Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago all square for mega U-20 showdown

Costa Rica and Trinidad and Tobago's men's under-20 football teams will go head-to-head for a place in the Concacaf Men's Under-20 Championship when they meet from 4 pm (TT time) in Alajuela on March 4. 

On March 2, the teams had contrasting results: TT spanked table-dwellers Sint Maarten 4-0, while Costa Rica played to an enthralling 3-3 draw with feisty Bermuda. The day's results mean that both Costa Rica and TT head group E with seven points apiece, with the former team leading the group with a +15 goal differential. TT have a +8 goal differential. Bermuda (five points) are third in the group, but came ever so close to edging "Los Ticos" in their six-goal thriller at the Costa Rican Federation Field. 

Having already missed a penalty in the contest, Bermuda took a surprise 2-1 lead over Costa Rica when Xahvi Deroza notched his second goal of the game on the hour mark. The Costa Ricans got on level terms in the 71st minute, only for Bermuda to dramatically retake the lead in the 77th minute through a wonderful free kick from striker Jace Donawa, who also netted in his team's 2-2 draw with TT on February 24. 

Trinidad and Tobago men's under-20 midfielder Josiah Ochoa (C) tries to take the ball off his Bajan counterpart in a Concacaf qualifier in Costa Rica on February 26. Photo courtesy TTFA

The late drama wasn't done there, as Bermuda goalie Daniel Powell needlessly gave up a penalty in the 80th minute when he tried to dribble his way out of trouble in the area. Powell did make amends, though, diving to his left to save a right-footed penalty from David Garro. Still, there was no end to the chaos in the Bermuda area, as Andres Morera tapped in from close range from the subsequent corner after a Dax Palmer header rebounded off the bar. 

Powell was unable to carry on as he was labouring with a leg injury, and his replacement, David Martin, came up big in the dying moments when he saved a close-range shot from Garro in the fifth minute of stoppage-time. 

The 3-3 draw between Bermuda and Costa Rica now gives coach Marvin Gordon and his TT team a clear mandate for their meeting in a couple of days: defeat Los Ticos and advance to the Concacaf Under-20 Championships, which will be played from July-August. A draw will likely see Costa Rica moving on to the championships, as Bermuda would need to beat Barbados by 13 goals in their March 4 clash to leapfrog Costa Rica and TT and top the group. 

Screengrab of the Concacaf Men's Under-20 qualifying group, which features TT. 

In the first game of the double-header, TT breezed to three points against Sint Maarten, as goals from Giovanni Hospedales, Dominic Joseph, Josiah Kallicharan and Chaz Williams gave them a facile win. It was Joseph's third goal in as many games, with Swansea Youth Academy's Kallicharan scoring for the second straight game. 

A third straight win will see TT dancing into the final round. 

Army fall to 12-0 aggregate loss in Champions Cup

Defence Force may be the only unbeaten team remaining in the 2025/26 TT Premier Football League (TTPFL) season, but they were exposed to a different level in the Concacaf Champions Cup, falling to a 12-0 aggregate loss to Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park in Pennsylvania on February 26. 

The Army/Coast Guard combination was no match for the Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit, as a 5-0 first-leg loss at the Hasely Crawford Stadium last week was followed by a 7-0 thumping away from home. With no realistic chance of overturning the deficit in the round-one tie, coach Devorn Jorsling was without two of his most experienced players, as Joevin Jones served a suspension, while captain Kevin Molino didn't make the trip. 

Philadelphia Union line up for the second leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup clash with Defence Force. Photos courtesy Philadelphia Union's Facebook page 

Sixteen-year-old midfielder Cavan Sullivan was the star of the show for Philadelphia, as he scored a brace late on and also set up a couple of goals. Giant striker Stas Korzeniowski also bagged a brace as the MLS club ran a riot in their home opener for the 2026 season. 

Amazingly, the Army had no shots in the game, and their brightest moment arguably came in the fifth minute when flanker Christian Bailey was played in over the top. Bailey delayed when through on goal, though, and his chance quickly disappeared. By the 12th minute, Defence Force's nightmare in the Champions Cup continued, as they were 3-0 down in the blink of an eye. 

