fat Lion1 Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 (edited) Back in July 2016 I attempted a save with The Bahamas national football team to try and develop them as a footballing nation and see where it would take us (see this) well this time I’m back with the Turks and Caicos Islands! Country The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British overseas territory with a population of 32k. They have very little footballing pedigree with just three competitive victories against Saint Lucia, Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands since joining Fifa in 1998. They have never got past the first round of CONACAF World Cup qualification or the Caribbean Cup (as of June 2015). Manager Bahamian Raymond Matterson returns with no coaching badges and Sunday league experience. Leagues loaded I loaded England, Scotland, Wales, NI, USA, Mexico leagues, as well as the Turks and Caicos Islands domestic league using a custom DB. Aims My progress yet again will be monitored in cycles starting from World Cup qualification. So for example this version of FM just misses out on 2018 World Cup qualification, so I’ve got four years pretty much to build towards 2022 World Cup qualification. 2015 - 2019 Cycle The aim for this cycle is to qualify for the second round of World Cup qualification, we’re going to need to be seeded in that draw too to give us the best opportunity of qualification. So need to be ranked higher than five other teams in that first round draw. Static Youth Rating Now here comes the controversial part... In my experience of playing with international minnows and indeed reading the experiences of others. I find having a static Youth Rating ruins many saves and doesn’t reward achievements such as progressing in international tournaments. So by using the in-game editor I’ve come up with a way to reward myself for progressing with a nation in a realistic manner. I believe if a nation progresses then more youth will be inspired to play football and thus increasing the talent on offer to the national team. Youth potential if I progress from the rounds below increases by the following: Fifa World Cup qualifying: Round 1 (+1), Round 2 (+2), Round 3 (+3), Round 4 (+5), Qualification (+10) Caribbean Cup: Round 1 (+1), Round 2 (+1), Round 3 (+1), Winner (+3) Please note that the increase only applies once, so if I get past Round 1 in two cycles I’ll only get the (+1) boost once. I’ll add my boosts for the Gold Cup and World Cup should I ever actually get to those. The Turks and Caicos Islands are currently at a Youth Rating of 6. Edited April 10, 2019 by fat Lion1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted April 1, 2019 Author Share Posted April 1, 2019 2015 So here it all begins the journey to the World Cup 2022 qualification stage. I’ve arranged a number of friendlies against various minnows of the footballing world with the aim of boosting our ranking, building a solid tactic and identifying our key players. Results Turks and Caicos Islands 1 – 2 Surinam – Friendly, 12/06/2015 (Fenelus 90+2) Turks and Caicos Islands 0 – 1 Sao Tome and Principe – Friendly, 16/06/2015 Turks and Caicos Islands 2 – 1 Anguilla – Friendly, 02/09/2015 (Forbes 47, pen 62) British Virgin Islands 0 – 2 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 08/09/2015 (Fenelus 42, Forbes 86) American Samoa 1 – 4 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 07/10/2015 (Fenelus 5, Forbes 27, Hassad 29, Savage 82) Turks and Caicos Islands 0 – 0 US Virgin Islands – Friendly, 13/10/2015 Montserrat 1 – 2 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 11/11/2015 (Fenelus 64, Gannon 74) Turks and Caicos Islands 2 – 5 Dominica – Friendly, 17/11/2015 (Fenelus 13, Savage 86) Rankings May 2015: 192 June 2015: 192 July 2015: 192 August 2015: 192 September 2015: 189 October 2015: 187 November 2015: 185 December 2015: 184 2015 Verdict Decent start for the nation. I’m very happy to secure victories against the neighbouring island countries who we will probably do battle with in World Cup qualifying. Particulary enjoyed the win against Montserrat who have a number of decent players in the English leagues including Lyle Taylor. The Dominica result was disappointing but inconsistency is to be expected at this level. As for the squad we have an excellent winger in Billy Forbes who plays in the American Second Division and a great striker called Marc Fenelus who is currently without a club which I really hope doesn’t continue or he will retire. The rest is pretty much dross, so a couple of CMs would be nice newgens to have. Competitive football arrives in 2016 with the Caribbean Cup in the summer, hopefully I can take a scalp there and continue my rankings climb. Star player Billy Forbes, at only 25 years old this guy is my key to climbing the rankings and getting seeded for the World Cup qualification draw. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted April 3, 2019 Author Share Posted April 3, 2019 (edited) Caribbean Cup 2016 So our first competitive matches start with the Caribbean Cup. The first round has seen us drawn with Surinam, Barbados and Montserrat in what I think is a relatively kind draw. However only the team in first qualifies for the Second Round with a best of the rest qualifier also. The Caribbean Cup schedule however is a cruel mistress with only two days separating the matches it is hard to rotate the squad and stay competitive with likes of Surinam and Barbados. With Surinam first and Monserrat last, we can concentrate our efforts on those and maybe sneak best of the rest into the Second Round. However I’d just be happy with a victory and the enhanced ranking points. Turks and Caicos Islands Squad Goalkeepers: Lagneau Bryne, Ajah McKnight, Duane Rene Defenders: Events Collis, Ian Coulton, Syed Coulton, Ajah Forbes, James Glinton, Duane Hassad, Billy Rene, Events Savage Midfielders: George Brough, Ian Collis, Billy Forbes, Syed Francois, David Gannon, Ian Glinton, Kevin Jones, Gianni Slattery, Spentz Turbyfield Forwards: Syed Brumvert, Kevin Lowery, Woody Savage The Group Opponents (Ranking in brackets) Barbados (153) - The hosts and strongest team in the group Barbados are boosted by the likes of Nick Blackman (Wolves), Jonathan Forte (Oldham) and Tom Soares (Bury), amongst other EFL players. Surinam (157) - A solid enough team with Dutch roots, however very beatable. Montserrat (193) – For a tiny island with the population of 5K they sure do boast some talent with the likes of Lyle Taylor (Wimbledon) and Donervon Daniels (Wigan) .Caribbean Cup First Round – Surinam 3 – 1 Turks and Caicos Islands Surinam started very well in this match and put us on the backburner straight away. Their dominance was rewarded with a goal when Edward Aloema capitalized on shambolic defending by us in the 23rd minute. Their dominance ebbed away slightly taking just the one goal lead into half-time. Surinam’s second goal wasn’t long to come in the second half when Virgill Zijler converted a penalty on the 49th minute. However we delivered an instant response when Lowery finished an excellent cross by Forbes. We did threaten to get an equalizer but the match was done with when Sergio Darson fired in from a well worked corner routine on the 62nd minute. We huffed and puffed but never got back into the game. Caribbean Cup First Round - Turks and Caicos Islands 1 – 3 Barbados Well this was always going to be fun, our second string against the hosts and group favourites. Nick Blackman quickly opened up the scoring in the 8th minute from a whipped in free-kick. What followed actually surprised me when we held our own and actually had more the possession. Given Barbados were wasteful, but we deserved our equalizer when Brumvert looped a headed goal in the 31st minute. We almost held on to half-time too but my choice of a makeshift defence came back to haunt us when a sloppy error gave Forte the ball and assisted Blackman’s goal. An equalizer never really looked on the cards in the second half, Blackman completed his hat-trick on the 62nd minute sealing an ultimately routine win for Barbados. Caribbean Cup First Round – Turks and Caicos Islands 3 – 3 Montserrat The big guns all returned for this match in what was going to be a close encounter. A golden opportunity missed by us early on was punished straight away when Lyle Taylor slotted in on the 7th minute. This started a period of Montserrat dominance and tactical changes were needed by us and the tide of the game started to change a bit. Forbes bolted down the right wing and crossed for a good finish by Savage to make it 1 – 1 minutes before half-time. The game was much closer in the second half and when we scored in the 64th minute via Turbyfield I thought we might’ve just nicked it. However Montserrat hit straight back when Jaganaught scored a well worked goal. Things got even worse when Taylor scored yet again just minutes later and I decided just to throw everything at them, but it didn’t look to be enough. However Forbes cross was headed in delightfully by Montserrat’s defender Adrian Dyer for a calamitous own goal with just minutes of the game left. The game stayed at 3-3. Caribbean Cup 2016 Verdict In the end it was Surinam who qualified with a perfect record, with Barbados qualifying as one of two best of the rest. Apparently two qualify not one. As for us we finished third on virtue of goal difference with one point and I must say I’m disappointed not to have secured a victory here. Surinam are a tough team and Montserrat have some good players, but still a victory would’ve helped immensely with our ranking and now it looks like we will be dropping back down. Edited April 4, 2019 by fat Lion1 Competition rules. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted April 4, 2019 Author Share Posted April 4, 2019 2016 So my first full calender year as manager and we have the Caribbean Cup to look forward to, along with boosting that all important ranking. Results Anguilla 1 - 3 Turks and Caicos Islands - Friendly, 25/03/2016 (Forbes 4, Lowery 11, Jones 43) Surinam 3 - 1 Turks and Caicos Islands - Caribbean Cup First Round, 17/08/2016 (Lowery 49) Turks and Caicos Islands 1 - 3 Barbados - Caribbean Cup First Round, 19/08/2016 (Brumvert 32) Turks and Caicos Islands 3 - 3 Montserrat - Caribbean Cup First Round, 21/08/2016 (Savage 41, Turbyfield 65, Dyer o.g. 87) Turks and Caicos Islands 0 - 1 Guam - Friendly, 31/08/2016 Sao Tome and Principe 2 - 4 Turks and Caicos Islands - Friendly, 06/09/2016 (Savage 14, Forbes 15, 21, 70) Turks and Caicos Islands 2 - 6 Montserrat - Friendly, 05/10/2016 (Taylor o.g. 68, Jones 80) Cayman Islands 3 - 2 Turks and Caicos Islands - Friendly, 11/10/2016 (Lowery 31, Hassad 80) Turks and Caicos Islands 0 - 1 The Bahamas - Friendly, 09/11/2016 Dominica 3 - 2 Turks and Caicos Islands - Friendly, 15/11/2016 (Turbyfield 33, Savage 64) Rankings January 2016: 184 February 2016: 184 March 2016: 184 April 2016: 179 May 2016: 175 June 2016: 175 July 2016: 163 August 2016: 163 September 2016: 171 October 2016: 179 November 2016: 182 December 2016: 183 2016 Verdict Well what a disappointment this year turned out to be. Two solitary victories and a big drop down the rankings. Not winning a game in the Caribbean Cup I can accept, but the defeats in friendlies were hard to take, Lyle Taylor scored all six goals against us in the home defeat to Montserrat. I can't seem to find the right tactic to make us competitve at home and we are suffering very disappointing defeats. Billy Forbes got crocked and missed the last four matches of the year which did really show how much we miss him when he isn't playing. Marc Fenelus retired at the start of the year due to not finding a club, shame to lose such an excellent striker. Let's hope in 2017 we get more victories and climb back up those rankings into a seeded position. Star Player Spentz Turbyfield - Whilst not the most skillful he is an AMC who makes a big impact as a substitution. