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Trinidad and Tobago will be a player short for the 2025 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Qualifiers, which kicks off tomorrow in Trinidad—with Honduras, Belize and the United States Virgin Islands grouped together at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva.
All four nations announced 21-member squads to Concacaf roughly a week ago and can only make alterations based on injury.
At top are sisters Nikita Gosine (far left) and Natalia Gosine (second from left).
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868
So, Trinidad and Tobago Women’s National Under-17 head coach Ayana Russell is unable to summon a replacement for gifted 15-year-old attacker Nikita Gosine, who has quit the squad for personal reasons.
Natalie Des Vignes-Gosine, the player’s mother and a former Trinidad and Tobago international, told Wired868 that her daughter will skip the tournament on her own accord.
Des Vignes-Gosine confirmed that Nikita’s decision was the result of the non-selection of her older sister, Natalia Gosine, from the same squad.
Eight days before Trinidad and Tobago’s opening match against the US Virgin Islands, Russell and assistant coach Marlon Charles called Natalia into their hotel room to reveal that she will not represent her country in the upcoming tournament.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868
Relations between the Gosines and the national technical staff deteriorated quickly after that.
“Kita called me bawling on the phone—not Talia eh, Kita,” Des Vignes-Gosine told Wired868. “I said what’s going on, calm down. She said: ‘mommy they didn’t select Talia and I starting to feel they are fighting my sister a war and I don’t want to play any more football.’
“She said ‘mommy come for me, I am crying and I cannot function’. That is my child and for my child to be in tears is a serious thing.
“So, I messaged the manager and said I have an emergency and I have to come for my children.”
Nikita was the stand-in captain for the match.
Photo: TTFA Media
In the week since, Nikita has stuck to her guns—despite attempts to have her rejoin the squad by Women’s Director of Football Jinelle James and Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president Kieron Edwards.
Ironically, the Gosine sisters only returned from self-imposed exile to represent their country last month at the Jewels of the Caribbean Under-20 tournament, in which the T&T Red Angels—comprised primarily of national under-17 players—finished second.
Nikita, who played at centre forward, right wing and as an attacking midfielder, was a bright spark in the competition and formed a promising partnership with star attacker Orielle Martin.
Photo: TTFA Media
However, Natalia was not a regular in the starting team for the Jewels of the Caribbean competition, before being dropped altogether—a week before the Concacaf Under-17 competition, which serves as the first qualifying rung for the 2025 Fifa U-17 Women’s World Cup.
“Natalia never played any of the positions she was supposed to play but wherever they put her to play, she played,” said Des Vignes-Gosine. “She is a midfielder but they put her on one line, then the next line, then right back. She did not get a fair chance to prove herself.
“[…] When you are selecting players, you should put them in their [natural] position first and then you can use her elsewhere if you need help there. They never did that.
Photo: Sean Morrison/ Wired868
“Then, they had children in a camp and a week before the tournament they called Talia and say she is not selected. You are training so hard, you are putting your schoolwork second—because when she come home after training, she sleeping on herself when she’s trying to do her SBAs.”
Des Vignes-Gosine, whose Linked-In profile describes her as a certified cognitive behavioural therapy coach with a Bsc in Social Work from the University of the Southern Caribbean, objected to the coach’s decision to select her squad at the last minute.
It is standard procedure that sport coaches try to keep their options open for as long as possible before selecting teams, in case of injuries or unforeseen circumstances.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868
However, in the past decade, some national coaches have announced their selections and reserves earlier to decrease internal tensions. The reserve players then have the option to stay on, with the full knowledge of where they stand in the pecking order.
Des Vignes-Gosine suggested that the TTFA Safeguarding Unit should liaise with national youth coaches on the subject of squad selection.
“It is very distasteful and heart-breaking; you all are dealing with children and not adults,” she said. “I find you should pick your team early and work with your squad—not have everyone continue training and then one week before the tournament, you drop players.
Photo: Wired868
“[…] What I could tell my children now? Every time I bring up the topic of the national team, they’re crying. So, I have to work with my children on their mental now, because this could affect them mentally if they don’t deal with it the right way.”
Wired868 spoke to a member of the Trinidad and Tobago national women’s setup who insisted that the Gosine sisters were not prima donnas and were “delights to work with”.
“They are nice and respectful girls who are absolutely liked by everyone,” said the source. “They are zero trouble—that has never been an issue.”
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868
However, this is the second occasion that Nikita has been ruled out of a Concacaf tournament by her own choice, or that of her mother.
In December 2023, the sisters were cut from the Trinidad and Tobago team for the Jewels of the Caribbean Under-17 competition after skipping a training session to play in a Futsal tournament.
Des Vignes-Gosine said her daughters got permission from the national team’s technical staff to play, but a TTFA High Performance source denied that.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868
Des Vignes-Gosine then withdrew her daughters from the national programme and they did not attend a training session for most of 2024.
The stand-off meant Nikita missed the opportunity to represent Trinidad and Tobago at the August 2024 Concacaf Girls’ U-15 Championship, in which the Women Soca Warriors played in League B.
Fences were mended by the end of the year, though, and the Gosine sisters played in the December 2024 Jewels of the Caribbean Under-20 tournament.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868
Nikita, with her pace, power, and dribbling ability, was one of Trinidad and Tobago’s stand-out players as the under-17 girls were narrowly defeated by a Jamaica Women’s National Under-20 outfit.
Russell retained 15 players from her Red Angels team to represent Trinidad and Tobago in the upcoming tournament. The Women Soca Warriors are without talented central defender Jasmine McNish, who tore her ACL during the December competition.