Geiner Martinez opened the scoring in the seventh minute after a set piece, Jovan Lukic converted from the penalty spot in the tenth minute after a rash challenge from Shirwin Noel, while Korzeniowski finished off a flowing right-side move two minutes later. 

Jorsling and his charges will struggle to find positives from the two-legged affair, and stand-in captain Jelani Felix said the tie shows the team needs to get stronger and fitter, and improve their concentration at this level. 

While Philadelphia were in a class of their own, Defence Force's demise was also some of their own doing, evidenced by the home team's fourth goal, which came after Noel tried to chess-trap a cross in his own area in the 48th minute. The score swelled to 5-0 by the 53rd minute, with Sullivan adding gloss to the scoreline with his double which came in the 76th and 88th minutes. 

All smiles: Philadelphia Union midfielder Cavan Sullivan

Philadelphia will now contest Club America in the Champions Cup Round of 16, with the Army returning to a kinder schedule when they face 1976 FC Phoenix in a TTPFL clash on March 4. 

Defence Force starting XI: Isaiah Williams (GK); Isaiah Garcia, Russel Francois, Shirwin Noel, Jelani Fleix; Rivaldo Coryat, Joshua Araujo-Wilson; Christian Bailey, Adriel George, Tyrese Bailey; Kathon St Hillaire. 

Trinidad and Tobago U-20s whip Barbados 5-1

Trinidad and Tobago's men's under-20 football team got their first win of the Concacaf Men's Under-20 qualifiers on February 26 when they hammered fellow Caribbean team Barbados 5-1 in Alajuela, Costa Rica, to shoot to the group E summit. 

It was a much-improved showing from the TT team which drew 2-2 with Bermuda in a scrappy opener two days ago. Coach Marvin Gordon took full responsibility for the result against Bermuda, and signalled his intentions early for their second matchup by making as many as four changes to his starting lineup. 

Those changes perhaps had the desired effect as TT certainly started on the front foot, opening up a 2-0 lead in the first ten minutes. First, in the fifth minute, combative midfielder Josiah Ochoa calmly rolled in at the back post when Barbados failed to deal with a short corner from captain Derrel "Zum Zum" Garcia. Four minutes later, TT's lead was doubled when left back Jaydon Caprietta beat goalie Damario Harewood from a tight angle. 

Just before halftime, TT got their third when lively playmaker Dominic Joseph passed into the net from close range after Chaz Williams picked him out with ease from the right byline. Both Joseph and Williams were brought into the starting XI for this game, with the former replacing his namesake Colin Joseph and Williams taking the place of speedster Malachi Webb, who operated on the right flank in TT's opener. It was Dominic's second goal of the tourney, as he came off the bench to briefly give TT the lead against Bermuda in the first clash. 

Trinidad and Tobago men's under-20 central midfielder Jadon McShine (centre) makes a pass against Bermuda, with teammate Dominic Joseph (right) watching on keenly. Photo courtesy TTFA

In the 70th minute, Swansea City Academy player Josiah Kallicharan came off the bench to make it 4-0 when he calmly finished off a ball over the top from Garcia. Though the win wasn't in doubt, there were a few shaky moments at the back for Gordon's charges. In the 75th minute, goalie Bryan Gafiuk did brilliantly to save a penalty from Barbados' Jordan Bryan, who was brought down by a retreating Jadon McShine. 

In stoppage-time, an irate Gafiuk had his clean sheet spoiled when Tre Moore headed in a beautiful left-side cross from Kamari Johnson. Before the Bajan consolation, Garcia got his name on the scoresheet in the 90th minute when Harewood made a meal of a stinging free kick from the TT number ten. 

With four points to show from their first two matches, the TT boys will enjoy a few days of rest before returning to action in Alajuela with a match against Sint Maarten on March 2. 

Only the group winner will advance to the Concacaf Under-20 Championships later this year, and coach Gordon and his staff will surely keep a keen eye on hosts Costa Rica, who play Sint Maarten and Barbados on February 26 and 28, respectively.