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted April 6, 2019 Author Share Posted April 6, 2019 (edited) 2017 After a really tame 2017, it was time to get back on track and move up those rankings. Results Turks and Caicos Islands 5 – 0 US Virgin Islands – Friendly, 24/03/2017 (Forbes 13, 15, Hassad 18, Gannon 19, Forbes 54) Turks and Caicos Islands 1 – 1 British Virgin Islands – Friendly, 7/06/2017 (Forbes 30, Collis o.g. 90+2) Nicaragua 2 – 2 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 13/06/2017 (Gannon 9, Savage 87) Turks and Caicos Islands 1 – 2 Surinam – Friendly, 30/08/2017 (Gannon 24) Cook Islands 1 – 0 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 5/09/2017 Turks and Caicos Islands 0 – 4 American Samoa – Friendly, 04/10/2017 Turks and Caicos Islands 1 – 0 Guyana – Friendly, 10/10/2017 (Lowery 33) The Bahamas 3 – 3 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 8/11/2017 (Jones 47, 66, Savage 77) Turks and Caicos Islands 3 – 2 Cayman Islands – Friendly, 14/11/2017 (Lowery 29, Glinton 45, Coulton 60) Rankings January: 183 February: 182 March: 182 April: 176 May: 173 June: 173 July: 169 August: 168 September: 177 October: 170 November: 163 December: 163 Yearly Verdict On the whole I’m pleased with how this year went, granted we’d only won one more game than last and our away form has been poor but there is room for optimism. Thumping the US Virgin Islands was a great start and gave me hope that our home form was starting to improve. The victory against Guyana was our biggest yet as they have some quality players, whilst the Cayman Islands victory was a little fortuitous. Conversely we haven’t won away from home for over a year and we leak goals at an alarming rate. The Nicaragua result might look good on paper, but they are a really dross outfit on this game and are the better team. The World Cup qualifying draw is seeded by the August rankings preceding it, so with the Caribbean Cup coming next year and unable to schedule matches prior to August it looks like I will be among the top seven seeds in the First Round draw of CONACAF qualifying. So next year is all about taking a scalp at the Caribbean Cup and furthering preparing for World Cup Qualifying. Star Player David Gannon – The ‘Darron Gibson’ of the side, isn’t a midfielder of much quality, but sure knows how to strike a ball. Edited April 6, 2019 by fat Lion1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted April 7, 2019 Author Share Posted April 7, 2019 Caribbean Cup 2018 The 2018 edition of the Caribbean Cup saw us drawn with Aruba, The Bahamas and Saint Lucia. This is certainly a harder group than last time and with Aruba the first match to come, I think that will be the one where I play the weakened team and put everything into to trying to beat The Bahamas and Saint Lucia. If things go my way I could even up in the Second Round. Turks and Caicos Islands Squad Goalkeepers: Lagneau Bryne, Ajah McKnight, Duane Rene Defenders: Ian Coulton, Jack Coulton, Duane Gannon, Woody Gibson, Billy Rene, Events Savage, James Speer Midfielders: Billy Forbes, Syed Francois, David Gannon, Ian Glinton, Marc Hassad, Christopher Jones, Kevin Jones, Ian Savage, Gianni Slattery, Spentz Turbyfield Forwards: Syed Brumvert, Kevin Collis, Woody Savage The Group Opponents (Ranking in brackets) Aruba (149) – A mixture of domestic players and Dutch rejects makes for a strong outfit. The Bahamas (159) – My home country are a solid team who seem to have the measure of the tiny Caribbean island nations. Saint Lucia (126) – By ranking the strongest team in the group. Mostly domestic players with a few in America, Germany and England Caribbean Cup First Round - Aruba 1 – 0 Turks and Caicos Islands The second string held out for under 3 minutes when Jelano Cruden slotted home from a neat pass. Aruba were so wasteful in this game it was unreal and really made me think maybe if I put out a stronger outfit that I would’ve got something here. Aruba dominated and wasted many chances, we had zero shots overall. The plus point is the goal difference didn’t take much damage giving me hope for progress if I win the next two games. Caribbean Cup First Round – Turks and Caicos Islands 3 – 5 The Bahamas The first team were back for my first competitive game against my home country and the star of my last story. No room for sentiment though, I want to beat them and take the three points. We had a dream start when Billy Forbes crossed for Brumvert to head home with just three minutes gone. However we didn’t kick on from this and a goal from The Bahamas looked inevitable. Just before half-time we foolishly gave away possession and The Bahamas got their deserved equalizer through Dean Jacobs. The second half continued to see the opposition dominate and when Forbes missed a golden chance to regain the league, Dean Jacobs punished us again just before the hour mark. However we showed some real spirit to bounce back straight away, Forbes rebounded shot from a Speer cross was tucked away by Savage to make it 2-2. We seemed to be in the ascendency after a few tactical changes and a brilliant counter-attacking move from a Bahamian free-kick saw Hassad volley it home and us on the cusp of victory. Frustratingly our defence went to pieces at a crucial time starting with Savage putting into his own net from a decent cross with ten minutes left to go. Then the opposition benefited from us being temporary down to ten men when Turbyfield went off injured and by the time he had come back The Bahamas were now winning when a neat backheel set up Johnathon Rolle to finish. The agonizing defeat was then completed when Turbyfield gave away a penalty just a few minutes later which Dylan Pritchard duly finished. Caribbean Cup First Round – Saint Lucia 6 – 0 Turks and Caicos Islands A fatigued and low on morale first team would now try and take down Saint Lucia. In my opinion Aruba are the better team so I thought we might get some joy here. Straight away we suffered a setback from when Teran John curled home from 25 yards with just over two minutes played. Thankfully we didn’t immediately collapse and Forbes missed a beauty of a chance to get us level, and when you’re a huge underdog you’re going to get punished for that. Ben Clarke scored to make it 2 – 0 just short of the half hour mark from a good free-kick. He did so again five minutes later getting behind the defence and firing into the top corner. Clarke turned provider early in the second half teeing up the exotically named Shirvone St.Prix who slotted home from the edge of the area just clipping the post as it crossed the line. Another set-piece proved fruitful for Saint Lucia when St.Prix headed across goal to return favour for Clarke who completed his hat-trick to leave us 5 – 0 down with still half hour to play. The Saint Lucia dominance continued without further reward until Cagia Elva scored on the 84th minute mark with a storming free-kick on the edge of the area. Six goals without reply for the Saint Lucians. Caribbean Cup 2018 Verdict Well what a load of rubbish that turned out to be. Maybe I should’ve focused on the first two games instead as Aruba really weren’t that good. The Bahamas loss was a tough one to take, if I had beaten them I would’ve been much happier with this tournament. They seem to have the measure of our team. Saint Lucia were just too good and wrapped up a disappointing tournament for us. We finished rock bottom, whereas Aruba were the only ones to progress out of the group finishing top with a perfect record. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted April 9, 2019 Author Share Posted April 9, 2019 2018 With 2017 ending on a high note it was time to harness that feel-good factor and see what achievements 2018 could bring. Results Aruba 1 – 0 Turks and Caicos Islands – Caribbean Cup First Round, 22/08/2018 Turks and Caicos Islands 3 – 5 The Bahamas – Caribbean Cup First Round, 24/08/2018 (Brumvert 4, Savage 61, Hassad 75) Saint Lucia 6 – 0 Turks and Caicos Islands – Caribbean Cup First Round, 26/08/2018 Turks and Caicos Islands 0 – 3 Anguilla – Friendly, 5/09/2018 Turks and Caicos Islands 2 – 4 Dominica – Friendly, 11/09/2018 (Lowery 11, Brumvert 64) Grenada 5 – 2 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 10/10/2018 (Forbes 19, Hassad 90+1) Turks and Caicos Islands 0 – 1 Nicaragua – Friendly, 16/10/2018 Turks and Caicos Islands 0 – 2 Papa New Guinea – Friendly, 14/11/2018 US Virgin Islands 6 – 4 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 20/11/2018 (Lowery 11, Villafana o.g.o 38, Brumvert 75, 77) Rankings January: 163 February: 164 March: 165 April: 165 May: 165 June: 165 July: 160 August: 154 September: 173 October: 176 November: 181 December: 182 Yearly Verdict Losing all three games at the Caribbean Cup wasn’t too unexpected, even losing to Anguilla could be described as a hangover from that, but losing every game this year? Unacceptable. I’m really not sure what has gone so wrong with this team, utter dross every single game. Maybe the football I am playing is too positive, I think it is time to rip the ethos up for now and play ugly defensive football to grind out some results. I did however get seeded for the draw (if it reflects real life and goes by the preceding August’s rankings) and was almost automatically entered into the Second Record round draw for World Cup qualifying as we are the highest ranked out of all fourteen teams. If ever there was a case for rankings not reflecting ability. Anyways the draw is in January and I’ll make a full post for that one. It could be a very, very short World Cup qualification process… Star Player Kevin Lowery – Our best striker and always looks capable of a goal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted April 9, 2019 Author Share Posted April 9, 2019 CONACAF 2022 World Cup First Round Qualification Draw Well it’s all been building up to this, all the work put into the last nearly four years has come down to the two-legged tie in this draw. The game has thrown up a few hiccups, only 12 teams compete in this round unlike the 14 in real life so by our rankings we should’ve got a bye. However Antigua and Barbuda along with Grenada got the byes despite being ranked lower than us. CONCACAF corruption perhaps? Seedings (ranking in brackets based on August 2018 Fifa Rankings) Seeded: Turks and Caicos Islands (154), The Bahamas (159), Surinam (169), Puerto Rico (173), British Virgin Islands (175), Cayman Islands (177) Unseeded: Guyana (179), Dominica (183), Nicaragua (190), Montserrat (194), US Virgin Islands (197), Anguilla (208) Initial Thoughts Guyana – Don’t want them, we would lose. Dominica – Probably would lose, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas guaranteed to score. Nicaragua – Dross, but have the measure of us. Montserrat – Beatable just need to keep Lyle Taylor quite. US Virgin Islands – Should beat them. Anguilla – Again should beat them. The Draw Dominica vs Turks and Caicos Islands Nicaragua vs Puerto Rico British Virgin Islands v Guyana The Bahamas vs Montserrat US Virgin Islands vs Cayman Islands Surinam vs Anguilla Draw Verdict Well least it wasn’t Guyana. A poor draw which on current form I hold very little hope on progressing, but it’s by no means impossible and I need to come up with some tactics which will see us through. