T&T U-17 Women's Team Thread

[Flex]

U-17 Women grouped with host nation Mexico.
TTFA Media.

Trinidad and Tobago will come up against hosts Mexico, Nicaragua and Bermuda in Group E of the CONCACAF Under 17 Women’s Championship in April.

The competition will take place April 18 – May 3, at the Mexican Football Federation Headquarters, in Toluca, Mexico.

“The Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship is a significant competition in our region, and we know the Mexican Football Federation will prove an excellent host. The tournament will see the best women’s under-17 teams from across the Confederation compete for the right to represent Concacaf at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in India,” said Concacaf General Secretary Philippe Moggio.

The 2020 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship will be disputed in two rounds, beginning with 16-team group stage (April 18-23). After round-robin play, the top three teams in each of the four groups will advance to the knockout stage, joining the four qualifier winners, Belize, Cayman Islands, Guyana and Honduras.

The 16 teams participating in the group stage have been divided in four groups of four teams and will play as follows (listed in the order drawn):

Group E: Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Bermuda and Nicaragua 
Group F: Canada, Jamaica, Panama and Dominican Republic 
Group G: United States, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Cuba
Group H: Haiti, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and Grenada

The knockout stage of the competition will begin on April 25 with the round of 16, followed by the quarterfinals on the 29th, semifinals on May 1, and the third-place match and final on Sunday, May 3. All matches will be played in a single elimination format, with the finalists and third place match winner qualifying for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2020.

The 2020 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship is part of what is set to be a year of Women’s Football at Concacaf.  In total, more than 1,400 girls and women from the entire region will have access to top level football tournaments, including the Women’s Olympic Qualifiers, Girls’ Under-15 Championship and Women’s Under-20 Championship.

Dates: April 18 – May 3, 2020
Venue: Mexican Football Federation Headquarters, Toluca, Mexico

Participating Countries (listed in alphabetical order): Belize, Bermuda, Canada, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago and United States.

Competition schedule
*Kickoff times to be announced at a later date

Saturday, April 18, 2020 – Group Stage
01: Trinidad and Tobago vs Bermuda
02: Guatemala vs El Salvador
03: Mexico vs Nicaragua
04: USA vs Cuba

Sunday, April 19, 2020 – Group Stage
05: Jamaica vs Panama
06: Costa Rica vs Puerto Rico
07: Canada vs Dominican Republic
08: Haiti vs Grenada

Monday, April 20, 2020 – Group Stage
09: Nicaragua vs Trinidad and Tobago
10: Cuba vs Guatemala
11: Bermuda vs Mexico
12: El Salvador vs USA

Tuesday, April 21, 2020 – Group Stage
13: Dominican Republic vs Jamaica
14: Grenada vs Costa Rica
15: Panama vs Canada
16: Puerto Rico vs Haiti

Wednesday, April 22, 2020 – Group Stage
17: Bermuda vs Nicaragua
18: El Salvador vs Cuba
19: Mexico vs Trinidad and Tobago
20: USA vs Guatemala

Thursday, April 23, 2020 – Group Stage
21: Panama vs Dominican Republic
22: Puerto Rico vs Grenada
23: Canada vs Jamaica
24: Haiti vs Costa Rica

Saturday, April 25, 2020 – Round of 16
25: 1E vs Guyana
26: 1G vs Cayman Islands
27: 2E vs 3G
28: 2G vs 3E

Sunday, April 26, 2020 – Round of 16
29: 1F vs Belize
30: 1H vs Honduras
31: 2F vs 3H
32: 2H vs 3F

Wednesday, April 29, 2020 – Quarterfinals
33: W25 vs W28
34: W26 vs W27
35: W29 vs W32
36: W30 vs W31

Friday, May 1, 2020 – Semifinals
37: W33 vs W34
38: W35 vs W36

Sunday, May 3, 2020 – Third place match and final
39: L37 vs L38
40: W37 vs W38

[Flex]

Hood disappointed as CONCACAF U-17 competition cancelled.
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian).

National Under-17 Women’s coach Richard Hood is disappointed by the decision of CONCACAF to cancel the qualifiers for the U-17 competition.

The competition was scheduled to take place April 18 to May 3 in Toluca, Mexico, but a release from CONCACAF on Wednesday stated the Regional football governing body, CONCACAF decided that the regional qualifiers for its Women’s U-17 competitions had been cancelled.

This cancellation follows a decision by FIFA, the sport’s world governing body, on Tuesday to cancel the Women’s U-20 and Women’s U-17 World Cups.

