three titles. Romaya Pierre and Drew Thomas scored four goals apiece to lead the SJCPoS riot.  

In the under-16 final against Holy Name Convent, SJCPoS used a breathtaking second-half performance to romp to a 22-12 victory after leading 9-7 at the halfway stage. Shauna Murphy was instrumental in SJCPoS's run to the under-16 title, leading with seven goals, while Alexis Avey, Eliana Lee, and Abella Mollenthiel all scored four goals each. Melanie Valdez Brown fought admirably for Holy Name with a team-high seven goals. 

In the girls' open final, SJCPoS had another battle with BAHS. On this occasion, BAHS were up for the fight, but just fell on the wrong side of a 6-5 scoreline. BAHS led 4-1 at the halftime break thanks to a Mya Dos Santos double, but her team was held scoreless in the third quarter as SJCPoS jumped out to a 5-4 lead. In the final quarter, Lee netted her second goal of the game to ensure SJCPoS hoisted their third trophy on the day. 

Holy Name Convent Port of Spain's Amilya Marshall (R) lines up a shot against St Joseph's Convent Port of Spain in the under-16 final of the National Secondary Schools Water Polo League at the National Aquatic Centre, Couva, on March 8. Photos courtesy Sorias Media 

Fatima got their title-hunt started on March 7 when they clobbered St Mary's College 19-5 in the under-14 final. Liam Rogers and Jude Galt scored six and five goals, respectively, to lead the boys from Mucurapo Road to their first title. Fatima's "B" team, meanwhile, registered a fourth-placed finish in the under-14 division after losing a tight third-place playoff. 

None shall pass: Fatima College "B" team player Gabriel Joseph (R) looks for a passing option against St Mary's College in their under-16 bronze-medal matchup in the National Secondary Schools Water Polo League. 

 

In both the under-16 and open finals, Fatima overpowered the QRC outfit to complete their hat-trick. The under-16 final was a much closer affair than the open finale, and Fatima actually trailed the Royalians 6-7 at halftime. By the end of the third quarter, QRC still had the upper hand, leading 10-9. In the final quarter, though, Fatima hit the accelerator as both Logan Calder and Giovanni Felician-Moses scored three goals in the period to help their school to a 17-13 comeback victory. Felician-Moses scored a game-high six goals, with both Luke Gibson and Aaron Villafana netting five goals in the losing effort for QRC. 

The open final was much more straightforward for Fatima, who opened up a big 9-2 lead at the end of the first quarter, en route to a 19-9 victory. Jeremiah Henriques-Brown matched the opponents' tally with an impressive nine-goal performance, with Liam Chin Lee chipping in with five goals. Villafana scored a double for QRC, while Javier Jordan led the Royalians with five goals. Their efforts weren't nearly enough to stop Fatima from cruising to their third title to end a dominant weekend in the pool. 

Jubilant Fatima College players dive in the pool after copping one of their three titles at the National Secondary Schools Water Polo League at the National Aquatic Centre, Couva, on March 8. 

Trinidad and Tobago women, El Salvador square off on April 17

The date, time, and venue have been locked in for the crucial Concacaf W Qualifier between Trinidad and Tobago's women's football team and El Salvador. The encounter is a must-win one for the TT women and will be played from 6 pm at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, on April 17. The match details were confirmed via a release from Concacaf earlier today (March 9).

Next month's match is the last for either team in the qualifying round as they aim to advance to the Concacaf W Championships. El Salvador are currently first in group F with six points after wins over Honduras (3-0) and Barbados (13-0), with TT second in the group on four points after salvaging a 2-2 draw away to Honduras last week. TT opened up the qualifiers with a resounding 5-0 win away to Barbados in December. Only the group winner will advance to the Concacaf W Championship. 

The Trinidad and Tobago women's football team celebrate a goal against Honduras in a Concacaf W Qualifier on March 4. Photo courtesy TTFA

The Concacaf W Championship is the region's qualifying tournament for the 2027 Fifa Women's World Cup and the 2028 LA Olympics. The region's two highest-ranked teams, Canada and the US, received a bye to the Concacaf W Championship.   