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted April 10, 2019 Author Share Posted April 10, 2019 2022 World Cup Qualification (NAM) First Round Squad Goalkeepers: Lagneau Bryne, Eucan Collis, Ajah McKnight Defenders: Gianni Brumvert, Peter Bruno, Ian Coulton, Paul Forbes, Billy Rene, Events Savage, James Speer Midfielders: George Brough, Kevin Collis, David Gannon, Iain Glinton, Marc Hassad, Christopher Jones, Ian Savage, James Singh, Gianni Slattery, Spentz Turbyfield Strikers: Syed Brumvert, Paul Johnson, Kevin Lowery Dominica 1 – 0 Turks and Caicos Islands – 2022 World Cup Qualification (NAM) First Round, First leg – 27/03/2019 We started a lot more confidently in this match than I had seen us do so for a while. We didn’t have many chances in the first half but I was confident a goal would eventually come, however Dominica were looking worthy of a goal too though we did restrict them to mainly long range efforts. The second half saw Dominica take more control of the game and was rewarded in the 54th minute when Tristan Coville angled in a drive from a rebounded free-kick. Whilst Dominica still remained in control we kept them at bay pretty well without overly being threatening ourselves. The game finished 1 – 0 to the home team and we were still very much in contention. Turks and Caicos Islands 0 (0) – 3 (4) Dominica - 2022 World Cup Qualification (NAM) First Round, Second Leg – 03/04/2019 Just like the first leg we kept our shape well without creating too many chances which wasn’t a problem in the first stages of the match. However things did change on the 34th minute when a cross rebounded from a corner was headed into the path of Ollie Key who volleyed home. Now we had no choice but to go attacking. Dominica killed the tie of as a contest 32 seconds into the second half when Dan Short caught out our keeper at the backpost. After this followed the only time we truly dominated the game, but the longer the match went on, the more fruitless our efforts seemed to be. A big defensive error in the 84th minute enabled Dan Short to grab his second of the match and put a nice shine on the result for the Dominicans. 2022 World Cup Qualification Verdict Losing our best player Billy Forbes in the run-up to this tie was a huge blow for a team that is lacking any real quality. I think having him in that first leg could’ve ultimately swung the result in our favour in that game. Not so sure how different the second leg would've been. The overall result did flatter Dominica in the end, but they are a better side than us and defeat was to be expected. Maybe the 2026 qualification process will bare more fruitful for us. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted April 10, 2019 Author Share Posted April 10, 2019 2015-2019 Cycle Verdict I’d like to think we have made progress in this cycle, but it’s hard to really make a case for it. Yes we did get up to a ranking of 154 and seeded for the qualification draw, but I think the Fifa rankings are a flawed system anyway, not that I minded being ranked that high. We haven’t won a Caribbean Cup game yet, didn’t qualify for the Second Round of qualification despite being seeded and have lost nine games in a row. Due to not reaching the Second Round of qualification or the Caribbean Cup our youth potential remains at 6. My last story with The Bahamas actually ended at this point, but you can be damn sure this one won’t. I’m in this for a very, very long haul. 2019 – 2023 Cycle So the new cycle begins, but the aims remain the same. Try and win a Caribbean Cup game, get seeded for the World Cup Qualification draw and progress this time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted April 12, 2019 Author Share Posted April 12, 2019 (edited) 2019 After the disaster that was 2018 the biggest year so far has arrived in 2019 with the World Cup Qualifiers taking place. Results Dominica 1 – 0 Turks and Caicos Islands – 2022 World Cup Qualification (NAM) First Round, First Leg, 26/03/2019 Turks and Caicos Islands 0 – 3 Dominica - 2022 World Cup Qualification (NAM) First Round, Second Leg, 3/04/2019 Turks and Caicos Islands 0 – 0 Cook Islands – Friendly, 12/06/2019 Montserrat 3 – 1 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 18/06/2019 (Jones 2) Turks and Caicos Islands 3 – 3 Solomon Islands – Friendly, 10/09/2019 (Brough 19, Forbes 66, Turbyfield 75) Turks and Caicos Islands 0 – 2 Grenada – Friendly, 9/10/2019 Solomon Islands 4 – 1 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 15/10/2019 (Glinton 6) Anguilla 3 – 2 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 13/11/2019 (Glinton 5, Hassad 79) Turks and Caicos Islands 2 – 3 Antigua and Barbuda – Friendly, 19/11/2019 (Forbes 36, Lowery 62) Rankings January: 182 February: 181 March: 178 April: 189 May: 188 June: 188 July: 184 August: 186 September: 189 October: 191 November: 194 December: 195 Yearly Verdict Another very disappointing year comes to an end. We didn’t reach the Second Round of qualification and are now ranked lower than when I took charge of the nation, also throw in the fact we haven’t won for two years now. I’m not confident things are going to get better either, in the long-term some decent youngsters may come through but the youth potential is still at 6 so the chances of that are slim. We’ve just got to keep fighting on and see what we can do in the Caribbean Cup next year. Star Player Ian Glinton – Likes to pop up with an early goal. Edited April 14, 2019 by fat Lion1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted April 13, 2019 Author Share Posted April 13, 2019 Caribbean Cup 2020 So the 2020 Caribbean Cup is upon us and due to our atrocious ranking we have actually be placed in the preliminary round. This is where the three lowest ranked teams in the Caribbean and the non-FIFA affiliated nations compete. Eight teams will be drawn into two groups of four with the winners progressing into round one and the best second placed team in either group also progresses. Ironically this could actually be a great opportunity for me to win a competitive game. Turks and Caicos Islands Squad Goalkeepers: Lagneau Bryne, Ajah McKnight, Duane Rene Defenders: Gianni Brown, Duane Gannon, Woody Gibson, Marc Hamilton, Billy Jones, Events Savage, James Speer Midfielders: Gianni Bryne, Lee Bryne, Herby Cook, Billy Forbes, Ian Glinton, George Hamilton, Marc Hassad, Christopher Jones, Gianni Slattery, Spentz Turbyfield Forwards: Charles Brown, Syed Brumvert, Kevin Lowery The Group Opponents (Rankings in brackets) Anguilla (193) – Proverbial Caribbean minnows who we just can’t seem to beat as of late. French Guiana – Decent team with a striker worth 1.7m Martinique – Another decent team with some fairly good players Caribbean Cup Preliminary Round - Anguilla 4 - 0 Turks and Caicos Islands We started well in this game and really looked set to get the first goal. Unfortunately we were never rewarded for our early dominance and got sucked when James Burris put home a cross on the 21st minute. Things could’ve got a lot uglier in this first half as Anguilla were now absolutely dominating, but we held out with no further damage done. Anguilla remained dominant in the second half and were two goals to the good when the impressive Burris supplied a through ball to Roy Richardson who put it home just before the hour mark. Things became more even and Forbes missed a great chance to at least give us hope. However a fantastic counter attack finished off by that man Burris put the game to bed, who further humiliated us with a late headed goal. Caribbean Cup Preliminary Round - Turks and Caicos Islands 2 - 2 French Guiana This game surprisingly started pretty even with neither side giving much away. That did change however when French Guiana’s hotshot striker Sloan Privet finished a nice low diagonal cross. Unlike most our games against the bigger teams we didn’t buckle after conceding and just over ten minutes later we were back in it when Billy Forbes tapped home Gibson’s cross. The game would remain 1-1 for the rest of the half. Just like the start of the first half, the game started an even contest with both teams missing a good chance each and the game increasingly looking like it will end in a draw. However a brilliant whipped in corner from Forbes was headed in by George Hamilton to give us the lead on the 82nd minute and within touching distance of a great victory. Unfortunately this lead only lasted for two minutes when French Guiana really upped the ante and we crumbled with Yohann Frontbonne scoring the equalizer. We held on though for an impressive draw. Caribbean Cup Preliminary Round - Turks and Caicos Islands 1 - 3 Martinique Martinique are a bit weaker than French Guiana so victory here may see us just edge through as best second placed team. Martinique missed a few good chances in the first half before the game settled down. Things changed on the 40 minute mark when a Lee Bryne cross was bundled home by young striker Charles Brown. We went into half-time leading this match. The Second Half was more entertaining for the neutral with both teams missing chances and as the game went on I actually started to believe we might win. However in a similar fashion to our goal, Martinique equalized through Ryan Serrano with 20 minutes left to play. This is where I made a major tactical error, I decided to go attacking rather than stay on the counter, two quick-fire goals by Martinique ended any hope of progression and undid what was very good work from my team in this match. Caribbean Cup 2020 Verdict It was certainly a Jekyll and Hyde performance from my team, thrashed by Anguilla but very much holding our own against the two French colonial heavyweights. What a shame that we couldn’t beat one of them. I’ve started blooding a few youngsters into the squad now so hopefully this experience will serve us well in the future, but for now it’s an even earlier exit in the Caribbean Cup. French Guiana finished top of the group, Martinique progress as best second placed team. We finished last with one point. