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. 

 

Joevin, Army lead TTPFL charts

Defence Force (45 points) may have been humbled in their Concacaf Champions Cup tie with Philadelphia Union, but they're still a cut above the rest on the local circuit at present, boasting a six-point lead in the 2025/26 TT Premier Football League (TTPFL) standings after 17 matches. 

With five games left in the league season, Defence Force are still unbeaten and are threatening to go undefeated for back-to-back league seasons. After being shown a red card in Defence Force's 5-0 first-leg loss to Philadelphia on Ash Wednesday, 34-year-old playmaker Joevin Jones got back down to business on March 4, scoring a brace as his team defeated Tobago's 1976 FC Phoenix 4-1 in a midweek TTPFL game. In the process, Jones moved to the top of the TTPFL scoring charts with 11 goals, just one ahead of Phoenix forward Teejay Cadiz. 

Having scored four league goals earlier this season for Miscellaneous Police FC before making the move to the Army/Coast Guard combination, Jones will be eager to add to his tally, as Defence Force are scheduled to face the cellar-placed Point Fortin Civic on March 7. 

Defence Force midfielder Joevin Jones (right) takes on a Philadelphia Union player during their Concacaf Champions Cup round one tie on February 18. Photo courtesy Concacaf/Daniel Prentice

From 6 pm at the Phase 2 La Horquetta recreation ground on March 6, the sixth-placed San Juan Jabloteh (24 points) will play the eighth-placed Phoenix (15 points), with the seventh-placed MIC Central FC Reboot (24 points) taking on the ninth-placed Caledonia AIA (13 points) in the second game of the double-header. 

At the St James Police Barracks on March 7, the tenth-placed Eagles (13 points) will tackle the fourth-placed Prisons FC (32 points) in the first match, with the fifth-placed AC Port of Spain (31 points) then facing the third-placed Police (36 points) in a tasty clash. 

At the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella on March 7, the second-placed Club Sando (39 points) will look to make their mark before Defence Force take centre stage when they go head-to-head with the 11th-placed Terminix La Horquetta Rangers (12 points). 

Top scorers in the TTPFL 2025/26 season after 17 matches. 

A look at the TTPFL top five in the 2025/26 season after 17 matches. 

TTFA, Yorke say 'mutual' goodbyes

The TT Football Association (TTFA) has parted ways with men's football team coach Dwight Yorke just ten days before an international friendly with Bolivia, claiming the coach's contract was "terminated by mutual agreement" on February 28. 

After media reports earlier today suggested that Yorke had stepped down from the post, the TTFA issued a release which said both parties had agreed to go their separate ways after failing to find a common ground to take the men's football programme forward. 

"Following the conclusion of the recent Fifa World Cup qualification campaign in which TT failed to advance to the 2026 World Cup, the executive committee conducted a comprehensive review of the campaign and the overall direction of the men's senior national team programme, inclusive of its technical structure and financial framework," the March 5 release said. 

The release said discussions were held with Yorke regarding revised contractual terms and remuneration geared towards the next phase of the setup. However, "after these discussions," the release read, "both parties were unable to reach an agreement on the proposed terms at this time, and it was mutually decided to part ways." 

Former Trinidad and Tobago men's football team captain and coach, Dwight Yorke. Photo courtesy TTFA

Yorke was officially appointed TT men's coach on November 1, 2024, and was given a clear mandate to qualify for this year's World Cup. TT finished third in group B of Concacaf's final qualifying round behind Curacao and favourites Jamaica, thus missing out on a spot in the World Cup and the intercontinental playoffs as well. 

When Yorke's predecessor, Angus Eve, was relieved of his duties as men's team coach in July 2024, Derek King was appointed on an interim basis, spearheading the team for a handful of matches in the Concacaf Nations League. With TTFA president Kieron Edwards and his board having little time to appoint a new coach before the March 15 Bolivia friendly and subsequent Fifa Series matches against Venezuela (March 27) and Gabon (March 30) in Uzbekistan, King is being tipped to take over the team in the interim once again. It's worth noting that the Bolivia friendly falls outside the March 23-31 Fifa window. 

The TTFA thanked Yorke for his commitment and service during his tenure, and insisted the door is not closed to future dialogue between the two parties. It said it remains committed to strengthening the men's team programme and "will continue to act in the best interests of TT football."  

Trinidad and Tobago grab late draw with Honduras

Trinidad and Tobago's women's football team stayed alive in their quest to advance to the Concacaf W Championships, as they fought back to get a 2-2 draw against Honduras in a qualifier on March 4. 

TT were stunned early on in the Concacaf W Qualifier in Tegucigalpa, as a stylish brace from striker Allyson Reed gave Honduras a 2-0 lead by the 21st minute. With TT enjoying as much as 72 per cent possession in the first half, along with nine shots, they got a way back into the contest in the 41st minute when French-based defender Kedie Johnson calmly dispatched a penalty. Honduras defender Izabella Hernandez was adjudged to have handled in the area, with TT head coach Damian Briggs and assistant Densill Theobald alerting the referee and fourth official to the infringement. 

Trinidad and Tobago women's team forward Nikita Gosine (left) during a Concacaf W Qualifier away to Barbados in December 2025. Photo courtesy TTFA

TT lost their momentum in the second half, with Honduras comfortably sitting on their one-goal cushion. Still, Honduras' goalie Madeline Nieto was called upon to make a fine save in the 73rd minute to stop a fierce drive from outside the area. With TT running out of time, Pleasantville Secondary standout Nikita Gosine clawed her team on level terms when she expertly converted an 87th-minute penalty after being fouled in the area by Yensi Ferrera. 

TT did face some nervy moments late on as the hosts won a few set pieces, but they held on to earn the draw, which took them to four points in group F of the qualifiers. 

On April 18, TT will host group leaders El Salvador (six points) with a spot in the Concacaf W Championships on the line. Only a win in that match will see TT moving to the next round, which kicks off in November. 

The final score in the Concacaf W Qualifier between Honduras and Trinidad and Tobago on March 4.