Hood who had been given the responsibility of both the country’s U-17 and U-20 teams said he was disappointed because the tournament was an opportunity lost to aid in the development of the young talented girls.

“I was really looking forward to taking this bunch of talented girls into the tournament where they would have gotten the international experience that they are lacking. For most of these girls, it will be their first international outing, and it is where you can measure where you are and what you need to do to compete at the international level,” Hood said.

Eight Caribbean Football Union (CFU) inclusive of Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and T&T were scheduled to be involved in the Women’s U-17 competition, but the disruption caused to life by the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the cancellation of the competition.

Hood called on the administrators of the sport in T&T to devise a system to ensure the young women footballers are exposed to international competition on a consistent basis, saying it is the only way to better the women’s game.

According to Hood, who earlier this year, took the U-20 women to the quarterfinals of the World Cup Qualifiers in the Dominican Republic: “The time has come to stop picking women’s and girls’ teams months before major international competitions. If we really care about the women’s game then more emphasis should be placed there, where constant training can take place, along with regular international matches.”

The former Police FC coach said he is not sure what will happen next with the U-17s and with T&T football, but he looks forward to working with the young girls again, saying: “We have very talented women’s footballers in T&T but you have to know what to do with them.”

Yesterday’s release said the impact of COVID-19 has been significant on the football calendar.

“With further uncertainty regarding options for dates in 2021 and concern over international travel of minors in the current environment, it is particularly challenging to reschedule youth competitions.

“Following FIFA’s communication that it has cancelled the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, originally scheduled to take place in India in 2020, CONCACAF has decided that the regional qualifiers for this event will not take place.”

CONCACAF said it also noted FIFA’s decision that the 2020 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, originally scheduled to be played this year in Costa Rica and Panama, will not now go ahead.

“The Confederation, however, welcomes FIFA’s decision to award to Costa Rica the 2022 edition of this World Cup,” he said. “The Costa Rican Federation will prove an excellent host for the competition.”

FIFA said their decisions were made after consulting with all stakeholders – including the host member associations, participating member associations and confederations – to continuously monitor the situation in relation to the pandemic, in particular with regard to any potential impact on the overall welfare and safety of age-group players and participants.

[Trini _2026]

Do we have a team ?

[Deeks]

Do we have a team ?

don't know

[Tallman]

Latchoo, Charles lead girls football teams
T&T Express

Rajesh Latchoo and Marlon Charles will take charge of the Trinidad and Tobago girls football team for upcoming competitions.

Latchoo, the former Dominica men’s national team and Joe Public head coach, leads the Under-17 girls at the upcoming CONCACAF U-17 Women’s Championship qualifiers. Charles, the former senior women’s assistant coach, heads the Under-14 girls team which is preparing for the upcoming Caribbean Football Union Girls U-14 Challenge Series, to be held in Antigua, from August 18-27. Most of the players attached to the High Performance Girls U-14 team, have been training within the high performance programme and or recently competed at the TTFA’s G-14 League which concluded in June.

Meanwhile, the Women’s Under-17s have been preparing under Latchoo and assistant coach Ayana Russell. The core group of players has been training as part of the high performance programme from May, 2022, with almost half of them also members of the T&T Women’s Under-20 national team which competed at the CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship Qualifiers in April this year.

T&T’s U-17 Women are in Group A with El Salvador, Curacao, the Cayman Islands, and Martinique. The qualifying round robin group stage will be played between August 26 and September 3. 

[Tallman]

U-17 Women Start Qualifiers vs Curaçao
TTFA Media

Trinidad and Tobago’s U-17 Women’s Team arrived in Curacao on Thursday to contest the 2023 Concacaf Women’s U-17 Qualifiers.

T&T, coached by Rajesh Latchoo, go into Group A action against hosts Curaçao from 7:00pm tomorrow (Saturday) at the Rignaal Jean Francisca Stadium. The other teams in Group A are El Salvador and Cayman Islands

After round-robin group stage play, the six group winners will advance to the 2024 Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship, joining the top 2 ranked nations, Mexico and the United States, that have been seeded directly into the Championship’s group stage.

Head Coach Latchoo said about his selection:
“The team was selected based on the players that we believe were showing that readiness and potential to compete at the moment. So far the team is in good spirits and we are focused on the first game.