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted April 14, 2019 Author Share Posted April 14, 2019 2020 After two frankly terrible years, could we buck the trend and enjoy some kind of success? Results Turks and Caicos Islands 2 – 1 British Virgin Islands – Friendly, 27/03/2020 (Brown 19, Brumvert 72) Anguilla 4 – 0 Turks and Caicos Islands – Caribbean Cup Preliminary Round, 12/08/2020 Turks and Caicos Islands 2 – 2 French Guiana - Caribbean Cup Preliminary Round, 14/08/2020 (Forbes 39, Hamilton 83) Turks and Caicos Islands 1 – 3 Martinique - Caribbean Cup Preliminary Round, 16/08/2020 (Brown 40) Turks and Caicos Islands 1 – 1 The Bahamas – Friendly, 02/09/2020 (Lowery 31) Turks and Caicos Islands 0 – 3 Belize – Friendly, 08/09/2020 Nicaragua 0 – 2 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 07/10/2020 (Lowery 17, Hassad 66) Cayman Islands 1 – 2 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 13/10/2020 (Lowery 33, 61) Turks and Caicos Islands 2 – 4 Anguilla – Friendly, 11/11/2020 (Bryne 36, Turbyfield 47) Turks and Caicos Islands 0 – 2 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Friendly, 17/11/2020 Rankings January: 195 February: 195 March: 196 April: 188 May: 188 June: 188 July: 187 August: 188 September: 194 October: 177 November: 179 December: 178 Yearly Verdict In all honestly this year became an achievement when we beat British Virgin Islands in the first game of the year to give us that long elusive win, over two years in fact. Throw in a couple of good performances against stronger opposition in the Caribbean Cup and a further two away wins when we hadn’t managed one in four years, makes it a very good year indeed. The Cayman Islands were ranked in the 160s too so we got a considerable rankings boost. Of course there is still some negativity, our inability to beat Anguilla is really starting to annoy me and our defence isn’t very good, but we have a healthy ranking now and another good year will see us back in the First Round of the Caribbean Cup and seeded for the 2026 World Cup Qualification draw. Yes it has really gone that quick. Star Player Kevin Lowery – Scored some crucial goals to earn us victories. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted April 16, 2019 Author Share Posted April 16, 2019 2021 Coming off from a reasonable successful year, it was now time to keep the feel good factor going and rack up some more wins. Results US Virgin Islands 2 – 7 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 26/03/2021 (Lowery 15, Forbes 17, 27, 34, 43, Brown 56, 75) Turks and Caicos Islands 1 – 1 American Samoa – Friendly, 09/06/2021 (Bryne 33) Turks and Caicos Islands 3 – 2 Cook Islands – Friendly, 15/06/2021 (Forbes 13, Bryne 23, 55) Surinam 3 – 1 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 01/09/2021 (Jones 81) Turks and Caicos Islands 0 – 2 Vanuatu – Friendly, 07/09/2021 British Virgin Islands 0 – 0 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 06/10/2021 Turks and Caicos Islands 1 – 3 Dominica – Friendly, 12/10/2021 (Brown 10) Turks and Caicos Islands 4 – 5 Papa New Guinea – Friendly, 10/11/2021 (Bryne 8, Forbes 35, Bryne 52, 56) The Bahamas 7 – 1 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 16/11/2021 (Coulton 2) Rankings January: 178 February: 178 March: 180 April: 178 May: 177 June: 177 July: 171 August: 171 September: 173 October: 180 November: 179 December: 179 Yearly Verdict Well the feel good factor soon evaporated when Forbes got injured for a while after the Cook Islands match and yet again what followed was a winless streak with some absolute mauling’s dished out. The Bahamas and Surinam added to the list of teams we just can’t beat. The ability of our top defender Ian Coulton has nosedived meaning our defence really is full of absolute dross, we have a few good attackers but our one world class player Forbes is without a club, I just hope he can find one and doesn’t retire. Our ranking is due to plummet but we should’ve done enough to be in the First Round of the Caribbean Cup, however it looks like we will be unseeded for the World Cup qualification draw. We’ve got one game left against the Cayman Islands who are ranked 157, so that might just get us a seeded place. Star Player Lee Bryne – Made the left wing spot his own. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted April 17, 2019 Author Share Posted April 17, 2019 (edited) Caribbean Cup 2022 As predicted we are back in the First Round of the Caribbean Cup having been drawn in a nightmare group of Barbados, Grenada and Saint Kitts and Nevis. Not holding much hope out that we can get that elusive first competitive win under my tenure, but the plan is to put all our efforts into the last game against Saint Kitts as my squad is too tired to really give a sufficient challenge against Grenada or Barbados. Turks and Caicos Islands Squad Goalkeepers: Euan Collis, Ajah Mcknight, Duane Rene Midfielders: Gianni Brumvert, Events Collis, George Fletcher, Duane Gannon, Stephen Rene, Charles Savage, Events Savage, Ian Speer, James Speer Forwards: Charles Brown, Kevin Collis, Herby Lowery, Kevin Lowery The Group Opponents (Rankings in brackets) Grenada (168) – Strong team who have beaten us a few times Barbados (152) – Strongest team in the group. Saint Kitts and Nevis (160) – Decent, but very beatable. Caribbean Cup First Round – Grenada 3 – 1 Turks and Caicos Islands As expected the favourites dominated the match from the start and quickly took the lead on the 10 minute mark when Kimron Ganter was waiting to pounce in the box. The second would arrive a little later on in the half when Kharlton Belmar got his now customary goal against us with a great turn and strike in the box. Grenada didn’t add any further to their tally in the first half. My team talk obviously didn’t do much to motivate the team as we conceded straight away in the second half when Kuan Jules struck at the near post. It did seem like this game would end up as a cricket score but Herby Lowery’s goal on the 64th minute mark heralded a decent spell for us which unfortunately didn’t yield anymore goals. Caribbean Cup First Round – Turks and Caicos Islands 1 – 6 Barbados Well it didn’t take long for Barbados to go ahead, 45 seconds in fact when Akeene Boyce’s cross fluked its way into the net. However Marc Hassad didn’t follow the script with an instant response to restore parity. Barbados restored the lead just before the ten minute mark through Daryl Hurdle and by the twenty minute mark we were already 4-1 down. When Ranaldo King scored from a set piece a minute later I decided to just completely shut up shop and prevent absolute humiliation and it seemed to have the desired effect having not conceded another goal until the 88th minute when Jamar Burton headed home from a corner. Caribbean Cup First Round - Turks and Caicos Islands 4 – 0 Saint Kitts and Nevis So time for the match where it really mattered. We started really well and was rewarded nice and early when Charles Brown finished from an impressive counter attack move. The dominance continued and we were 2 – 0 to the good when Forbes headed home Bryne’s cross at the far post on the 28th minute mark. Lee Bryne turned from provider to goal scorer when he tapped home Brown’s rebounded shot minutes later. Saint Kitts came into the game a bit more during the second half but didn’t find anything in the shape of a goal. It was all over for them when Forbes scored his 26th international goal from a penalty kick in the 66th minute. Saint Kitts couldn’t find a consolation goal and the match ended an almost unbelievable 4-0. Caribbean Cup 2022 Verdict Forget the fact we were terrible in our first two matches and limped out of contention for the Second Round, let’s focus on the amazing result against Saint Kitts. It is easily the best result I have had with this team and finally give us that first competitive win. A few youngsters who aren’t complete rubbish have started to come through and a very good regen called Herby Glinton who plays for Sunderland gives me hope that more of these mid-tier Caribbean nations can be beaten. Barbados got through as group winners, Grenada as one of the second best teams. Whilst we finished third with our highest points tally of three. Edited April 17, 2019 by fat Lion1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted April 18, 2019 Author Share Posted April 18, 2019 (edited) 2022 After the downturn in results from the middle of last year, we had one last attempt at getting seeded for the World Cup Qualification draw and then it would be time to prepare for said draw. Results Turks and Caicos Islands 2 – 1 Cayman Islands – Friendly, 22/03/2022 (Forbes 33, Lowery 43) Grenada 3 – 1 Turks and Caicos Islands – Caribbean Cup First Round, 17/08/2022 (Lowery 65) Turks and Caicos Islands 1 – 6 Barbados – Caribbean Cup First Round, 19/08/2022 (Hassad 2) Turks and Caicos Islands 4 – 0 Saint Kitts and Nevis – Caribbean Cup First Round, 21/08/2022 (Brown 6, Forbes 29, Bryne 32, Forbes 67) Turks and Caicos Islands 3 – 1 US Virgin Islands – Friendly, 31/08/2022 (Hassad 23, Forbes 62, Glinton 88) Cook Islands 2 – 2 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 06/09/2022 (Forbes 32, Lowery 72) Turks and Caicos Islands 0 – 0 Anguilla – Friendly, 05/10/2022 Turks and Caicos Islands 2 – 3 Mongolia – Friendly, 11/10/2022 (Forbes 36, Lowery 82) Turks and Caicos Islands 2 – 1 Montserrat – Friendly, 09/11/2022 (Brown 22, White 35 o.g.) Rankings January: 179 February: 179 March: 183 April: 175 May: 174 June: 174 July: 178 August: 177 September: 165 October: 165 November: 155 December: 155 Yearly Verdict This has probably been the best year so far in charge of this team and we didn’t even get seeded for the World Cup qualification draw. I’m finally seeing the benefits of having an active league with slightly better regens than before coming through and of course the excellent Herby Glinton who plays for Sunderland. This has seen a general upturn in results and of course the highlight was getting my first competitive win by thrashing Saint Kitts and Nevis at the Caribbean Cup. Obviously though we still are minnows of the footballing world with draws against Cook Islands and Anguilla compounded with defeat against Mongolia proving a stark reminder of that. I believe something changed for the better this year though and this can translate to progress in competitive tournaments and boost that youth potential. Onwards to the World Cup 2026 qualification draw! Star Player Billy Forbes – PLEASE do not get injured for the World Cup qualification tie. Edited April 20, 2019 by fat Lion1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted April 18, 2019 Author Share Posted April 18, 2019 (edited) CONACAF 2026 World Cup Second Round Qualification Draw Well what a nice surprise, the game must’ve based it’s seeding on the January 2023 rankings as we have been given a bye to the Second