Trinidad and Tobago women aim to peak in Honduras

Head coach Damian Briggs is hoping the Trinidad and Tobago women's football team can peak at the right time when they take on Honduras in their Concacaf W Qualifier in Tegucigalpa from 9 pm (TT time) on March 4. 

This is TT's second game in group F of the qualifiers, as they hammered Barbados 5-0 in Kensington in December. Also in December, Honduras fell to a 3-0 loss to group leaders El Salvador. On March 1, El Salvador made their intentions crystal clear when they drubbed Barbados 13-0 to move to the group summit on six points. On April 18, TT will host El Salvador, but before that, the girls from the land of soca and steelpan must deal with the challenge of Honduras on the road. 

"We're not trying to peak too early – we want to peak at the right time."

TT women's football team lineup for kickoff against Barbados in a Concacaf W Qualifier. Photos courtesy TTFA 

Late last month, the TT team had a six-day training camp in Panama, and Briggs believes that camp and the time spent in Honduras thus far have put the squad in a good space ahead of tonight's matchup. 

"We feel like we're on track for what we want to achieve. We're getting accustomed to the conditions, the weather, and the climate," Briggs told TT Football Association (TTFA) Media. 

"We're getting accustomed to the culture as well...the preparations have gone well. The players are quite positive. They have taken the messaging on board and what we want to do and how we want to play. It's all going quite well so far." 

Briggs said the senior players in the 23-player squad have been taking the younger players under their wings, and he's eager to see them put that to good effect on the field of play. 

"At this moment, we think we're on track for where we want to be. We're not trying to peak too early – we want to peak at the right time," Briggs said.

TT women's football team coach Damian Briggs and star attacker Alexcia Ali. 

"Now, being here in Honduras again, with some of the work we've done. We hope, with everything we have done so far, that everything comes together on the evening of March 4. We hope it could culminate in the result we want to get." 

The TT squad features senior players such as Kennya Cordner, Liana Hinds, and the French-based Kedie Johnson, as well as young starlets Alexcia Ali, Kaitlyn Darwent, goalkeeper Simone Eligon and 2025 Women's Player of the Year Nikita Gosine. 

"The mood in itself is buzzing. It's an exciting time and a time where all the players believe in what we've come here to do and they believe we can get the desired result." 

Only the group winner will advance to the eight-team Concacaf W Championship in November, heightening the importance of TT's clash with Honduras. The W Championship will serve as the region's qualifier for next year's Fifa Women's World Cup. Four teams will progress automatically to the World Cup, with two other teams moving on to an intercontinental playoff. The top two teams at the W Championship will also progress to the LA 2028 Olympics. 

TT women's team for Honduras match: 

Goalkeepers: Malaika Dedier, Simone Eligon, Akyla Walcott.  

Defenders: Kaitlyn Darwent, Kedie Johnson, Javanah Moreno, Emma Schneider, Myla Schneider, Victoria Swift, Christa Waterman, Cicely Spencer Wickham.  

Midfielders: Arianna Borneo, Ty'Kaiya Dennis, Elise Franco, Natalia Gosine, Nikita Gosine, Liana Hinds, Chrissy Mitchell, Lorall Romain. 

Forwards: Alexcia Ali, Kennya Cordner, Aaliyah Prince, Gabrielle Williams. 

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. 

Trinidad and Tobago U-20s play to Bermuda draw

In November, Trinidad and Tobago and Bermuda played to a 2-2 draw as the teams ended their Fifa 2026 World Cup qualification campaigns. On February 24 in Alajuela, Costa Rica, the two nations again showed there was precious little to choose between them as their men's under-20 football teams battled to a 2-2 draw to kickstart their qualifying campaigns towards the 2027 Fifa Men's Under-20 World Cup. 

With Costa Rica on a bye to start group E of the Concacaf qualifiers, TT and Bermuda had the chance to take an early lead in the group after Barbados and Sint Maarten played to a draw earlier in the day. At the end of a scrappy and sometimes chaotic affair at the windy Costa Rican Football Federation Field venue, neither coach should say their team's display warranted all three points. 

TT's lineup was an enticing one on paper, as speedy forwards Malachi Wibb and captain Derrel "Zum Zum" Garcia flanked striker Phillip Nelson up top, while ball-playing midfielders Josiah Ochoa and Caden Trestrail operated as a double-pivot in the middle of the park. Whether down to nerves or the trying breezy conditions, TT never really found fluidity in their build-up play, although they did create a handful of chances in transition. 

Trinidad and Tobago's men's under-20 football team line up for friendly action. Photo courtesy TTFA

Without a true "number six" or gritty ball-winner in the middle of the park, TT often looked bare on the defensive end as Bermuda broke down their lines with ease. In the 24th minute, TT should have taken the lead, but Garcia blazed a volley well over the bar after Nelson went on a mazy run through the heart of the Bermuda defence. 

In the 38th minute, TT's own defensive shortcomings were found out as Kennahz Fray split the defence with a raking pass out to the left flank, allowing Jace Donawa to coast past right back Talan McMillan and round goalie Bryan Gafiuk to score. 

Coach Marvin Gordon's response was immediate for TT, as he made a triple substitution at halftime, which saw Jadon McShine, Dominic Joseph, and Chaz Williams enter the game for Trestrail, Webb, and Colin Joseph, who started in the number ten role behind Nelson. Mere moments into the second half, TT were fortunate not to have Ochoa sent off, as the midfielder committed a naughty foul while already on a booking. The St Benedict's College man was swiftly subbed off in the 53rd minute, with winger Giovanni Hospedales taking his place. 

Though the team's buildup play remained disjointed, the speedy threat on the counter-attack also persisted. Just past the hour mark, Hospedales was denied by goalie David Martin after being played in by Garcia, while Dominic had a stinging right-footed shot brilliantly tipped over in the 64th minute. In between those TT chances, Gafiuk kept his team in the game when he saved with his feet to deny a surging Donawa, who had been played in with a long ball. 

With TT supposedly running out of answers, lively Swansea City Academy player Josiah Kallicharan provided a much-needed spark off the bench. In the space of a minute, the lanky Kallicharan played a hand in two goals as TT stunned Bermuda to take a 2-1 lead. In the 78th minute, Kallicharan squared from the byline into the six-yard box, with defender Emeer Peets unfortunately bundling the ball past his own keeper with Nelson in hot pursuit. Just seconds later, Kallicharan slipped in Dominic, who spanked a right-footer into the corner to give TT the unlikely lead. 

In a game which saw TT conceding numerous needless free kicks, Bermuda responded with an 84th-minute equaliser as substitute James Morrison beat Gafiuk with a looping header from a deep Khari Sharrief set piece. 

Both teams tried desperately for a late winner, but settled for a share of the spoils. With only the group winner advancing to the Concacaf Under-20 Championship later this year, TT will surely need improved performances if they are to top the hosts and win this group. TT will next play Barbados on February 26. 

TT starting team (4-2-3-1): 1.Bryan Gafiuk (GK); 14.Talan McMillan, 3.Sheridan McNish, 4.Adam Pierre, 5.Jaydon Caprietta; Caden Trestrail, 8.Josiah Ochoa; 7.Malachi Webb, 12.Colin Xavier Joseph, 10.Derrel Garcia (c); 9.Phillip Nelson.