“These players would have come up under the High-Performance program since the inception last year and it is part of a long-term development plan. This is just the second phase of their development and I’m looking forward to seeing them compete well at this tournament and get out of the opening group phase

“We have nine players from the squad coming with Under 20 experience and four players who are based overseas. I think they will be good additions to this squad along with the local-based players who have been working really hard on the training pitch and responding well to what we have been asking of them. We will be aiming to take this into the matches and executing as best as possible.

“As long as we have the right attitude, giving everything for our country, I believe we have a good a chance as any to advance beyond the opening group phase.”

Group A (Rignaal Jean Francisca Stadium, Willemstad, Curaçao): El Salvador, Trinidad and Tobago, Curaçao, and Cayman Islands

Group B (Panamericano Stadium, San Cristobal, Dominican Republic): Haiti, Cuba, Barbados

Group C (FEDEFUTBOL Sports Complex, Alajuela, Costa Rica): Costa Rica and Guatemala

Group D (Felix Sanchez Stadium, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic): Puerto Rico, Honduras, Nicaragua, and US Virgin Islands

Group E (Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica): Jamaica and Panama

Group F (Felix Sanchez Stadium, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic): Canada, Bermuda, and Dominica

T&T U-17 Women’s Squad

Goalkeepers: Mikaela Yearwood, Maya Figgener, Jada Janike Ramoutar

Defenders: Kaitlyn Darwent.Anastasia O’Brien,Jasmine McNish, Kanika Rodriguez,Kimora Mitchell,
Cherine Steele

Midfielders: Cherina Steele, Rasheda Archer.Orielle Martin,Madison Campbell,Ty’Kayia Dennis
Arianna Borneo

Forwards : Sonia Lemarre.Natalia Gosyne,Daneelyah Salandy,Nikita Gosyne,J’eleisha Alexander
Mariah Williams

[Tallman]

HIGHLIGHTS of Trinidad and Tobago Women's U17's 5-0 win over Curaçao.

GOALSCORERS: J’eleisha Alexander (4’, 17’, 32’, 47’) and Nikita Gosine (36’).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udO09ieT1_Q&t=213s

[Flex]

Trinidad and Tobago U-17 women ease past Cayman Islands 4-0.
By Ronel Walcott (T&T Newsday).

The Trinidad and Tobago Under-17 women's team cruised to a 4-nil win over the Cayman Islands in their second Group A match of the Concacaf Women's Under-17 qualifiers at the Rignaal Jean Francisca Stadium in Curacao on Monday. T&T, who hammered the hosts Curacao 5-nil on Saturday, showed off their scoring boots again as four different players found the net vs Cayman Islands.

J'eleisha Alexander, who bagged an impressive four goals vs Curacao, opened the scoring vs Cayman Islands with a close-range finish in the 11th minute after receiving a pass from Rasheda Archer.

T&T took their one-goal advantage into halftime, and captain Anastasia O'Brien nearly extended the lead in the 54th minute with a wicked long-range free-kick that crashed off goal-keeper Safina Reid's bar. T&T did get their second goal on the hour mark though, as Nikita Gosine scored with a sweet right-footed finish after treating defender Rio Windsor to a slick piece of skill just outside the area.

The T&T team added two further goals in the latter stages of the match, as Cherina Steele scored in the 88th minute, while substitute Daneelyah Salandy scored in stoppage time after a blunder by the Cayman Islands goalie.

Coach Rajesh Latchoo's T&T team will contest El Salvador in their final group match at the same Rignaal Jean Francisca venue on Wednesday, with kickoff at 4 pm T&T time.

El Salvador trounced Cayman Islands 12-nil in their opening game on Saturday, while they played Curacao after press time on Monday.

The qualifiers include six groups, with the six group winners advancing to the 2024 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship, joining the top two ranked nations, Mexico and the United States.

On Wednesday, T&T will look to cement their spot in that tournament.

HIGHLIGHTS of Trinidad and Tobago Women's U17's 5-0 win over Curaçao.

GOALSCORERS: J’eleisha Alexander (4’, 17’, 32’, 47’) and Nikita Gosine (36’).

[Flex]

U-17 girls face El Salvador in must-win clash.
By Nigel Simon (T&T Guardian).

T&T Under 17 women's team with goalkeeper, Mikaela Yearwood, third from right, and her teammates before their match against the Cayman Islands on Monday which T&T won 4-0.

T&T Under-17 women’s football team will go into their final Group A match in the Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship Qualifying Tournament at the Stadion Rignaal Jean Francisca in Willemstad, Curacao from 4 pm Wednesday needing nothing less than a win to advance to the next stage.