Round so our youth potential has gone up by 1 from 6 to 7! Doubt will be producing any Messi’s anytime soon mind. Seedings (ranking in brackets based on January 2023 Fifa Rankings) Seeded: Puerto Rico (146), Saint Lucia (138), Barbados (137), Guyana (129), Bermuda (129), Guatemala (114), Haiti (112), Dominican Republic (103), Curacao (100), Aruba (99) Unseeded: Nicaragua (182)*, Cayman Islands (178)*, Antigua and Barbuda (164)*, Cuba (161)*, Saint Kitts and Nevis (158)*, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (158)*, Grenada (157), Turks and Caicos Islands (155), The Bahamas (154), Montserrat (152) *First round winners Initial Thoughts Puerto Rico – Bring em on, not that good. Saint Lucia – Difficult. Barbados – More difficult. Guyana – Overrated. Bermuda – Would hammer us. Guatemala – No chance. Haiti – No chance. Dominican Republic – Too good. Curacao – Beatable. Aruba – Very slim chance. The Draw Antigua and Barbuda vs Dominican Republic Saint Lucia vs The Bahamas Puerto Rico vs Montserrat Haiti vs Cuba Turks and Caicos Islands vs Barbados Grenada vs Bermuda Saint Kitts and Nevis vs Guyana Guatemala vs Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Aruba vs Nicaragua Curacao vs Cayman Islands Draw Verdict Well it could’ve been worse, we have a slim chance of beating Barbados but at least unlike in the Caribbean Cup I can play them with a full strength team. I’ve got two friendlies to prepare for this tie, let’s hope it’s a bit closer than the Dominica one in 2022 qualification. Edited April 19, 2019 by fat Lion1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted April 19, 2019 Author Share Posted April 19, 2019 2026 World Cup Qualification (NAM) Second Round Squad Goalkeepers: Syed Brumvert, Ajah McKnight, Duane Rene Defenders: Peter Brumvert, Events Collis, Kevin Cook, Ian Coulton, George Fletcher, David Glinton, Christopher Hassad, Spentz Hassad, James Speer Midfielders: George Brough, Lee Bryne, Ian Collis, Duane Fletcher, Herby Glinton, Marc Hassad, Christopher Jones, Lagneau Rene Forwards: Charles Brown, Ian Cook, Kevin Lowery Turks and Caicos Islands 1 - 1 Barbados – 2026 World Cup Qualification (NAM) Second Round, First leg – 02/09/2023 Barbados as to be expected started off the better side, causing problems for our defence but missing their chances. Tyrone Mings was proving to be a particular problem for us. However it would be us who took the lead with Herby Glinton curling home my first ever World Cup qualification goal from just outside the box. Undeserved, but a goal is a goal. Barbados continued in much the same fashion but didn’t find that elusive goal. Early on in the second half however Barbados did find their goal, when failure to deal with Mings cross saw Rahiem Bailey eventually bundle home. Barbados didn’t fashion too many chances and towards the end of the game players were getting injured left, right and centre. We nearly won it at the end with an Ian Collis glancing header, but the game finished square and our hopes were still alive. Barbados 1 (2) - 0 (1) Turks and Caicos Islands 2026 World Cup Qualification (NAM) Second Round, Second leg - 06/09/2023 With Tyrone Mings missing from injury in this match we came into it with heightened expectations which were dampened somewhat when Jeffrey Samuel scored from a set-piece just five minutes into the match. What followed though was a great spell of dominance for us that sadly didn’t get rewarded with a goal during the first half. The second half saw Barbados have the better of the chances and they really should’ve ended this tie, but the more chances they missed the more I felt confident we could get back in it. However we missed one decent chance when I decided to throw everything at them, but the goal never came and the qualification dream ended here. 2026 World Cup Qualification Verdict Quite disappointed really not to have got through that. Barbados missing Tyrone Mings should’ve been an opportunity that we didn’t pass up, but we did. Billy Forbes retired earlier on in the year and I reckon he might’ve just won us this tie, two class players in him and Glinton would’ve been too much for Barbados (without Mings) I think. Montserrat actually beat Puerto Rico to progress into the third round, so it goes to show with a few class players and a bit of luck in the draw, that the third round is quite achievable. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted April 19, 2019 Author Share Posted April 19, 2019 (edited) 2019 – 2023 Cycle Verdict Well at times this cycle seemed like a real struggle, but we achieved our objectives in the end. We won a game in the Caribbean Cup and progressed via ranking into the second round of the qualification draw. We've also seen a crop of stronger players come through. Apart from Herby Glinton though they aren't going to be world beaters, but keep progressing as a team and maybe the nation will start producing more world beaters. This cycle also saw us say goodbye to Billy Forbes who retired, he will be remembered as an early pioneer of the Turks and Caicos Islands footballing journey. A real legend. 2023 - 2027 Cycle We wasn't too far from being seeded for that second round draw so the aim has to be to try and get seeded for that. We're going to need to win more friendly matches than we already do and get more competitive wins at the Caribbean Cup. Edited April 19, 2019 by fat Lion1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
oche balboa Posted April 20, 2019 Share Posted April 20, 2019 Nice one mate Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted April 20, 2019 Author Share Posted April 20, 2019 4 hours ago, oche balboa said: Nice one mate Thanks for the comment Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted April 20, 2019 Author Share Posted April 20, 2019 2023 Coming off of our most successful year to date, a stronger looking Turks and Caicos Islands team were ready to take on the World Cup 2026 Qualifiers. Results Turks and Caicos Islands 3 – 0 British Virgin Islands – Friendly, 07/06/2023 (Brown 20, Cook 77, Glinton 84) Nicaragua 1 – 1 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 13/06/2023 (Lowery 75) Turks and Caicos Islands 1 – 1 Barbados – 2026 World Cup Qualification (NAM) Second Round, First leg - 02/09/2023 (Glinton 31) Barbados 1 – 0 Turks and Caicos Islands - 2026 World Cup Qualification (NAM) Second Round, Second leg – 06/09/2023 Turks and Caicos Islands 1 – 0 Belize – Friendly, 11/10/2023 (Brown 32) Turks and Caicos Islands 2 – 2 The Bahamas - Friendly, 17/10/2023 (Glinton 53, Hassad 69) Surinam 1 – 1 Turks and Caicos Islands - Friendly, 15/11/2023 (Glinton 1) Anguilla 1 – 2 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 21/11/2023 (Speer 41, Hassad 90) Rankings January: 155 February: 155 March: 152 April: 163 May: 163 June: 163 July: 160 August: 159 September: 161 October: 158 November: 155 December: 156 Yearly Verdict Another successful year I would say. In the end it was disappointing not to get past Barbados and Billy Forbes retirement was a blow. However with a stronger team overall we have started to win more friendlies and remained unbeaten during all of them this year, even beating Anguilla! The last minute goal against them was very satisfying. Unfortunately due to scheduling issues I was unable to get friendlies in March this year, I genuinely thought we were in the First Round qualifiers which happen in March. Star Player Herby Glinton – The midfield maestro. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted April 22, 2019 Author Share Posted April 22, 2019 (edited) Caribbean Cup 2024 Despite the improvements with the team I still have the meagre expectation of achieving just the one victory at the Caribbean Cup. Having been drawn in a group containing the Cayman Islands, Martinique and Granada, maybe my expectations will be surpassed? Turks and Caicos Islands Squad Goalkeepers: Syed Brumvert, Ajah McKnight, Duane Rene Defenders: Peter Brumvert, Kevin Cook, Ian Coulton, Events Fletcher, George Fletcher, Marc Hamilton, Christopher Hassad, Spentz Hassad, James Rene Midfielders: Lee Bryne, Ian Collis, Duane Fletcher, Herby Glinton, Marc Hassad, Christopher Jones, Lagneau Rene, Marc Singh Forwards: Ian Cook, Charles Brown, Kevin Lowery The Group Opponents (Rankings in Brackets) Cayman Islands (132) – Weaker team than us, but ranked 132 in the world. Very impressive. Grenada (171) – Bogey team with a couple of players outside their one star rated domestic league. Martinique – Completely made up of players from their one star domestic league, look weak compared to some of the other French colonies. Caribbean Cup First Round - Cayman Islands 1 – 1 Turks and Caicos Islands The game started off end to end with both teams creating chances before calming down a bit, the first half went drab after the first 20 minutes. The second half stayed like the latter end of the first, drab. This was until our defender Ian Coulton quite harshly had a foul in the box ruled against him. Alfredo Williams duly dispatched the penalty and the Cayman Islands were 1 – 0 up on the hour mark. We were fatigued and it was showing as we created next to nothing, it looked to be one of those matches when Herby Glinton whipped in a free kick on his second attempt when pressure from Lee Bryne forced Seb Cupid to put it in his own net in the 90th minute. A point was well and truly stolen. Caribbean Cup First Round – Turks and Caicos Islands 1 – 2 Martinique Well this game didn’t start well, Martinique striker Kevin Sery scored twice in just under 15 minutes from some pretty dire defending by us and was unlucky not to finish the job when he missed a decent chance from more slack defending. We managed to get a foothold in the game but didn’t create any chances and were just thankful to be 2 – 0 down at half-time. Despite being given a rollicking at half-time we still didn’t look like we were up for the fight in this match, however things changed when Marc Hassad pounced in the box to make it 2 – 1 with 25 minutes still to go. Suddenly we did look like a team, but ultimately we huffed and puffed to a closer defeat than I expected after the diabolical start. Caribbean Cup First Round – Turks and Caicos Islands 0 – 3 Granada Nothing of any real note happened in the early stages of the game, we missed a free-kick and they had a corner cleared. However on the 37th minute Kharlton Belmar got his customary goal against us beating the defence to put away a well whipped in cross. We exerted some good pressure and almost hit back but it was Granada who would go into half-time leading. It was Granada who would continue to fashion the chances too and when Belmar headed in from a cross to get his second and Granada’s second, I didn’t hold much hope for a comeback with just over 20 minutes to go. A Van-Basten style volley from John Jules on the 76th minute put a nice deserved shine on the result for Granada, 3 – 0 it was to finish. Caribbean Cup 2024 Verdict Normally I would’ve just conserved all my first-team players for the final match against Granada, but the