Montserrat national football team

The Montserrat national football team represents Montserrat in intenational football. Football is the second most popular sport in Montserrat, after cricket. The team plays at the Blakes Estate Stadium. The Montserrat football team was formed in 1973, and has entered the World Cup qualifiers since the 2002 edition, being eliminated in the first round on each occasion.

Montserrat
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Emerald Boys
AssociationMontserrat Football Association
ConfederationCONCACAF (North America)
Sub-confederationCFU (Caribbean)
Head coachLee Bowyer
CaptainLyle Taylor
Most capsAlex Dyer (27)
Top scorerLyle Taylor (12)
Home stadiumBlakes Estate Stadium
FIFA codeMSR
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 179 Steady (21 September 2023)[1]
Highest165 (August 2014)
Lowest206 (January 2011 – January 2012, June 2012, August – September 2012)
First international
 Saint Lucia 3–0 Montserrat 
(Saint Lucia; 10 May 1991)
Biggest win
 British Virgin Islands 0–7 Montserrat 
(Fort-de-France, Martinique; 9 September 2012)
Biggest defeat
 Bermuda 13–0 Montserrat 
(Hamilton, Bermuda; 29 February 2004)

Due to the volcanic activity on the island from 1995 to 2010, the team has only played a handful of matches, and most of those have been away from home. Their only victories were against neighboring Anguilla in the qualifying tournament of the 1995 Caribbean Cup, winning 3–2 at home and 1–0 away. Apart from one draw against Anguilla, all their other matches before 2018 were losses. Since then, however, Montserrat has proven more competitive.

On June 30, 2002, the day of the 2002 World Cup Final, Montserrat, then the lowest ranked team in the world, played against the second lowest ranked team, Bhutan, in a friendly match known as "The Other Final"; losing 4–0.

History

The Montserrat national team is one of the newest in international football, having played its first senior match on 10 May 1991 during the 1991 Caribbean Cup tournament. The team suffered a 3–0 defeat against Saint Lucia. The team's next match was against Anguilla; securing a 1-1 draw. Montserrat once again entered the Caribbean Cup the following year but were once more knocked out in the group stage, with heavy defeats against Saint Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda. They were drawn against the same two teams in the 1994 Caribbean Cup, again being eliminated in the tournament's group stage, conceding 17 goals in two matches. In 1994, the Montserrat Football Association (MFA) was formed. Like all other football teams based in the Caribbean, the MFA became a member of CONCACAF.

On 26 March 1995, Montserrat played their first ever home international match. They defeated Anguilla 3–2, thus achieving their first win. The team beat Anguilla again in the next fixture to ensure progress to the Second Qualifying Round of the 1995 Caribbean Cup. The 1–0 win in the second leg was their only clean sheet in international football and their most recent victory for the next seventeen years. The side exited the competition in the next stage, losing 20–0 against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Soon afterwards, the Soufrière Hills volcano became active and the eruptions destroyed Plymouth, the capital of Montserrat, severely disrupting life on the island.[2] Despite the lack of football action, the MFA became a member of FIFA in 1996. However, it was a further three years before the Montserrat team played another match. This was mostly because many of the island's footballers had emigrated from the area, many of them to England.[2]

After a four-year hiatus, the team entered the 1999 Caribbean Nations Cup. They were knocked out in the preliminary round of the tournament, losing 6–1 to the British Virgin Islands. Due to the volcanic activity on the island, Montserrat had been unable to enter the FIFA World Cup 1998 tournament, so their entry to the 2002 World Cup was their first; but it was not a success as they were defeated 6–1 by the Dominican Republic. In 2001, the MFA visited The Football Association to raise money for a new stadium. Shortly affer this the Blakes Estate Stadium was opened. The team's next match was on 30 June 2002, the day of the World Cup Final, when Montserrat played Bhutan in a game known as "The Other Final". The friendly match between the two lowest-ranked teams in the world ended with a 4–0 win for Bhutan in front of 15,000 fans in Thimphu.