Going into today’s group decider, both T&T and El Salvador have a maximum of six points each, however, the Central Americans have a superior goal difference of plus-19 to T&T’s plus-nine, meaning the latter must win to top the group.

This after the Rajesh Latchoo-coached T&T, who trashed Curacao 5-0 on Saturday, made it two wins in two matches with a 4-0 win over Cayman Islands on Monday with J’Eleisha Alexander opening the scoring in the 12th minute followed by second-half goals from Nikita Gosine in the 60th, Cherina Steele in the 88th, and Daneelyah Salandy, a minute into time added-on at the end of regulation time.

El Salvador, meanwhile, trashed Curacao 7-0 to follow up on its 12-0 hammering of the Cayman Islands on Saturday last.

Leading the way for the Central Americans on Monday was Jasmine Diaz (45+2’, 77th) with a brace while Genesis Carpio (9th), Giselle Marquez (72nd), Keila Lino (81st), Alyssa Jurado (90+2’) and Janelle Torres (90+5’) added one each.

The second match in the group from 7 pm will see Curacao meet Cayman Islands with both teams seeking their first points and goals in the competition.

Commenting after the match, Latchoo was quick to admit his team did not play its best match to build on their opening day victory in which Alexander scored a beaver trick (4th, 17th, 32nd, 47th) and Gosine (36th), the other.

He said, “We didn’t play to our true potential in the first half, and maybe the heat may have been a factor, but at the end of the day the players have to accept responsibility for playing below their potential.”

“The second half we were able to convert more of the chances created and we are now looking forward to the last game (today) because now we play for points, and not for goals so that we can come out of the group.”

Latchoo also credited the players who came in for their first taste of action for making his team selection much more difficult going ahead saying, “Certain players stepped up in the second half when given the opportunity and this surely adds more depth to the team as we prepare for El Salvador.|

Overall, the T&T coach said he was happy with the exposure being given to the players.

“As the girls continue to play and gain experience in the tournament it will surely work towards their long-term development plan so that they will have a better future.

“As the technical staff, we embrace all learning opportunities for the girls and the chance to work with them so that they can continue to grow.

The winner of the T&T and El Salvador will join the five other qualifying group winners in next year’s Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship, joining the top two ranked nations, Mexico and the USA, that have been seeded directly into the Championship’s group stage.

Latest Group A Concacaf U-17 Women standings:

Teams*P*W*D*L*F*A*Pts
El Salvador*2*2*0*0*19*0*6
T&T*2*2*0*0*9*0*6
Curacao*2*0*0*2*0*12*0
Cayman Islands*2*0*0*2*0*16*0

[Flex]

El Salvador thump Trinidad and Tobago U-17 women 6-0.
By Jelani Beckles (T&T Newsday).

Trinidad and Tobago's hope of qualifying for the 2024 Concacaf Under-17 Women's Championships was dashed on Wednesday as they lost 6-0 to El Salvador at the Rignaal Jean Francisca Stadium in Curacao.

T&T needed to win the match to advance to the championships next year, as El Salvador went into the match with a goal difference of +19 compared to T&T's +9.

In the third minute, El Salvador's Breanna Medina got a through ball, went around T&T goalkeeper Mikaela Yearwood and finished into the open net.

In the sixth minute, Yearwood and T&T defender Jasmine Mc Nish tried to pass the ball to each other dangerously in the 18-yard box. Medina intercepted the pass and slotted home to make it 2-0.

T&T struggled to come out their half as El Salvador continued to press.

In the 13th minute, T&T had a solid passage of play with some neat passes, but it did not lead to a clear chance on goal.

In the 18th minute, Janelle Torres took a shot from a tight angle, but Yearwood made a great save. However, Camila Bromer was in the perfect position to score the rebound five yards from goal.

In the 23rd minute, Bromer was alert enough to see Yearwood off her line but her shot from 25 yards missed the target.

T&T tried to attack, but in the final third the play would often break down. T&T limited El Salvador's goal-scoring chances in the final 15 minutes of the first half.

The second half started just as the first half did as El Salvador went in search of goals.

Against the run of the play in the 56th minute, a free kick by T&T more than 25 yards from goal was blocked by the wall and shortly after Anastasia O'Brien got on the end of another T&T free kick, but could not put her effort on target.

El Salvador immediately went up the field and made it 4-0 in the 58th minute. Medina collected a through ball and scored past Yearwood charging out of her goal.