lure of playing a Cayman Islands ranked 132 in the world with my first team was too good to resist. A win would’ve done wonders for our ranking, but the draw coupled with the Granada result will probably see us drop a few places. If my team came into the tournament fully rested then playing the Cayman’s with the first teamers wouldn’t have been such a dilemma, but ultimately I messed up the rotation and we paid for it with this lacklustre showing. Cayman Islands topped the group with 7 points, Granada managed to qualify in second with 4 points and we finished bottom with 1. Edited April 22, 2019 by fat Lion1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted April 23, 2019 Author Share Posted April 23, 2019 (edited) 2024 First full year of a new cycle and all my focus is going on boosting that ranking. Results Turks and Caicos Islands 0 – 0 Cuba – Friendly, 29/03/2024 Cayman Islands 1 – 1 Turks and Caicos Islands – Caribbean Cup First Round, 21/08/2024 (Cupid o.g. 90+1) Turks and Caicos Islands 1 – 2 Martinique – Caribbean Cup First Round, 23/08/2024 (Hassad 67) Turks and Caicos Islands 0 – 3 Grenada – Caribbean Cup First Round, 25/08/2024 Turks and Caicos Islands 0 – 5 Nicaragua – Friendly, 04/09/2024 British Virgin Islands 2 – 3 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 10/09/2024 (Glinton 32, Brown 40, 66) Turks and Caicos Islands 0 – 2 Solomon Islands – Friendly, 09/10/2024 Nepal 2 – 0 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 15/10/2024 American Samoa 1 – 2 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 13/11/2024 (Brown 3, Rene 17) Turks and Caicos Islands 1 – 0 Grenada – Friendly, 19/11/2024 (Glinton 86) Rankings January: 156 February: 156 March: 153 April: 152 May: 152 June: 152 July: 153 August: 150 September: 152 October: 157 November: 163 December: 152 Yearly Verdict Hopefully I’m not seeing a pattern here. I remember coming off a couple of successful years in the last cycle and then everything going wrong. We’ve put in some pretty dire performances as I search for the right tactics for this team. Alas it could’ve been worse, a couple of wins at the end of the year including finally beating Grenada saw the ranking stabilize at 152. Perhaps the best thing about this year is the emergence of another five star player, Events Rene who plays for Golden State Force in America. The more foreign based players, the better. Star Player Marc Hassad - A good versatile winger. Edited April 23, 2019 by fat Lion1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted April 26, 2019 Author Share Posted April 26, 2019 2025 A full year of friendlies to get through in the quest to boost that all important ranking. Results Turks and Caicos Islands 2 – 0 US Virgin Islands – Friendly, 28/03/2025 (Fletcher 26, Savage 56) Turks and Caicos Islands 2 – 0 Anguilla – Friendly, 11/06/2025 (Rene 62, Hassad 89) Dominica 0 – 1 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 17/06/2025 (Bryne 35) Turks and Caicos Islands 1 – 3 Montserrat – Friendly, 03/09/2025 (Rene 34) Cook Islands 0 – 3 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 09/09/2025 (Fletcher 8, Rene 43, Hassad 47) Turks and Caicos Islands 2 – 0 British Virgin Islands – Friendly, 08/10/2025 (Hassad 25, Brown 49) The Bahamas 0 – 0 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 14/10/2025 Turks and Caicos Islands 2 – 3 Cayman Islands – Friendly, 12/11/2025 (Cook 12, 22) Turks and Caicos Islands 3 – 5 Papa New Guinea – Friendly, 18/11/2025 (Brown 37, Bryne 52, Brown 90+1) Rankings January: 152 February: 152 March: 152 April: 151 May: 151 June: 151 July: 145 August: 143 September: 143 October: 140 November: 137 December: 149 Yearly Verdict This year was our best ever start to a year, even though Dominica are poor now on this game it was still a great result to beat them away from home. We also broke our highest ever world ranking a number of times, culminating with a ranking of 137. An amazing achievement for a nation our size. Conversely performances started to dive and losing to Papa New Guinea yet again was frustrating. Also our breakthrough five star striker Events Rene is missing chance after chance, must be the pressure of interest from MLS side San Jose Earthquakes getting to him. So next year we’ve got a home friendly against Guyana, the Caribbean Cup and six friendlies to round off the year. Let’s hope we can keep that ranking 130s or 140s. Star Player Duane Fletcher – A midfield general. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted April 29, 2019 Author Share Posted April 29, 2019 Caribbean Cup 2026 So another Caribbean Cup rolls along and the group opponents this time are Guadeloupe, Cayman Islands and Aruba, playing them in that order too. The plan this time is to play the second team against Guadeloupe, a strong side but not fifa affiliated so when we get inevitably beaten it won’t remote effect our ranking. Then the first team can take on Cayman Islands and Aruba, we will be fresher for the Cayman Islands than the last tournament and even with a tired team we still have an outside chance of beating Aruba, maybe I can make a few rotations with the added squad depth. Turks and Caicos Islands Squad Goalkeepers: Syed Brumvert, Charles Hassad, Spentz Magny Defenders: Gianni Ascani, Peter Brumvert, Lagneau Collis, Kevin Cook, Events Fletcher, George Fletcher, Christopher Hassad, James Rene Midfielders: Kevin Byrne, Lee Byrne, Lagneau Coulton, Duane Fletcher, Herby Glinton, Marc Hassad, George Magny, Lagneau Rene, Marc Singh Forwards: Charles Brown, Ian Cook, Events Rene Group Opponents (rankings in brackets) Cayman Islands (136) – The small Caribbean nation maintains their impressive ranking record. Aruba (126) – A couple of Dutch based players to go along the domestic based players. Guadeloupe – Smashed Surinam and Dominica in the preliminary round. One player at Lincoln, the rest are domestic. Caribbean Cup First Round – Guadeloupe 3 – 1 Turks and Caicos Islands The game started off exactly how I expected with Guadeloupe dominating and getting an early goal with Therry Mamillone volleying home inside the box. This was really it for the first half with the French Colony going close just one more time. It wasn’t to be too long after half-time when a hard task became even harder with Benny Bernard doubling the score line on the 52nd minute. The game went flat again after this but when Lagneau Coulton pulled one back for us through a fluke cross on the 71st minute the incentive was there to snatch an unlikely draw. Benny Bernard was having none of it though and skilfully got behind our defence to make the game 3 – 1 and ended it as a contest with 10 minutes to go. Caribbean Cup First Round – Turks and Caicos Islands 3 – 1 Cayman Islands An eventful first half was an end to end affair with the first goal coming just past the half hour mark. Gianni Ascani fired home from a Charles Brown cross to put us 1 – 0 up. Just a few minutes later Events Rene missed a golden chance to put us 2 – 0 up, failing to connect properly with a low whipped in cross. This was duly punished on the 42nd minute mark when Jorroine McLean headed home a corner to make it 1 – 1. However the action wasn’t over when some neat midfield link-up with the forwards saw Charles Brown slot home and put us back into the lead. The second half was anything but a carbon copy of the first with the game becoming very flat, this didn’t bother me too much as all I wanted was the victory and thankfully Lagneau Coulton smashed home in the top corner from Ian Cook’s cross to score in his second consecutive match and seal the victory in added time, just the fifth competitive victory in the nation’s history. Caribbean Cup First Round – Aruba 2 – 0 Turks and Caicos Islands A win or possibly even a draw here could put us through to the second round of the tournament for the first time. Unfortunately three minutes is all it took for Aruba to take the lead with some neat play finishing up in the back of the net thanks to Giovanni Dania. Thankfully this didn’t open the floodgates for Aruba who were the better team and more threatening but went in at half-time with just the one goal. The second half was closer and we even had chances to equalize with Duane Fletcher and Events Rene going close, but you really have to take your chances against these teams and when Giovanni Dania scored again on the 72nd minute you just knew Aruba would see the game out, which they did without any trouble. Caribbean Cup 2026 Verdict Well I am happy enough with how this tournament went. To beat the Cayman Islands who are ranked 136th in the world in a competitive game will do wonders for our ranking. However I have to back that up with victories in the next six friendlies now, the World Cup Qualification draw is next year so it’s now or never for the second round seeding. Aruba are actually one the weaker teams that reach the third round stage in qualifying and we didn’t lay a glove on them. Makes me wonder just how much this team needs to improve before it can compete with them. Aruba were the only ones to qualify from the group with a perfect record, we finished third with three points. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted May 3, 2019 Author Share Posted May 3, 2019 2026 Just one more year to go before the World Cup Qualifiers, will we be able to get the ranking which we desire? Results Turks and Caicos Islands 1 – 2 Guyana – Friendly, 24/03/2026 (Rene, 83) Guadeloupe 3 – 1 Turks and Caicos Islands – Caribbean Cup First Round, 19/08/2026 (Coulton, 71) Turks and Caicos Islands 3 – 1 Cayman Islands - Caribbean Cup First Round, 21/08/2026 (Ascani 33, Brown 44, Coulton 90+2) Aruba 2 – 0 Turks and Caicos Islands - Caribbean Cup First Round, 23/08/2026 Turks and Caicos Islands 2 – 2 The Bahamas – Friendly, 02/09/2026 (Rene 27, Collis 30) Saint Kitts and Nevis 3 – 0 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 08/09/2026 Turks and Caicos Islands 1 – 1 Nicaragua – Friendly, 07/10/2026 (Byrne 88) US Virgin Islands 1 – 1 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 13/10/2026 (Hassad 36) Anguilla 0 – 3 Turks and Caicos Islands – Friendly, 11/11/2026 (Rene 42, 53, Coulton 90) Turks and Caicos Islands 2 – 4 Antigua and Barbuda – Friendly, 17/11/2026 (Bryne 46, Hassad 58) Rankings January: 149 February: 149 March: 145 April: 150 May: 150 June: 150 July: 155 August: 154 September: 154 October: 152 November: 151 December: 153 Yearly Verdict Well that was a disappointing year, I think I got my hopes up too much that we could make that next step and be seeded for the second round qualifying draw, now it looks like will not even be in the second round automatically. Least that means will be seeded for the first round draw. I blame myself for not getting victories in the friendly matches, I’m just not tactically astute like many who plays this game are and they could probably get more out of this team. Having said that we probably are at the level of a team who belong in the first round draw, that is the stark reality for this nation. So next year I begin my third World Cup Qualifying campaign, as always I’ll have a full preview of my thoughts and the draw itself. Star Player Events Rene - A good year for the five star striker. Hopefully he can kick on even more this year. