United States Virgin Islands national soccer team
The U.S. Virgin Islands national soccer team, nicknamed The Dashing Eagle, is the national soccer team of the U.S. Virgin Islands and is controlled by the U.S. Virgin Islands Soccer Federation.
Nickname(s) | The Dashing Eagle | ||
---|---|---|---|
Association | USVI Soccer Federation | ||
Confederation | CONCACAF (North America) | ||
Sub-confederation | CFU (Caribbean) | ||
Head coach | Gilberto Damiano | ||
Captain | J.C. Mack | ||
Most caps | Dwayne Thomas (16) | ||
Top scorer | Jamie Browne Aaron Dennis Reid Klopp Bryce Pierre Kevin Sheppard Trevor Wrensford (2) | ||
Home stadium | Bethlehem Soccer Stadium | ||
FIFA code | VIR | ||
| |||
FIFA ranking | |||
Current | 207 (December 10, 2020)[1] | ||
Highest | 149 (July 2011) | ||
Lowest | 207 (November 2019) | ||
First international | |||
U.S. Virgin Islands 1–0 BVI (U.S. Virgin Islands; March 21, 1998) | |||
Biggest win | |||
Anguilla 0–3 U.S. Virgin Islands (The Valley, Anguilla; March 22, 2019) | |||
Biggest defeat | |||
Saint Lucia 14–1 U.S. Virgin Islands (Port-au-Prince, Haiti; April 14, 2001) |
Though FIFA did not officially recognize the USVI team as affiliated until 1992, the Virgin Islands federation was founded in the 1970s by Trinidad native Robert T. Wills who helped build the base of the USVI Soccer Federation as it is known today. The team played its first official international match on March 21, 1998 in a victory against the British Virgin Islands.[2] In May 2011, the USVI soccer federation chief, Frederick Hillaren, began ambitious changes in the team and appointed Keith Griffith, former coach and captain of the Barbados national team and former coach of Trinidad and Tobago powerhouse club team Joe Public F.C., as technical director. Within two months of Griffith's appointment, the team shot up 51 places in the FIFA World Rankings. Soccer is the third most popular sport on the islands.[2]
Stadium
Previously the team did not have a national stadium and were forced to play their home matches at Lionel Roberts Park, a baseball stadium in Charlotte Amalie. For their 2014 World Cup qualification matches, the team needed to bring in a new grass surface and make other special arrangements.[2] In the past, the team has played at Paul E. Joseph Stadium in St. Croix.[3] However, in February 2012, it was announced that the stadium was condemned and will be demolished to make way for a new sports complex that will cost at least $50 million. The 50-acre (20 ha) complex will contain venues for tennis, volleyball, baseball, and aquatics. However, the plans did not include a new soccer stadium.[4]
For the 2018 World Cup qualification, the team played at the Addelita Cancryn Junior High School Ground where they suffered a 4–0 loss to the Barbados national team.[5]
In August 2019, the USVI Soccer Association officially opened the 1,200-seat Bethlehem Soccer Stadium in Christiansted after an almost four-year construction process of the new complex.[6][7]
World Cup record
FIFA World Cup record | FIFA World Cup qualification record | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
1930 to 1998 | not a FIFA member | not a FIFA member | |||||||||||||
2002 | did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 14 | ||||||||
2006 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | |||||||||
2010 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | |||||||||
2014 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 41 | |||||||||
2018 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||
2022 | to be determined | to be determined | |||||||||||||
2026 | |||||||||||||||
Total | – | 0/21 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 8 | 70 |
Gold Cup record
CONCACAF Gold Cup | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Position | MP | W | D* | L | GF | GA | |
1991 | Did not enter | ||||||||
1993 | Did not enter | ||||||||
1996 | Did not enter | ||||||||
1998 | Did not enter | ||||||||
2000 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
2002 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
2003 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
2005 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
2007 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
2009 | Did not enter | ||||||||
2011 | Did not enter | ||||||||
2013 | Did not enter | ||||||||
2015 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
2017 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
2019 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
2021 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
Total | 0 Titles | 0/15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
CONCACAF Nations League record
CONCACAF Nations League record | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Division | Group | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | P/R | RK |
2019−20 | C | A | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 38th | |
2022–23 | C | To be determined | ||||||||
Total | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 38th | |||
Caribbean Cup record
.