Torres and Yearwood later tried to get on the end of the same bouncing ball in the 18-yard box, which resulted in a clash of heads. Yearwood was substituted in the 63rd minute.

In the 79th minute, Medina got her beaver trick when she had the simple task of tapping home after a goal-mouth scramble. Nikita Gosine showed skill for &TT outside the 18-yard box in the 83rd minute and won a free kick. Ariana Borneo took the free kick from 25 yards, but could not get enough power to trouble El Salvador goal-keeper Anna Valenzuela.

El Salvador added their sixth and final goal in the 88th minute when Nahhomy Portillo fired the ball in the roof of the net.

[Tallman]

Trinidad and Tobago U-17 women play Grenada, SVG in football invitational
By Roneil Walcott (T&T Newsday)

Trinidad and Tobago's under-17 women's footballers will get their chance to showcase their skill over the next few days, as the T&T Football Association will host the four-team Jewels of the Caribbean under-17 invitational tournament, which kicks off with a double-header at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Malabar on Saturday.

T&T will have an "A" team and a "B" team in the tournament, which features the visiting Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) teams. T&T's "B" team will open the tournament with their encounter against SVG from 1 pm at the Malabar venue on Saturday. T&T's "A" team will then play Grenada from 3 pm.

Each team will play one game against the other in a group format, with the two T&T teams squaring off on Sunday from 6 pm at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo.

The invitational tournament will conclude on Wednesday with a final and third-place playoff to be contested at the Larry Gomes Stadium.

In August, the T&T under-17 team, coached by Rajesh Latchoo, competed in the Concacaf under-17 women's qualifiers. After convincing victories in their first two matches against Cayman Islands and Curacao, T&T were stopped short of qualifying for the 2024 Concacaf women’s under-17 Championship by a 6-0 loss to El Salvador in their final qualifying match.

Pleasantville Secondary standout attacker Nikita Gosine and Scarborough Secondary forward J'Eleisha Alexander, who won the Secondary Schools Football League's (SSFL) girls' MVP for 2022, were two of T&T's star performers in the Concacaf qualifiers. Alexander debuted for coach Richard Hood's T&T women's team in their Concacaf Gold Cup qualifier against Mexico on December 5.

Admission is free to the public.

[Tallman]

U-17 girls enjoy mixed day in Malabar
By Nigel Simon (T&T Guardian)

This country’s Under-17 girls’ football ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams had mixed results when the four-team Jewels of the Caribbean U-17 Women’s tournament involving St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada kicked off at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar, Saturday.

In the second match of the afternoon, the T&T U-17s ‘A’ unit, under head coach Richard Hood and featuring the trio of striker J’Eleisha Alexander, defender Cherina Steele and midfielder Orielle Martin who all represented the T&T senior women’s team at the recent Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup qualifiers outplayed Grenada 4-1.

Leading the way for T&T was Alexander and Martin each with two goals to move their team to the top of the standings.

The local girls led 2-0 at the half-time interval with Alexander, the 2022 Secondary School Girls’ Football League “Player of the Year” scoring both items, firstly, in the 18th and then in the 32nd.

Bishop Anstey East striker, Martin, then netted a quick-fire double in the 66th and 77th minutes to push the lead to 4-0 while Hailey Mc Intyre got a consolation item for the Grenadians in the 79th.

Earlier at the same venue in the tournament opener, the Afiya Matthias-coached T&T ‘B’ Young Stars team featuring Hakeemar Goodridge, Mikayla Guerero, Jayda Herbert and Alexis-Raye Lalchan went under to St Vincent and the Grenadines in their 80-minute contest 1-0 courtesy a Meiya Wilson in the 28th minute.

The tournament, put on by the T&T Football Association in collaboration with the St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada Football Associations, continues Sunday at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo from 4 pm and on Monday at Malabar from 1 pm with round-robin play before it culminates with a third/fourth match as well as the title showdown on Wednesday at the Larry Gomes Stadium.

Admission to the matches is free.