Montserrat entered the World Cup qualifiers once more for the 2006 competition, but again lost in the first qualifying round, this time losing 20–0 against Bermuda. Montserrat then competed in the 2005 Caribbean Cup, but once more failed to progress past the preliminary round. In 2008, they were defeated 7–1 by Suriname in the first qualifying round of the 2010 World Cup.

The team played a friendly match against a Network Rail XI on May 19, 2012, ending in a 4–4 draw.

Montserrat achieved their first victory since 1995 and their first ever victory since joining FIFA, beating the British Virgin Islands 7–0 in a 2012 Caribbean Championship qualifying match.

Montserrat's fortunes changed dramatically in 2018 with the arrival of Willie Donachie and the launch of the CONCACAF Nations League.[2] The side won three of their four qualifying games, but missed out on qualification for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup on goal difference. The team went on to take second place in their group in the inaugural season with two wins, draws, and losses each, thus keeping their place in the second tier.

Following Willie Donachie, in 2022 Matt Lockwood took over for a spell as head coach and technical director, supported in March 2023 by assistant coaches Craig Easton and David Preece.[3][4] Just Months later 8th September Lee Bowyer took over as the Montserrat manager and Steve Gallen is the assistant, in their first game they beat Barbados with a 99th minute winner to go second in their Concacaf Nations League group.

World rankings

Due to the team's poor results, they have often been at the lower end of the FIFA World Rankings. The loss to Bhutan in "The Other Final" saw them fall to 203rd in the rankings, becoming the worst-ranked side in the world. After the addition of another two teams to FIFA, Montserrat achieved a new low of 205th between July and October 2004. In July 2006, they achieved a record high rank of 196th, but then fell to 198th the following month. Success in the qualifying tournament for the CONCACAF Nations League and the first edition of the league proper saw them rise to 184th.[5]

The team have also languished in the lower reaches of the unofficial World Football Elo Ratings, which ranks teams directly based on their match results.

Colours

Since the team's first match in 1991, Montserrat have usually worn a first-choice kit of green, either plain green[6] or green and white hoops.[7] Currently, the away kit is a red jersey, shorts and socks.

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.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2023

25 March 2022–23 Nations League Montserrat  0–4  Haiti Lookout, Montserrat
17:00 UTC−4 Report
Stadium: Blakes Estate Stadium
Referee: Bryan López (Guatemala)
28 March 2022–23 Nations League Guyana  0–0  Montserrat Wildey, Barbados
19:00 UTC−4 Report Stadium: Wildey Turf
Referee: Keylor Herrera (Costa Rica)
8 September 2023–24 Nations League Barbados  2–3  Montserrat Wildey, Barbados
19:00 UTC−4
Report
Stadium: Wildey Turf
Referee: Ken Pennyfeather (Antigua and Barbuda)
11 September 2023–24 Nations League Dominican Republic  3–0  Montserrat Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
19:00 UTC−4
Report Stadium: Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez
Referee: Oshane Nation (Jamaica)
13 October 2023–24 Nations League Montserrat  0–3  Nicaragua Wildey, Barbados
15:00 UTC−4 Report
Stadium: Wildey Turf
Referee: Jorge Leira (Panama)
16 October 2023–24 Nations League Nicaragua  3–0  Montserrat Managua, Nicaragua
20:00 UTC−6
Report Stadium: Estadio Nacional de Fútbol
Referee: José Valladares (Honduras)

Coaching staff

Position Name Notes
Manager England Lee Bowyer
Assistant Manager England Steve Gallen
Goalkeeping Coach
Head Physiotherapist England Paul Morgan

Coaching history

Current squad

The following players were called up to the squad for the 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League B matches against Nicaragua on 13 and 17 October 2023.[10]

Caps and goals correct as of 17 October 2023, after the game against Nicaragua.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Corrin Brooks-Meade (1988-03-19) 19 March 1988 19 0 Unattached
13 1GK Kymani Nelson (2004-03-04) 4 March 2004 6 0 England Bush Hill Rangers