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted May 3, 2019 Author Share Posted May 3, 2019 CONACAF 2030 World Cup First Round Qualification Draw So as expected our ranking didn’t change in January and that has put us into the First Round of the draw. Unlike previous campaigns I expect to progress from the round we are starting in this time. It’s normally 12 teams who contest the First Round, but this time it is 14. I have no idea why the game keeps messing with the format. But it does reflect real life better, as 14 teams do contest the First Round draw. Seedings (ranking in brackets based on January 2027 Fifa Rankings) Seeded: Curacao (150), Saint Kitts and Nevis (152), Turks and Caicos Islands (153), Cayman Islands (154), The Bahamas (161), Grenada (164), Antigua and Barbuda (165) Unseeded: Nicaragua (167), British Virgin Islands (182), Surinam (188), Anguilla (197), US Virgin Islands (198), Dominica (200), Belize (205) Initial Thoughts Nicaragua – Beatable, but would like to avoid British Virgin Islands – Would be a good draw Surinam – Avoid. Anguilla – Good record against them recently. US Virgin Islands – First choice team to play. Dominica – Sweet revenge for the 2022 campaign Belize – Would rather avoid The Draw US Virgin Islands v Cayman Islands Surinam v The Bahamas Antigua and Barbuda v Nicaragua Anguilla v Curacao Dominica v Turks and Caicos Islands Grenada v British Virgin Islands Saint Kitts and Nevis v Belize Draw Verdict How times change. Eight years ago in the 2022 World Cup Qualifying campaign Dominica were the favourites against us and subsequently knocked us out 4 – 0 on aggregate. Now we are the favourites and if we turn up we should knock out a team who don’t have Jay Emmanuel-Thomas anymore and are an entirely domestic squad. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted May 3, 2019 Author Share Posted May 3, 2019 2030 World Cup Qualification (NAM) First Round Squad Goalkeepers: Syed Brumvert, Spentz Magny, Euan Turbyfield Defenders: Gianni Ascani, Peter Brumvert, Kevin Cook, Events Fletcher, George Fletcher, Duane Gannon, Christopher Hassad, Lagneau Rene, James Speer Midfielders: Lee Bryne, Lagneau Coulton, Duane Fletcher, Herby Glinton, Marc Hassad, Syed Lowery, George Magny, Marc Singh Forwards: Charles Brown, Ian Cook, Events Rene Dominica 3 – 2 Turks and Caicos Islands – 2030 World Cup Qualification (NAM) First Round, First leg – 23/03/2027 The game started well for us immediately putting the home side on the backfoot, we wasn’t creating too much in the way of chances but we looked the better side and more likely to get a goal. Thankfully the goal came for us on the 37th minute when Herby Glinton poked home from just outside the box. We kept the pressure up but couldn’t get another before the half-time whistle. The team talk worked wonders as we went 2-0 up when Glinton’s defence cutting pass found Marc Hassad who buried the ball into the back of the net. Just when the game looked like it was getting away from Dominica they found a way back when Lorcan Parmenter capitalized on some slack defending. Both teams started to have chances but neither could finish and some real sloppy play during the transition play from us was capitalized on by Dominica when Parmenter got his second of the game with just six minutes left to play. Then came the killer blow when Ashley Burbeary used our defender as a shield to blindside the keeper and win the match for the home team. Turks and Caicos Islands (5) 3 – 0 (3) Dominica – 2030 World Cup Qualification (NAM) First Round, Second leg – 31/03/2027 A refreshed home side came firing out of the blocks and within 11 minutes parity was restored when a fast break from a Dominica free-kick saw Marc Hassad neatly slot past the keeper. The game calmed down after this but Dominica reminded us of the threat they posed when narrowly missed scoring from a free-kick. A rather bizarre turn of events saw Dominica’s keeper handle outside of the box and then get injured in the process of doing so. When the Physio had finally finished with him the ensuing free-kick was nodded into the path of Events Fletcher who made it 2 – 0 to put us ahead on aggregate in the 34th minute. Dominica threatened to hit back just before half-time but a fine save from our keeper denied them. Hassad twice got in similar positions of which he scored from in this match and the last one, but sadly scuppered both and the opportunity to end this game as a contest. Lucky for us however our two best players Herby Glinton and Events Rene linked up well with Glinton supplying a wonderful pass for Rene to hit a stunner on the half volley and put this match out of sight on the 74th minute. The remainder of the game saw nothing else of any note happen and the final whistle confirmed our progress along with our first ever victory in a World Cup qualifying competition. 2030 World Cup Qualification (NAM) First Round Verdict That was harder than it should’ve been. The squad arrived tired for the first leg and we ultimately paid for it when Dominica got those two late goals. I must admit with how poor we play at home sometimes that I feared we would exit the competition earlier than expected. Thankfully for us though the quality of Herby Glinton shone through in both legs and revenge on Dominica was complete. Now we move on in rather hope than expectation of getting through the second round, but who knows what can happen when you’ve got Luton Town’s Herby Glinton? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted May 4, 2019 Author Share Posted May 4, 2019 CONCACAF 2030 World Cup Second Round Qualification Draw Our second foray into this stage of the qualification process sees us unseeded yet again due to the January rankings, so we are at the mercy of the draw to see if we have any chance of getting through to the next round. The draw sees 20 teams enter playing a two legged affair with no away goal rule (not sure if I have mentioned that away goals do not count at any stage of this competition). Seedings (ranking in brackets based on January 2027 Fifa Rankings) Seeded: Canada (105), Dominican Republic (110), Haiti (113), Panama (119), Guatemala (122), Barbados (129), Puerto Rico (130), Saint Lucia (130), Aruba (133), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (136) Unseeded: Montserrat (138), Cuba (141), Guyana (147), Curacao (150), Saint Kitts and Nevis (152), Turks and Caicos Islands (153), Cayman Islands (154), Grenada (164), Antigua and Barbuda (165), Surinam (188) Initial Thoughts Canada – No way. Dominican Republic – No thanks. Haiti – Seem overrated. Panama – Mainly domestic players, slightly beatable. Guatemala – Same as above. Barbados – Revenge? Probably not. Puerto Rico – Majority of the players come from club side Puerto Rico FC. We could beat them. Saint Lucia – Have English based players, avoid. Aruba – Hard to beat. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Nothing special, ideal draw. The Draw Haiti v Grenada Montserrat v Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Curacao v Guatemala Cayman Islands v Panama Barbados v Turks and Caicos Islands Canada v Surinam Antigua and Barbuda v Dominican Republic Puerto Rico v Saint Kitts and Nevis Guyana v Saint Lucia Aruba v Cuba Draw Verdict Unless the country’s name is Dominica or Barbados I don’t think the game wants me playing you in World Cup qualification. So Barbados we meet again, last campaign they knocked us out 2 – 1 on aggregate which was a pretty close affair. They seem to have remained at about the same level they were then, there best players mainly based in England with one based in Turkey. It’s going to take a big effort to beat them and Barbados will be favourites, but the draw could’ve been a lot worse. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted June 16, 2020 Author Share Posted June 16, 2020 2030 World Cup Qualification (NAM) Second Round Squad Goalkeepers: Syed Brumvert, Spentz Magny, Euan Turbyfield Defenders: Gianni Ascani, Peter Brumvert, Kevin Cook, Events Fletcher, George Fletcher, Christopher Hassad, Lagneau Rene, Ajah Rene Midfields: Lee Bryne, Lagneau Coulton, Duane Fletcher, Herby Glinton, Marc Hassad, Peter Gibson, Syed Lowery, George Magny Forwards: Charles Brown, Events Rene, Jack Bryan Barbados 0 - 1 Turks and Caicos Islands 2030 World Cup Qualification (NAM) Second Round, First leg – 04/09/2027 The hosts took control of this match straight away, missing a good chance to go ahead when a well-played ball into the box was struck at the crossbar. Barbados were in firm control of the entire half, but were not reaping any goods from there play. Shane Soares who plays in the Conference National was thwarted before half-time so the hosts remained frustrated. My best player Herby Glinton was very tired at half-time so I made the decision to sub him and thus weaken the team. I am gambling on losing by the odd goal so he is fit for the second leg. Surprisingly my other substitution Marc Hassad whipped in a dangerous ball that Barbados struggled to get away. The hosts remained in control, but again were not doing much with the possession and were made to pay for it. The 81st minute again saw Hassad whip in a dangerous ball, but this time it fell into the path of experienced left-winger Lee Bryne who placed it home to put us 1 – 0 up and that is how it stayed. Absolutely fantastic result. Turks and Caicos Islands 3 (4) – (3) 3 (A.E.T) Barbados 2030 World Cup Qualification (NAM) Second Round, Second Leg – 08/09/2027 The start proved to be a dream one from the hosts when some decent play from Lee Bryne and Duane Fletcher let in Events Rene who put the ball into the net hitting the underside of the bar in the process. Barbados did rally and were rewarded in the 15th minute when a whipped in cross took an unsual deflection and fell into the path of Raheim Bailey who had the easy task of putting it away. Both teams had chances after this in an entertaining first half which remained 1-1. The second half started very well for the visitors. Shane Soares who picked up an injury in the first-half finished a goal almost identical to our winner in the first leg. Putting the visitors ahead and the overall tie at 2-2. There joy didn’t last for very long mind, Lee Bryne showed his quality and Events Rene reciprocated when a glancing header tied the scoreline and put us ahead on aggregate once again. Both team were going at this and fatigued was certainly kicking in as the match was drawing to a close, I had really hoped we could see it through but it was not to be when quite frankly calamitous defending from a corner caused a goalmouth scramble which the impressive Jonathan Odle eventually capitalized on. Another one of the Barbados squad who plays overseas, this time in the Turkish Super League. Well after 180 minutes these teams could not be separated. Barbados winning 3 – 2 on the night makes it 3 – 3 on aggregate and with no away goal rule this match is going to extra-time with both teams looking worn out. Neither the first or second half of extra-time were anything spectacular, in fact it felt like this was inevitably going to go to penalties which I didn’t want. However salvation came in the 119th minute when some steady midfield play fron Bryne, Herby Glinton and Fletcher let substitute right-back Gianni Ascani find some space who found substitute attacking-right winger Peter Gibson to smash home inside of the box and send us through to the third qualifying round! 