Matches

Sunday

Venue: Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo

St Vincent and The Grenadines vs Grenada, 4 pm

T&T ‘A’ vs T&T ‘B’, 6pm

Monday

Venue: Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar

Grenada vs T&T ‘B’, 1 pm

&T ‘A’ vs SVG, 3 pm

Wednesday

Venue: Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar

3rd/4th Place Play-Off, 1 pm

1st/2nd Place Play-Off, 3 pm


Teams:

T&T U-17 (A):

Goalkeepers: Mikaela Yearwood, Maya Figgener

Defenders: Anastasia O’Brien, Jasmine Mc Nish, Kimora Mitchell, Kaitlyn Darwent, Kanika Rodriguez, Cherine Steele, Tashana Hackett

Midfielders: Cherina Steele, Orielle Martin, Rasheda Archer, Mariah Williams, Madison Campbell, Ty’ Kaiya Dennnis, Daneelya Salandy

Forwards: J’Eleisha Alexander, Danna Pacheco,

T&T Young Stars (B)

Goalkeepers: Akeila Marryshow, Zade Castillo

Defenders: Daniella Paul, Chrissa Bailey, Hakeemar Goodridge, Taya Williams, Geneisha,George

Midfielders: Mikayla Guerero, Ahmeeda Bowman, Onika Denoon, Gyasi Lewis, Jayda Herbert, Rori Gittens, Alexis Raye- Lalchan

Forwards: Naima Julius, Jessica Nesbitt, Onesha Gregouir, Shakilla Hamilton

[Tallman]

Trinidad and Tobago Girls into Jewels of the Caribbean U-17 football final
By Jelani Beckles (T&T Newsday)

Trinidad and Tobago Under-17 girls football A team defeated the T&T B team 6-0 to sail into the final in the Jewels of the Caribbean Girls Under-17 Invitational tournament at Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo on Sunday.

It was the A team’s second win in as many matches after getting past Grenada 4-1.

The A team looked more formidable from the opening whistle and it took just two minutes for them to break the deadlock through Kimora Mitchell.

Many of the attacks for the A team started with striker J’Eleisha Alexander and the composure of left-back Kaitlyn Darwent and centre back Jasmine McNish kept the B team pinned in their own half.

It was relentless pressure by the A team, but they could not add more goals in the first 20 minutes. Rasheda Archer received a square ball from Alexander, but the B team managed to keep it 1-0.

Around the 25-minute mark, the B team started to keep more possession, but could not create chances on goal.

In the 30th minute, Mitchell’s close range shot was saved by B goal-keeper Zade Castillo, kicking it onto the post.

As time in the first half began to run out, Mitchell’s shot from a tight angle was held by Castillo as the first half ended 1-0 in favour of the A team.

The A team began the second half as they did the first as Alexander’s close-range shot struck the roof of the net to make it 2-0 in the 43rd minute.

A few minutes later it was 3-0 as Cherine Steele’s shot from 20 yards found the net in the 48th minute. It was not powerfully struck, but it was placed perfectly in the corner past Castillo.

Tobagonian Alexander impressed with her neat footwork, dribbling past two defenders but her shot was struck straight to Castillo. B team central midfielder Jayda Herbert showed some energy, but A goal-keeper Maya Figgener remained a bystander.

In the 66th minute, Orielle Martin’s well-struck low shot made it 4-0 and three minutes later, T’Kaiya Dennis scored the A team’s fifth item. B substitute goal-keeper Akiella Marryshow showed her quality by pulling off a couple of solid saves, but she could prevent Martin from rounding off the scoring in stoppage time to make it 6-0.

The first match on Sunday ended in favour of St Vincent and the Grenadines 2-1 over Grenada.

The action will continue on Monday with a doubleheader at Larry Gomes Stadium in Malabar, Arima. T&T B will play Grenada at 1 pm, followed by St Vincent against T&T A at 3 pm.

T&T A and St Vincent have both made it to Wednesday’s final having won two matches to start the tournament.

[Flex]

Trinidad and Tobago 'A' romp past SVG into Caribbean U-17 final.
By Roneil Walcott (T&T Newsday).

Bishop High School East student Orielle Martin scored two goals for the third straight game, as she led the T&T under-17 girls' football 'A' team to a comfortable 4-0 win over St Vincent and the Grenadines in their Jewels of the Caribbean under-17 invitational match at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Malabar on Monday.

It was the T&T's 'A' team's third straight victory in the tournament. SVG came into Monday's clash on the back of tight victories over T&T's 'B' team (1-0) and Grenada (2-1) respectively. SVG came unstuck against the hosts though, and they were trailing by a 3-0 margin at halftime as the T&T "A" team continued their fine goal-scoring run in the tournament.

Martin, who debuted for T&T's women's team in a Gold Cup qualifier versus Mexico on December 5, opened the scoring with a ninth-minute penalty and also rounded off the scoring for the hosts in the 66th minute – taking her tournament tally to six goals to lead all scorers.

