Wired868 Wired868 for smart sport news and opinion
Trinidad and Tobago Boys National U-14 Team head coach Randolph Boyce announced his 18-member squad for the 2026 CFU U-14 Boys Challenge Series today, with his entire player pool coming from “prestige schools”.
Trinidad and Tobago are in Tier 1, Group B alongside Haiti, Puerto Rico and French Guiana. The young Soca Warriors open their campaign against Puerto Rico on 17 August in the Dominican Republic, before meeting Haiti (18 August) and French Guiana (19 August) in the group phase.
Photo: TTFA Media.
Boyce, the St Benedict’s College head coach, relied heavily on the country’s elite schools to populate the national team.
Fatima College had the most places with seven from 18 picks, while St Mary’s College, Queen’s Royal College, and Hillview College had two selections each.
Naparima College, St Benedict’s College, St Anthony’s College, Trinity College East and Bishop’s High School each contributed one player to the national pool.
Jiair is the younger brother of National Under-17 attacker Jeremai Nanton.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
Bishop’s High School midfielder Zaire McMillan, who represents Ball Blasters at club level, is the only player whose school competes outside of the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Premier Division.
As far as club selections go, City FC—defeated semifinalists in the Under-15 Division of the TTFA-run 2026 National Youth League (NYL)—were easily the best represented team with 10 picks on Boyce’s 18-man squad.
However, there were selections from less “fashionable” teams with Maloney Real Footballers midfielder Taariq Kerr and Tinto Sporting Academy attacker Zidane Tinto, the son of former Soca Warriors winger Hayden Tinto, also making the cut.
Both Kerr and Tinto attend Hillview College.
The 2026 NYL U-15 champions, San Juan Jabloteh, did not get a single player in the national team, though.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Arima Araucans.
Arguably, the composition of Boyce’s team highlights the lure of the Secondary Schools Football League’s prestige schools, as well as the domination of the more well-resourced clubs, although it was not a typical selection process.
Although the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) was first informed of the CFU U-14 tournament in December 2025, it was not until Thursday 16 July 2026 that Boyce, who is also Men’s National U-17 Team head coach, held his first session with the young team—after being appointed earlier that month.
With no opportunity to scout and just four and a half weeks before Trinidad and Tobago’s opening game against Puerto Rico in Punta Cuna, Boyce opted to select his squad based on perusing the core of the dormant High Performance players for that age group, along with a string of invited players.
Trinidad and Tobago lost 1-0.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
Boyce told the TTFA Media that the Challenge Series “represents an important opportunity for the young players to test themselves against regional opposition and continue their development within the national programme”.
“The boys have been working well over the past few weeks and we have seen good commitment and improvement from the group,” stated Boyce, in a press release. “At this age, it is not only about the results. We want them to understand what it means to represent Trinidad and Tobago, to compete properly and to show discipline in the way we play.
“Playing three matches in a short period will be a good test for them. We have some quality within the group and now it is about taking what we have been working on in training into the competition.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
“We want the players to enjoy the experience, express themselves and come away from the tournament [as] better footballers.”
Goalkeepers: Jean Paul Barrimond (Fatima College), Liam Alleyne (St Benedict’s College),
Defenders: Hasheem Salandy (Queen’s Royal College), Alex Wortman, Ryan Aquing (both Fatima College), Darion Alzola (St Mary’s College),
Photo: Dirk Allahar/ BCreative Designs/ Wired868.
Midfielders: Declan De Freitas (St Mary’s College), Kiyan Jupiter (Fatima College), Taariq Kerr, Zidan Tinto (both Hillview College), Zaire McMillan (Bishop’s High School), Eli-Akim Nelson (Queen’s Royal College), Judea Phillip (St Anthony’s College), Kymani Mohan (Naparima College),
Forwards: Jake Correia, Jiair Nanton, Kayden Rosalis (all Fatima College), Abayomi Hope (Trinity College East).
- Group B Fixtures
17 August: Trinidad and Tobago vs Puerto Rico;
18 August: Trinidad and Tobago vs Haiti;
19 August: Trinidad and Tobago vs French Guiana.
“[…] If a member (Trinidad school) is unable to fulfill their obligations it should be that member who must bear Read more
The Tobago House of Assembly (THA) formally expressed concern at the format change of the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Read more
The Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) is set for a sensational departure from its top flight schedule in 2026, after Read more
St Benedict’s College assistant coach Lindsay Rondon received the dubious distinction of becoming the first football coach to be suspended Read more
Trinidad and Tobago return to international football competition on 16 August 2026 in the CFU Boys U14 Challenge Series, which Read more
“[…] I fully understand and respect the rules concerning team sheets. However, rules must also be applied with fairness, common Read more
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.