In their match versus Honduras in Tegucigalpa on March 4, TT fell behind 2-0 midway through the first half. TT's fightback started late in the first half, as left back Kedie Johnson scored a penalty, before teenage sensation Nikita Gosine calmly scored a penalty of her own in the 87th minute to earn her team a share of the spoils.

In just over five weeks, the TT women will need all three points against El Salvador if they are to keep their World Cup dreams alive. 

The Trinidad and Tobago women's football team will face El Salvador in a crucial Concacaf W Qualifier at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on April 17. 

Derrel 'Zum' Zum' Garcia nets TTPFL hat-trick

Trinidad and Tobago men's under-20 football team captain Derrel "Zum Zum" Garcia lit up the Phase 2 La Horquetta recreation ground with a stylish hat-trick on March 6, as his San Juan Jabloteh team crushed 1976 FC Phoenix 5-0. These were the first goals of the 2025/26 TT Premier Football League (TTPFL) season for Garcia, who scored nine goals last season en route to winning the league's Rising Star award.

Garcia opened the scoring for the sixth-placed Jabloteh in the 26th minute after being sprung on the counter by Malachi Webb, as he checked back on his right foot before curling a beautiful shot past goalkeeper Duvaughn Daniel. Just past the hour mark, Garcia got his and Jabloteh's second when he slammed a shot off the base of the post and in, after being teed up by lanky striker Dwight Jordan.

Jabloteh then put the game beyond all doubt with a quick three-goal burst in a 12-minute span, as flankers Jaheim Faustin and Andell Fraser both scored, before Zum Zum wrapped up the scoring with his hat-trick in the 74th minute. 

San Juan Jabloteh's Derrel Garcia (L) on the go during the 2024/25 TTPFL season. Photo courtesy TTPFL

Jordan, Faustin, and Fraser were all involved in the build-up, which led to Garcia's hat-trick goal, with Fraser eventually being clipped in the area by Daniel. Calm as ever, Garcia made no mistake from the spot as he rolled his penalty into the bottom corner to seal Jabloteh's five-star showing.

Jabloteh moved up to 27 points, with Phoenix (15 points) slipping to ninth on the 12-team table.

In the second game of the La Horquetta double-header, Caledonia AIA (16 points) moved up to eighth as they thumped the seventh-placed Central FC Reboot (24 points) 5-1. "Cale" took a 3-0 lead to the half after goals from Vynicius Dutra Sousa, Shaquan Nelson, and Jesse Williams, with flanker Jadiel Joseph putting the icing on the cake with a second-half brace.

The TTPFL action continues today with games at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella and at the St James Police Barracks. At 8 pm at the barracks, fifth-placed AC Port of Spain (31 points) will play third-placed Miscellaneous Police FC (36 points). 

Derrel "Zum Zum" Garcia's masterclass against 1976 FC Phoenix in the TTPFL. 

D King returns as national team interim coach

Not for the first time, Derek King has been appointed interim coach of the Trinidad and Tobago men's football team. And his first mission will be to lead TT into friendly action away to Bolivia on March 15, before the senior team plays two matches in the Fifa Series late this month against Venezuela (March 27) and Gabon (March 30). 

The TT Football Association (TTFA) confirmed King's interim appointment on March 6, only a day after it said the contract of former senior team coach Dwight Yorke had been terminated via a mutual agreement on February 28. King is not short on experience with the national men's team, as he served as an assistant coach to both Yorke and his predecessor, Angus Eve. King was also an assistant to Stephen Hart, one of the country's most successful and popular coaches in the last decade. King got success of his own in 2014, when he led the TT under-20s to the Caribbean Cup title. 

Trinidad and Tobago men's football team interim coach Derek King. Photo courtesy TTFA

When the TTFA and Eve went their separate ways in July 2024, King assumed the interim role, which saw him taking charge of Concacaf Nations League matches against Honduras, French Guiana, and Cuba. King's first game as interim boss saw TT tasting a heavy 4-0 loss away to the Hondurans. 

The TTFA release said King brings extensive experience to the national programme as he spearheads the team for the three upcoming games and the foreseeable future. The TTFA said it will release further information regarding the composition of the technical staff in due course. 

The team for the Bolivia friendly is expected to be announced by March 10, with rumors suggesting that national under-20 defender Adam Pierre and the San Juan Jabloteh pair of Derrel Garcia and Jaheim Faustin are among those set to be called up.