T&T also got a 15th-minute penalty conversion from Madison Campbell, with Jasmine McNish also getting on the score sheet in first-half stoppage-time.

After a 1-0 loss to SVG and a heavy 6-0 defeat to their T&T "A" counterparts, T&T's 'B' team got their first point in the four-team tournament as they played to a goalless draw with Grenada in the first match of Monday's double-header.

T&T's "A" team will look to repeat the trick at the Malabar venue on Wednesday, when they meet SVG in the final of the invitational tournament from 3 pm.

T&T's "B" team will play Grenada in the third place playoff from 1 pm as they hunt their first goal and win of the tournament.

[Flex]

Trinidad and Tobago 'A' win Jewels of the Caribbean football.
By Jelani Beckles (T&T Newsday).

A BRACE from Orielle Martin was enough to lead T&T to the Jewels of the Caribbean Girls Under-17 Invitational tournament title with a 2-0 victory over St Vincent and the Grenadines at Larry Gomes Stadium in Malabar, Arima on Wednesday.

A penalty midway through the first half and a goal in second-half stoppage time was enough to steer T&T to the crown.

T&T coach Ayanna Russell was elated, saying, "I feel very happy and proud of these girls. They worked hard and tirelessly every game and it was well deserved."

T&T were the stronger team throughout with more possession and looked more menacing in attack.

Martin was the orchestrater in the midfield as many of T&T's attacking plays began through her.

T&T looked more likely to take the lead in the opening minutes, but the St Vincent defence stood firm.

Following a corner kick, T&T won a penalty and Martin converted to give the home team the lead in the 23rd minute. Shortly after, striker J'Eleisha Alexander had a quality chance. She ran onto a through ball but with only St Vincent goal-keeper G-Riesa Joseph to beat, she did not get the power and the save was easily made.

St Vincent had their moments during the match, but led by centre back Kaitlyn Darwent and goalkeeper Mikaela Yearwood, T&T held firm.

The match was a physical one in the first half with both teams committing fouls and battling hard to earn possession.

T&T did not time their runs well as multiple times players were called offside.

Early in the second half, Alexander was put through on goal but fired a tame effort which was easily saved by Joseph.

Mariah Williams for T&T brought some impetus to the team on the left flank when she came on at half-time, using her pace and crosses. Both T&T's wingers troubled the St Vincent defence with their speed as Kimora Mitchell's speed on the right flank was also a handful. Mitchell won her team a free kick when she cut inside, but Martin's effort from 25 yards out went over the crossbar.

St Vincent had a rare chance to get on the score sheet via Meiya Wilson's free kick, from 20 yards out, but it went well wide.

However, the small crowd had another moment to celebrate before the final whistle. Following a short corner, Martin dribbled past a defender and shot past Joseph from a tight angle to make it 2-0.

Martin was awarded the MVP award in a closing ceremony following the final. Before the final at the same venue, Grenada defeated T&T B (president's XI) team 3-0 thanks to a hat-trick from Abigail Williams.

TT Football Association technical director Anton Corneal thanked all four teams for participating and said the aim is to have more tournaments of a similar kind in the future.

[Tallman]

James happy with U-17 girls' learning exposure
By Nigel Simon (T&T Guardian)

Jinelle James, director of the women's football in the T&T Football Association (TTFA) and FIFA assistant development officer, says she is happy with the learning exposure provided to the T&T Under-17 'A' and 'B' girls' teams in the just concluded Jewels of the Caribbean Under-17 Women’s Tournament at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar, on Wednesday.

The four-team tournament, which also featured Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), saw the Ayana Russell-coached T&T 'A' team led by Orielle Martin and J'Eleisha Alexander, the 2022 Secondary School Girls Football League "Player of the Year" emerge as champion.

On Wednesday in the final, Bishop Anstey East striker Martin scored a goal in each half to take her tournament-best tally to eight in leading T&T 'A' to a 2-0 win over SVG

Martin was eventually named the "Best Midfielder", picked up the "Most Goals" prize and was the Tournament "Most Valuable Player" winner while teammate Jasmaine Mc Nish was voted as the "Best Defender" in helping their team top the round-robin table with three wins ahead of their final's triumph.

In their other matches, the T&T 'A' blanked SVG (4-0), 'T&T 'B' (6-0) and Grenada (4-1).

However, the T&T 'B' team coached by Afiyah Matthias ended in the cellar spot after losing 3-0 to Grenada in their third-placed playoff also on Wednesday after drawing goalless with the same opponent on Monday.

