T&T relegated after Curaçao tie; Smith, Phillip offer consolation to miserable campaign

Trinidad and Tobago will return to the second tier of the Concacaf Nations League for the first time since 2022, after their dismal group stage run ended with a 1-1 draw against Curaçao at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain tonight.

From a possible 12 points in Group A, the Soca Warriors managed just one—against a Curaçoan team that were already assured of a spot in the quarterfinal round before kick-off.

It was not nearly enough for Trinidad and Tobago to retain their status in League A. And, after an underwhelming tussle with Haiti, Curaçao and the Dominican Republic in the past fortnight, the two-island republic will line-up against the likes of Puerto Rico, Grenada, French Guiana and Montserrat in 12 months’ time.

Trinidad and Tobago’s national football teams are in decline, the national youth league ended with incomplete fixtures, the islands’ senior domestic competition, the TTPFL, still has no believable start date and is indebted to clubs, while there are dwindling audiences at all levels…

Men’s National Senior Team head coach Derek King will be called to account for his tenure soon enough—but it is probably Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president Kieron Edwards who has the most to answer for these days.

This evening, though, was about 18 young men from Trinidad and Tobago fighting a near-impossible impossible fight.

The Soca Warriors needed to defeat Curaçao and hope that Haiti defeated Costa Rica by at least three goals. But one felt that Trinidad and Tobago were already in trouble when King’s starting line-up featured misfiring forward Ryan Telfer at left back and bustling midfielder Luke Phillip at centre forward.

The only player in King’s starting team who scored in this calendar year was midfielder Wayne Frederick II, whose solitary goal from seven caps would hardly be considered as prolific.

And, on the bench, Trinidad and Tobago had just five outfield players—and it was doubtful that defender Justin Garcia, listed as a substitute, was in fact “available” to play, after suffering a hamstring strain earlier in the match window.

To say King was in a tough spot, might be an understatement. Yet, it was the Warriors who had the first real scoring opportunity in the 20^th minute.

Telfer played a diagonal pass to Phillip who was nudged off the ball by an opposing defender. But the impact of that collision knocked both players off balance, and the ball broke to Frederick.

And the Colorado Rapids midfielder played a delightful threaded pass into the run of right wing back Kaihim Thomas.

Soca Warriors fans rose to their feet, hoping to see the sort of finish you’d expect from marauding PSG right back Achraf Hakimi. Instead, Thomas aped Manchester United right back Diego Dalot, and the chance went abegging.

Trinidad and Tobago got another chance in the 38^th minute, with Telfer, Frederick and Phillip again involved.

This time, Telfer took the throw, Frederick flicked it on, and Phillip ran clear to hit under Curaçao goalkeeper Eloy Room.

The young Club Sando FC player bowed his head on the cycling track while his teammates hugged him, and one suspects that he was honoring the memory of his father, Courtney Phillip, who passed away a week ago.

Phillip will never forget his first senior international goal. But there was every likelihood that the lead he provided would not last.

Telfer looked more like a watchman than a defender, as Curaçao winger Jearl Margaritha dispatched a stream of crosses from the right flank. Eventually, one would come good. Right?

In the end, it was a cross-cum-shot from midfielder Juninho Bacuna, from an inside-right position, which finally created a close-range opportunity that forward Jordi Paulina could not miss, in the 62^nd minute. 1-1.

King responded by immediately replacing midfielder Molik Khan with attacker Real Gill. Ten minutes later, forward Reon Moore was in for midfield organiser Michel Poon-Angeron.

But it was merely a desperate roll of the dice. Moore and Gill are both desperately off-form, but they were the only attackers left in the squad.

As players tired, with roughly 10 minutes left in a game they desperately needed to win, King replaced Daniel David and Jaheim Joseph with defenders Neveal Hackshaw and Shervohnez Hamilton.

Needless to say, the substitutions were not met with approval by the Hasely Crawford Stadium. But King might counter that he would have happily introduced Levi Garcia, Tyrese Spicer, Dante Sealy or Nathaniel James, if he had them!

In the second minute of stoppage time, Curaçao flanker Jeremy Antonisse worked a clever freekick to slip a ball into Juninho inside the penalty area.

The Dutch-speaking islanders raised their arms in the air in anticipation of Juninho’s trademark, cool finish. Denzil Smith, not for the first time, responded with a remarkable reflex save.

Smith’s intervention ensured that King had his first point of the 2026 Concacaf Nations League campaign. It was meaningless to their aim of League A survival—but King, for the first time this year, was not beaten.

That would have to go down as a bright spot.

Defender Kobi Henry and Smith maintained their high standards too. Frederick looked like Trinidad and Tobago’s most constructive midfielder on the ball, while Poon-Angeron and rookie Jaheim Joseph also made strong cases for themselves.

There is still talent on these shores.

But, at the same time, Trinidad and Tobago look to be completing a calendar year without a win for the first time since 1971. And, in that year, the two-island nation played only twice—both away to Guyana, under an interim coach.

Does the TTFA think that we are on the path to success here?

One way or the other, we would find out soon enough. The scoreboard never lies.

Curaçao are a good team, is likely to be the retort from the administration. Well, they should be—they’re in League A. The real question is whether Trinidad and Tobago are any good.

Their current destination probably answers that.

Before the next CNL kicks off, Trinidad and Tobago will contest the 2027 Gold Cup play-offs against the top teams from League B and League C. It would be as good a time as any to end a mushrooming winless streak that stands at 12 games—just two shy of the nation’s all-time longest barren run.

(Team)

Trinidad and Tobago (3-2-4-1): 22.Denzil Smith (GK); 3.Kobi Henry, 4.Jaheim Joseph (12.Shervohnez Hamilton 82), 7.Ryan Telfer; 18.Andre Rampersad (captain), 16.Michel Poon-Angeron (13.Reon Moore 75); 6.Kaihim Thomas, 14.Wayne Frederick II, 10.Molik Khan (20.Real Gill 63), 9.Daniel David (5.Neveal Hackshaw 82); 8.Luke Phillip.

Unused substitutes: 1.Jabari Brice (GK), 21.Jahiem Wickham (GK), 17.Justin Garcia.

Coach: Derek King.

Curaçao (4-3-3): 1.Eloy Room (GK); 2.Shurandy Sambo (20.Joshua Brenet 78), 3.Jurien Gaari, 4.Jurich Carolina, 5.Sherel Floranus; 8.Livano Comenencia (11.Jeremy Antonisse 59), 10.Leandro Bacuna (captain), 7.Juninho Bacuna; 16.Jearl Margaritha, 19.Jordi Paulina (9.Jurgen Locadia 78), 14.Kenji Gorre (15.Ar’jany Martha 78).

Unused substitutes: 22.Tyrick Bodak (GK), 23.Kiyani Zeggen (GK), 6.Nicky Souren, 12.Kyano Penso, 17.Tyrese Noslin, 18.Armando Obispo, 21.Tahith Chong.

Coach: Dick Advocaat

Referee: Nelson Salgado (Honduras).

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Lasana Liburd

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.