5 2DF Joey Taylor (1997-08-18) 18 August 1997 21 1 England Chatham Town
6 2DF Nico Gordon (2002-04-28) 28 April 2002 4 0 England Solihull Moors
14 2DF Vashirn Roache (2005-07-07) 7 July 2005 0 0 England Hartpury College
16 2DF Lucas Kirnon (2003-10-25) 25 October 2003 6 0 England Garstang
19 2DF Jeriel Dorsett (2002-05-04) 4 May 2002 3 0 England Reading
22 2DF Craig Braham-Barrett (1988-09-01) 1 September 1988 24 0 England Dulwich Hamlet
23 2DF Dean Mason (1989-02-28) 28 February 1989 26 0 Unattached

3 3MF Lewis Duberry (2003-03-07) 7 March 2003 7 0 England Fisher
7 3MF Kaleem Simon (1996-07-08) 8 July 1996 12 1 United Arab Emirates Fleetwood United
10 3MF Sydney Mendes (2003-07-02) 2 July 2003 0 0 Unattached
11 3MF James Comley (1991-01-24) 24 January 1991 22 1 England Hampton & Richmond Borough
18 3MF Alex Dyer (1990-06-11) 11 June 1990 27 0 England Wealdstone

8 4FW Bradley Woods-Garness (1986-06-26) 26 June 1986 18 4 England Tower Hamlets
9 4FW Lyle Taylor (captain) (1990-03-29) 29 March 1990 16 12 Unattached
12 4FW Seigel Rodney (2003-10-02) 2 October 2003 3 0 England Gloucester City AFC
17 4FW Adrian Clifton (1988-12-12) 12 December 1988 21 7 England Dulwich Hamlet

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up to the Montserrat squad in the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Josiah Persaud (2003-12-24) 24 December 2003 0 0 Unattached v.  Dominican Republic, 12 September 2023

DF Jernade Meade (1992-10-15) 15 October 1992 6 0 England Tonbridge Angels v.  Dominican Republic, 12 September 2023
DF Nathan Pond (1985-01-05) 5 January 1985 13 2 England Fleetwood Town v.  Guyana, 29 March 2023

MF Brandon Barzey (1999-07-27) 27 July 1999 7 0 England Dartford v.  Dominican Republic, 12 September 2023

FW Massiah McDonald (1990-08-20) 20 August 1990 14 0 England Rugby Town v.  Dominican Republic, 12 September 2023
FW Jamie Allen (1995-05-25) 25 May 1995 11 0 England Curzon Ashton v.  Dominican Republic, 12 September 2023
FW Jermahri Meade (2004-11-13) 13 November 2004 0 0 England Hartpury College v.  Dominican Republic, 12 September 2023
FW Spencer Weir-Daley (1985-09-05) 5 September 1985 18 3 England Anstey Nomads v.  Guyana, 29 March 2023
FW Dominic Richmond (2006-03-18) 18 March 2006 1 0 England Fleetwood Town v.  Guyana, 29 March 2023

Player records

As of 17 October 2023[11]
Players in bold are still active with Montserrat.

Most appearances

Dean Mason was previously Montserrat's most capped player with 24 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Alex Dyer 27 0 2011–present
2 Dean Mason 26 0 2012–present
3 Craig Braham-Barrett 24 0 2018–present
4 James Comley 22 1 2015–present
5 Adrian Clifton 21 7 2015–present
Joey Taylor 21 1 2018–present
7 Corrin Brooks-Meade 19 0 2015–present
8 Spencer Weir-Daley 18 3 2015–present
Bradley Woods-Garness 18 4 2012–present
10 Michael Williams 17 0 2014–present

Top goalscorers

Lyle Taylor is Montserrat's top scorer with 12 goals.
# Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Lyle Taylor 12 16 0.75 2015–present
2 Adrian Clifton 7 21 0.33 2015–present
3 Jay'lee Hodgson 4 7 0.57 2011–2014
Bradley Woods-Garness 4 18 0.22 2012–present
5 Vladimir Farrell 3 12 0.25 2000–2010
Spencer Weir-Daley 3 18 0.17 2015–present
7 Marlon Campbell 2 3 0.67 2012
Ellis Remy 2 6 0.33 2010–2014
Nathan Pond 2 13 0.15 2019–present