The local 'B' team also tasted defeat against SVG 1-0.

Speaking on completion of the competition, James said, "I thought the Jewels of the Caribbean U-17 Girls Tournament was a great opportunity to give the girls a chance to play without any of the pressures of a qualification tournament, and being able to play teams that are at their level competitively, and the girls are learning how to win international matches."

She added: "In the end, some of our U-17 players showed themselves like Mc Nish, Martin, Cherina Steele and Alexander who has had a successful campaign for the past year in the Secondary School Girls Football League and was called up to the senior women's team.

"There were others like Mariah Williams, Madison Campbell, and Ty'Kaiya Dennis, so it was basically the whole team really showing themselves and introducing themselves at this level to international football," boasted James.

Reflecting on the matches, James said, "We had two teams, the younger core of players on the T&T President's XI or 'B' team. They are basically U-14 players now and next year they will be competing in the Concacaf U-15 Tournament so it was just a good opportunity to give exposure to the young girls.

"They were much younger than their competitors of course but again it's always good to put them in to see where they are at in their development so the coaches could see where they are at and know the areas of concerns and what's needed for them to improve and to prepare programs to help with that for the U-15 Concacaf competition next year in August.

"All in all I thought it was a good showing for the girls and hopefully we can get more opportunities for them to play in a competitive environment without the pressures of it being a qualification tournament."

With Concacaf qualifiers in the distant future, James said the T&T girls need the opportunity to play more before those competitions.

"What I personally realised is that these girls don't play any football outside of coming to training," James noted.

"And in my time and the players that came after me even though we trained, we always used to go and play in what we called 'sweat' and tournaments, and these crop of girls don't play those types of football.

"So we have to find a way to get them to play more which will help them to develop their game savvy and game awareness and they will get to see the things that they are being shown in training."

The women's football administrator made it clear that personal development on the part of the players must also play a key role in their development.

She said, "Training is only one and half hours, and it's only so much the coaches can get across to the players, and they themselves have to do some playing recreationally as having that chance to 'sweat' or play recreational football was an advantage for us back then in helping to learn how to check in pockets, and how and when to make runs and all these little 'nitty gritties' of the game.

"So, we know they have a lot to learn still and this particular tournament kind of helps to groom them and prepare them. But, at the same time, it did not put them under pressure because there was no qualification involved for any competition.

"It also taught them to fight and to learn to win at an international level, and what it takes to do so and how to compete. So, we saw a lot of positives that we could take from this experience that the coaches will use to help prepare the team for their next encounter at the U-20 level maybe in 2025 or 2026."

Looking at the immediate future for the more senior players in the group James said they will continue to train and learn from these kinds of exposure.

Jewels of the Caribbean Tournament results

Wednesday

Final:

T&T 'A' 2 (Orielle Martin 24th pen, 74th) vs SVG 0

Third placed:

Grenada 3 (Abigail Williams 4th, 54th, 56th) vs vs T&T 'B'


Monday:

Grenada 0 vs T&T ‘B’ 0

T&T ‘A’ 4 (Orielle Martin 9th pen, 66th, Madison Campbell 15th pen, Jasmine Mc Nish 40+1) vs SVG 0


Sunday:

T&T ‘A’ (Orielle Martin 66th, 80+2, Kimora Mitchell 2nd, J'Eleisha Alexander 38th, Cherine Steele 43rd, Ty'Kaiya Dennis 69th) vs T&T 'B' 0

SVG 2 (Vinesha Wilson 33rd, Meiya Wilson 90+5) vs Grenada 1 (Hailey Mc Intyre 32nd)


Saturday:

T&T U-17s ‘A’4 (J'Eleisha Alexander, Orielle Martin) vs Grenada 1 (Hailey Mc Intyre)

SVG 1 (Meiya Wilson 28th) vs T&T 'B' 0


Final round-robin standing

Pl Teams P W D L F A Pts

1 T&T ‘A’ 3 3 0 0 14 1 9

2 SVG 3 2 0 1 3 5 6

3 Grenada 3 0 1 2 2 6 1

4 T&T ‘B’ 3 0 1 2 0 7 1


Individual awards:

Best Goalkeeper: G-Riesa Joseph (SVG)

Best Defender: Jasmine Mc Nish (T&T 'A')

Best Midfielder: Orielle Martin (T&T 'A')

Most Goals: Orielle Martin (T&T 'A') - 8 goals

Most Valuable Player: Orielle Martin (T&T 'A')