Caribbean Cup record | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Position | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
1989 | Did not enter | |||||||
1990 | Did not enter | |||||||
1991 | Did not enter | |||||||
1992 | Did not enter | |||||||
1993 | Did not enter | |||||||
1994 | Did not enter | |||||||
1995 | Did not enter | |||||||
1996 | Did not enter | |||||||
1997 | Did not enter | |||||||
1998 | Withdrew | |||||||
1999 | Did not qualify | |||||||
2001 | Did not qualify | |||||||
2005 | Did not qualify | |||||||
2007 | Did not qualify | |||||||
2008 | Did not enter | |||||||
2010 | Did not enter | |||||||
2012 | Did not enter | |||||||
2014 | Did not qualify | |||||||
2017 | Did not qualify | |||||||
Total | 0 Titles | 0/19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Squad
Current squad
The following players were called up for the CONCACAF Nations League
No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GK | Lionel Brown | 17 September 1987 | 4 | 0 | Miami FC |
22 | GK | Carlos Quezada | 16 August 1982 | 0 | 0 | |
23 | GK | Erik Mozzo | 25 December 1990 | 7 | 0 | FC Versailles |
9 | DF | Kelton McGregor | 14 October 1997 | 0 | 0 | |
17 | DF | Raejae Joseph | 9 August 1997 | 4 | 1 | Rider Broncs |
5 | DF | Kassall Greene | 8 September 1985 | 8 | 0 | Cayon Rockets |
16 | DF | Carlos Labrada | 29 December 1985 | 5 | 0 | NTX Rayados |
15 | DF | Nakeeme Julian | 10 April 1999 | 1 | 0 | Helenites SC |
2 | DF | Jacob Borden | 10 December 1989 | 8 | 0 | Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats |
4 | DF | Dusty Good | 30 March 1987 | 12 | 0 | New Vibes |
3 | MF | Tyler Humphrey | 13 July 1991 | 5 | 1 | Fort Worth Vaqueros |
11 | MF | Avier Christian | 16 January 1996 | 3 | 0 | Liberta SC |
18 | MF | Trevor Wrensford | 7 October 1989 | 7 | 2 | Raymix SC |
6 | MF | Tnoy Andrew | 7 November 1992 | 11 | 0 | Swetes FC |
7 | MF | Jett Blaschka | 16 September 1999 | 6 | 0 | Marquette Golden Eagles |
8 | MF | MacDonald Taylor Jr | 23 March 1992 | 9 | 0 | |
21 | FW | Timothy Herring | 7 May 2000 | 0 | 0 | |
10 | FW | J.C. Mack | 8 October 1988 | 6 | 1 | Hawke's Bay United |
13 | FW | Shomari Francis | 31 March 2001 | 0 | 0 | |
14 | FW | Aaron Dennis | 24 February 1993 | 5 | 2 | New York Cosmos |
12 | FW | Connor Kendall | 25 May 1997 | 3 | 0 | |
19 | FW | Rakeem Joseph | 23 May 2000 | 3 | 0 | Parham FC |
All-time record against all nations
- As of 19 November 2019
Against | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | GD | % Won |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anguilla | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 50% |
Antigua and Barbuda | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 18 | −17 | 0% |
Bahamas | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
Barbados | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 12 | −11 | 20% |
Bermuda | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0% |
Bonaire | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0% |
British Virgin Islands | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 11 | −5 | 37.5% |
Canada | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | −8 | 0% |
Cayman Islands | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 0% |
Curaçao | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 21 | −20 | 0% |
Dominican Republic | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 17 | −14 | 0% |
Grenada | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 17 | −16 | 0% |
Guadeloupe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | −11 | 0% |
Guyana | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | −7 | 0% |
Haiti | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 36 | −35 | 0% |
Jamaica | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | −10 | 0% |
Montserrat | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0% |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | −12 | 0% |
Saint Lucia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 25 | −24 | 0% |
Saint Martin | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 33.3% |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 14 | −13 | 0% |
Sint Maarten | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 100% |
Turks and Caicos Islands | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0% |
Total | 53 | 7 | 6 | 40 | 29 | 238 | −209 | 13.2% |
Results and fixtures
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
2021
March 27 WC 1st Round Qualifying | U.S. Virgin Islands | v | Antigua and Barbuda | Saint Croix, US Virgin Islands |
Stadium: Bethlehem Soccer Stadium |
March 30 WC 1st Round Qualifying | Grenada | v | U.S. Virgin Islands | St. George's, Grenada |
Stadium: Kirani James Athletic Stadium |
June 2 WC 1st Round Qualifying | Montserrat | v | U.S. Virgin Islands | Lookout, Montserrat |
Stadium: Blakes Estate Stadium |
June 5 WC 1st Round Qualifying | U.S. Virgin Islands | v | El Salvador | Saint Croix, US Virgin Islands |
Stadium: Bethlehem Soccer Stadium |
Coaches
- Paul Inurie (2000)
- Glad Bugariu (2000–2002)
- Francisco Williams Ramírez (2003–2004)
- Carlton Freeman (2004–2008)
- Craig Martin (2010)
- Keith Griffith (2011)[2]
- Terrence Jones (2011)
- Leonard Appleton (2014)
- Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed (2015–2017)
- Craig Martin (2017)
- Marcelo Serrano (2017–2019)
- Gilberto Damiano (2019–present)
Technical directors
- Keith Griffith (2011–2013)
- Kenadall Walkes (2013–)[8]
References
- "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
- "US Virgin Islanders find a foothold". fifa.com. FIFA. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
- Davis, Dave (September 7, 2011). "V.I. Men's Soccer Team Trounced in World Cup Qualifier". stthomassource.com. V.I. Source Publications, Inc. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
- Shatwell, Justin (February 16, 2012). "Plans Unveiled for Frederiksted Sports Complex". stcroixsource.com. V.I. Source Publications, Inc. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
- "USVI 0 Barbados 4". fifa.com. FIFA. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
- "Sunday August 11 FIFA and Concacaf Presidents will be visiting the US Virgin Islands". United States Virgin Islands Soccer Association. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
- "USVI Soccer Association Invites Community to Masters Tournament on Aug. 11". St. Croix Source. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
- "Helenites are USVI Soccer Champions". virginislandsnewsonline.com. Virgin Islands News Online. February 28, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2015.