2030 World Cup Qualification (NAM) Second Round Verdict Well that was a truly amazing second leg. I thought we might have a sneaky chance when we came away with a lucky first leg victory, but I did start to lose hope when Barbados were showing some quality and levelled the tie. The team really rallied and the midfield trio of Bryne, Glinton and Fletcher were more than a match for Barbados, and then to win it in the 119th Minute will go down as one of my finest ever Football Manager moments. Reaching the third round means our youth potential has received a +2 boost from 7 to 9. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted June 16, 2020 Author Share Posted June 16, 2020 (edited) CONCACAF 2030 World Cup Third Round Qualification Draw Well a foray into the unknown as we enter the third round stage of the qualification phase. Six teams will progress into the fourth round group stage, and we will most likely not be one of them. However it is just nice to be at this stage, and who knows one day in future cycles we could be regularly competing in the subsequent two group stage rounds. Seedings (ranking in brackets based on January 2027 Fifa Rankings) Seeded: Bermuda (97), El Salvador (103), Canada (105), Haiti (113), Panama (119), Guatemala (122) Unseeded: Puerto Rico (130), Saint Lucia (130), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (136), Cuba (141), Turks and Caicos Islands (153), Antigua and Barbuda (165) Initial thoughts Bermuda – Strong, but not completely unbeatable. El Salvador – Very good team. Canada – Strongest team in the draw. Haiti – Could beat them. Panama – See above. Guatemala – Same as above and above that. The Draw Saint Lucia v Guatemala Turks and Caicos Islands v Bermuda Puerto Rico v Panama Saint Vincent and the Grenadines vs Haiti Antigua and Barbuda v El Salvador Canada v Cuba Draw Verdict Bermuda were nowhere near the best team in that draw, there ranking flattered them quite a lot. I’m glad to have avoided the likes of Canada and El Salvador. Having said that Bermuda still do have a handful of players in the English Football League and a player in the Turkish Super League. Then again so did the last team we knocked out... Edited June 16, 2020 by fat Lion1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted June 19, 2020 Author Share Posted June 19, 2020 (edited) 2030 World Cup Qualification (NAM) Third Round Squad Goalkeepers: Syed Brumvert, Spentz Magny, Euan Turbyfield Defenders: Gianni Ascani, Peter Brumvert, Kevin Cook, Luis Coulton, Events Fletcher, George Fletcher, Christopher Hassad, Ajah Rene, Lagneau Rene Midfielders: Lee Bryne, James Bruno, Lagneau Coulton, Duane Fletcher, Herby Glinton, Peter Gibson, Syed Lowery, Lenford Slattery Forwards: Events Rene, Paul Turbyfield, Charles Brown Turks and Caicos Islands 1 – 1 Bermuda 2030 World Cup Qualification (NAM) Third Round, First leg – 08/10/2027 An even first half saw Bermuda have the better start missing a couple of chances, but then we started growing into the game with a couple of first half chances ourselves towards the end of the half. The second half just like the first saw Bermuda start the stronger team, however a dangerous cross whipped in by full-back George Fletcher almost saw Bermuda’s star player Lionel Furbert put it into his own net. The ball was just inches from going over the line. After Bermuda spurned a decent chance it looked like this match may end up as a blank. Duane Fletcher had other ideas though when he picked up the ball from Gianni Ascani’s assist to smack it into the net from just outside the 18 yard box, giving him his second ever goal for the nation and putting us 1-0 up with 20 minutes to go. We didn’t rest on our laurels and were looking for a second to take firm control of this tie, but unfortunately Bermuda levelled the tie when a number of cleared crosses were eventually rewarded with an equalizer, Dante Adams volleying home with six minutes left to play. This really buoyed the visitors who nearly snatched a winning goal, which would’ve been quite harsh on us. The game finished 1 – 1. Not too disappointed with that result. The next match is in 12 days so our team will be well rested and hopefully can do the job in Bermuda. Bermuda 3* (4) – (4) 3 Turks and Caicos Islands 2030 World Cup Qualification (NAM) Third Round, First leg – 20/10/2027 *Bermuda win 6 – 5 on penalties The gap between the first and second leg meant I could name a new squad, so I drafted in Marc Hassad and George Magny. The hosts meant business at the start of this game, coming out of the blocks firing to go 2 - 0 up within 15 minutes. Shane Hollis firing home a cross on the 12th minute and Brendon Broadbelt doing the same on the 15th minute mark. The key thing now was just to get to half-time and not concede again otherwise that would be game over. Thankfully we managed to do that without too much of a scare. I had no choice but to just go for it, I made some changes and we quickly got back into the game. A killer through ball from striker Events Rene put Herby Glinton one on one with their keeper and he finished with ease. Captain fantastic had given us hope, and it nearly got better when Glinton supplied Lee Bryne who delivered a nice finish only for it to be ruled offside. Bermuda were still threatening though, missing a good chance inside the 18 yard box and a few set pieces. The game and the tie overall was level once again when a looping cross from left-ball Peter Brumvert saw Marc Hassad volley home in the 74th minute, the dream was still alive for us and the team was clearly still fighting for it as a number of yellow cards were handed out to us in the last 15 minutes. So just like the last round we found ourselves again in extra-time and Bermuda were really hammering us is the first of extra-time, but we survived without conceding. The second half saw us in dreamland when Glinton and Brumvert linked up nicely to put in Lee Bryne who tapped home from inside the box as the hosts goalkeeper completely messed up his positioning. Dreamland didn’t last very long though as a looping cross from Reggie Goater was completely misjudged by our goalkeeper and Bermuda were straight back in the game, very frustrating goal to concede. Corners were the best both teams could muster up after the frantic start to the half, and with Glinton having to go off in the 119th minute our fate was sealed to a penalty shootout. First time we’ve ever had one of these before. First to take the penalty was us, George Fletcher tucking it to the left-hand side to make it 1 – 0. Bermuda’s Dante Adams did the same, 1 – 1. Duane Fletcher our hero from the first leg hit it down the middle to miss which thankfully Bermuda’s Devarr Coke did exactly the same so still at 1 – 1. Peter Brumvert put us back into the lead hitting the back high and slightly to the left to make it 2 – 1. Whilst Rai Simons cooly slotted home to the right and made it 2 – 2. Lagneau Rene hit it down the middle and missed, whilst Bermuda’s Rohaan Simons also did the same. Kevin Cook finished to the left to make it 3 – 2 whilst Shane Hollis had to score otherwise Bermuda were out… he did making it 3 – 3. Marc Hassad put it to the right of net making it 4 – 3 whilst Bermuda’s best player Lionel Furbert made it 4 – 4 sticking it to the left and making sure this shoot-out went on. Lee Bryne slotted into the right-hand corner leaving Maceo Outerbridge with the task of keeping Bermuda in the competition. Down the middle he went and the score was now 5 – 5. Our best striker Events Rene carrying a gashed leg injury went down the middle and missed, whilst Ajani Delgardo showed cool composure to make it 6 – 5 and put his country through and the visitors out of the competition. 2030 World Cup Qualification Verdict Well that was a tough pill to swallow. I honestly though when we went ahead in extra-time that we were going to see the job through and put us into the fourth round of the qualifying completion. It would’ve been crazy to face the likes of Mexico or USA for a team of our stature, alas it wasn’t to be. Bermuda weren’t much better than Barbados so the draw we had was a kind one, this seems like a missed opportunity as we are bound to meet the heavyweights in the second or third round at some point in future qualifications. On the plus side though to get so far in qualification was brilliant especially that last minute winner against Barbados. Our youth rating is also at 9 now, the achievements of the national side inspiring more youngsters to hope that one day they could be part of an even more successful qualification campaign. I can’t wait until the next one. Edited June 19, 2020 by fat Lion1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat Lion1 Posted June 21, 2020 Author Share Posted June 21, 2020 (edited) 2023 - 2027 Cycle Verdict That run to the third round of World Cup qualification and being a penalty shoot-out away from the fourth round has made sure this cycle was a success. We seeme to be proving now that we can compete with the mid-tier nations in this region and with a ranking of 131 I would be on the periphery of being ranked for the third round draw. This would open us up to facing the likes of Antigua and Barbuda or even Montserrat as an opponent, making progression to the fourth round a lot more realistic. The positive thing is that our best players are still only in the early to mid-20s so we should be seeing them for a couple more cycles to come. 2027 - 2031 Cycle So the aim for the 2027 – 2031 cycle is to try and do something of note at the Caribbean Cup. It’s a cruel competition for teams with small squads, but apart from Jamaica coupled with Trinidad and Tobago we have nothing to fear from any other team that competes. As for World Cup qualification, another run to the third round would be nice. Being seeded for the second round at least is crucial to avoiding a draw where we would not win i.e. Canada. Edited June 21, 2020 by fat Lion1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilhoskins77 Posted June 24, 2020 Share Posted June 24, 2020 Great story so far, and a superb effort to reach the 3rd round with limited resources, and get so close to moving on as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tenthreeleader Posted June 24, 2020 Share Posted June 24, 2020 Well done so far! I do like a good small club (or nation) save! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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