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
Italy 1934
France 1938
Brazil 1950
Switzerland 1954
Sweden 1958
Chile 1962
England 1966
Mexico 1970
West Germany 1974
Argentina 1978
Spain 1982
Mexico 1986
Italy 1990
United States 1994
France 1998 Did not enter Did not enter
South Korea Japan 2002 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 1 6
Germany 2006 2 0 0 2 0 20
South Africa 2010 1 0 0 1 1 7
Brazil 2014 2 0 0 2 3 8
Russia 2018 2 0 1 1 3 4
Qatar 2022 4 2 2 0 9 4
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined To be determined
Total 132381749

CONCACAF Gold Cup

CONCACAF Gold Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
United States 1991Did not qualify
MexicoUnited States 1993Did not enter
United States 1996Did not qualify
United States 1998Did not enter
United States 2000Did not qualify
United States 2002
MexicoUnited States 2003Withdrew
United States 2005Did not qualify
United States 2007Did not enter
United States 2009
United States 2011Did not qualify
United States 2013
CanadaUnited States 2015
United States 2017Did not enter
United StatesCosta RicaJamaica 2019Did not qualify
United States 2021
CanadaUnited States 2023
Total0 titles0/17000000

CONCACAF Nations League

CONCACAF Nations League record
Season Division Group Pld W D* L GF GA P/R Rank
United States 2019−20 B B 6 2 2 2 4 5 Same position 20th
United States 2022–23 B B 6 1 1 4 6 14 Same position 24th
Total 12 3 3 6 10 19 20th

Caribbean Cup

Caribbean Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Barbados 1989 Did not enter
Trinidad and Tobago 1990
Jamaica 1991 Did not qualify
Trinidad and Tobago 1992
Jamaica 1993 Did not enter
Trinidad and Tobago 1994 Did not qualify
Cayman Islands Jamaica 1995
Trinidad and Tobago 1996 Did not enter
Antigua and Barbuda Saint Kitts and Nevis 1997
Jamaica Trinidad and Tobago 1998
Trinidad and Tobago 1999 Did not qualify
Trinidad and Tobago 2001
Barbados 2005
Trinidad and Tobago 2007 Did not enter
Jamaica 2008
Martinique 2010 Did not qualify
Antigua and Barbuda 2012
Jamaica 2014
Martinique 2017 Did not enter
Total 0 Titles 0/19 0 0 0 0 0 0

Head-to-head record

As of 24 March 2021[12]
Against Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD  % Won
 Anguilla421167−150%
 Antigua and Barbuda4013620−140%
 Aruba110020+2100%
 Barbados100105−50%
 Belize310248−433%
 Bermuda2002020−200%
 Bhutan100104−40%
 Bonaire10100000%
 British Virgin Islands310286+233%
 Cayman Islands1100211100%
 Curaçao201134−10%
 Dominican Republic411237−425%
 El Salvador401326−40%
 Martinique100105−50%
 Saint Kitts and Nevis4004229−270%
 Saint Lucia311124−233%
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines3003027−270%
 Suriname2002214−120%
 U.S. Virgin Islands110010+1100%
Total45972945167−12220%

Note: teams in italic are not FIFA members.

References

  1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  2. "The world's worst team reinvented after disaster". Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022 via www.bbc.co.uk.
  3. "'It's stripping football right back to what everyone fell in love with, taking it back to its roots.'". Belfast News Letter. 23 March 2023. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  4. Temple, Alan. "EXCLUSIVE: Former Dundee United ace Craig Easton opens up on shock international adventure in the Caribbean — alongside ex-Dens Park hero". Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  5. FIFA.com. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking - Ranking Table - FIFA.com". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  6. "The Montserrat Miracle Men March On". PressFrom – UK. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  7. FIFA.com. "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ – Teams – Montserrat – Profile". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  8. "2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan ™". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 16 November 2007. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  9. "CNNSI.com – CNNSI.com's complete coverage of the FIFA World Cup – Bhutan routs Montserrat in 'other final' – Sunday June 30, 2002 05:39 AM". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. 30 June 2002. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  10. "Final Squad". Instagram. Montserrat Football Association. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  11. "Montserrat". National Football Teams.
  12. "World Football Elo Ratings". www.eloratings.net. Archived from the original on 30 June 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
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