The self-inflicted loss of Nikita is another significant blow, particularly as the national team cannot call-up a replacement without risking sanctions from Concacaf.
Photo: TTFA Media
The Gosine sisters are also talented volleyballers, who received offers to represent the country in that sport instead. But their mother still believes their future is in football.
Des Vignes-Gosine said she spoke to Nikita about returning to the national team for the upcoming competition—but her daughter is adamant.
In the meantime, she has provided formal counselling to her daughters and also reached out to her school and club coaches to help console them.
Photo: TTFA Media
“The first time, they dropped her after she got permission to play in a tournament,” said Des Vignes-Gosine. “We had a meeting with the technical staff because I said you all are only breaking down my daughters’ mentality. Kita said she didn’t want to go back, but I insisted. I said you all are going back!
“I had enjoyment on the national team for eight years. I would not take my children off the national team. But this time, my daughter said: ‘mommy if you put me to play, I cannot perform’.
“Right now, the heartbreak and the emotions are too much for them. So, I am not thinking about spiting the national team or how the coaches feeling, I am thinking about how my children feeling.
Photo: TTFA Media
“The national team has to be more professional and know how to deal with children. That is not the right way—everybody has emotions.
“My daughters play with Cox [Coaching School], ‘Army’, Pleasantville; and all of them treat them well. So why is it that with the national team they always have to get that kind of treatment?”
Editor’s Note: From the David John-Williams era, the national football setup changed to one where only the president spoke on all matters, while coaches communicate primarily through TTFA-issued press releases.
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Lasana Liburd is the managing director and chief editor at Wired868.com and a journalist with over 20 years experience at several Trinidad and Tobago and international publications including Play the Game, World Soccer, UK Guardian and the Trinidad Express.
This unprofessional behaviour is what keeping countries like ours down..If your Sister did not make the cut..You could embrace your opportunity..This is the real world not a family outing..
Y’all females to EMOTIONAL yes! You pulled out your daughter off the squad because your other daughter didn’t make the cut how foolish! Not making the final cut didn’t mean your daughter wasn’t good enough it could of just been lack of vision from the coach but why destroy your other daughter ‘s dream who has great potential I just don’t get it mom I think u got it wrong
That’s a very sad situation,I can’t text on who actually made the decision of not being involved anymore,I believe though that her mom.was definitely trying to tell her daughter not to quit, despite I know she would be disappointed her other daughter didn’t make the team…Well she is young and loves her sister her emotions have actually pushed her to this decision to quit…But I pray that this form of thinking will change because unfortunately there will be a lot more life challenges she will encounter and she would need to break these episodes of quitting, when things are not happening the way she would like…I wish the family well in all they future endeavors
T&T is not a real place!
I hope this former national player is not representative of the parenting and role modelling present in the country. But I know I will be disappointed.
What I could tell my children now? Every time I bring up the topic of the national team, they’re crying. So, I have to work with my children on their mental now, because this could affect them mentally if they don’t deal with it the right way.”
This so laughable. She actually believes this is dealing with it the right way.
Where is the patriotism and desire to achieve.Players must be professionals at all time so because your sister didn’t make the cut you give up! This is what we teaching our children. So the player decides who make the team or else……hmm very unfortunate and regrettable situation..so TNT TEAM SUFFERS ..no player is bigger than the game…it will have an impact on the team .The coach now has to get these players focus and keep positive
Hmmnnn. So true. Sad. Those girls need proper guidance. Their mother isn’t training them properly about the logistics of team selection. No player is bigger than the game. But they are young, they will soon understand.
So this is where we reach, a reporter dubs a player leaving the team, as a “self inflicted wound by the coach”, based on opinions of the player’s mother and younger sister, while assuring us that players who made themselves unavailable with and without permission (it seems) for national duty as recently as within the last year?
George, you’re misquoting me right below my story. I’m struggling to give you the benefit of the doubt–as you must know what quotation marks signify.
What I wrote was “the self-inflicted loss of Nikita”. I didn’t put the blame for that on anyone. She is not injured. She pulled out of the team, so it is a self-inflicted blow to the squad as it was avoidable. That’s it.
Are you clear on that now?
I respect your response, however that is not how I would use the term self inflicted in the context. To me the “subject” that can be affected by the loss, is the team. Following that line, to self inflict, must be an effort made by the team against its own best interests. It was however my intent to use single quotation marks. Here is the full, “ The self-inflicted loss of Nikita is another significant blow, particularly as the national team cannot call-up a replacement without risking sanctions from Concacaf.” whose voice is this, if not yours?
Hello George. Yes, that IS my voice. And I agree with your second interpretation.
It is not aimed at the coach. It is a generalized statement that the team, by its inability to keep all its best players in harmony, has done needless harm to itself.
Is it a clumsy term in this case? It might be you know. We have spent more time discussing it than I would have spent selecting it.
It would be a bit like asking a footballer why they passed to their teammate on the right and not the person on the left.
Sometimes in the heat of the action, you make an off the cuff choice that doesn’t work as well as it should.
I would accept criticism for that if need be. But in no way did I try to blame the coach (or anyone else) for this unfortunate incident.
All that I tried to do is explain what happened, while giving as much detail and context as possible.
No one is bigger than the team. I would seriously consider never calling her up again. If her sister didn’t make the cut it’s because the coaches didn’t think she was good enough, period. Too much entitled folks in Trinidad
Correct. That’s the problem in our society. Too many people feel entitled.