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Montserrat national football team

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This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Montserrat women's national football team.

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 (36)
Top scorerLyle Taylor (13)
Home stadiumBlakes Estate Stadium
FIFA codeMSR
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 181 Steady (19 December 2024)[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)
The Other Final
Appearances1 (first in 2002)
Best resultRunners-Up (2002)

The Montserrat national football team represents Montserrat in international 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.

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 30 June 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. The game took place in Bhutan in front of a crowd of 15,000.

History

[edit]

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 progression 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.[3] 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.[3]

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 after 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.[3] 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.[4][5] Just months later on September 8, 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

[edit]

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.[6]

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

[edit]

Since the team's first match in 1991, Montserrat have usually worn a first-choice kit of green, either plain green[7] or green and white hoops.[8] Currently, the away kit is a red jersey, shorts and socks.

Results and fixtures

[edit]
Main article: Montserrat national football team results

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

2024

[edit]
21 March Training Friendly Montserrat  4–0 Spain Club Costa City La Nucia, Spain
17:00 (CET)
Stadium: La Nucia Football Center
5 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Nicaragua  4–1  Montserrat Managua, Nicaragua
20:00 UTC−6
Report (FIFA)
Report (CONCACAF)
Stadium: Estadio Nacional de Fútbol
Attendance: 14,320
Referee: Tori Penso (United States)
9 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Montserrat  1–3  Panama Managua, Nicaragua
19:00 UTC−6
Report (FIFA)
Report (CONCACAF)
Stadium: Estadio Nacional de Fútbol
Referee: Ismael Alexander Cornejo (El Salvador)
5 September 2024–25 Nations League Montserrat  1–4  El Salvador Rincon, Bonaire
16:00 UTC−4
Report
Stadium: Stadion Antonio Trenidat
Referee: Benjamín Pineda (Costa Rica)
8 September 2024–25 Nations League Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  2–0  Montserrat Rincon, Bonaire
16:00 UTC−4
Report Stadium: Stadion Antonio Trenidat
Referee: Rubiel Vázquez (United States)
10 October 2024–25 Nations League Bonaire  v  Montserrat Montserrat
--:-- UTC−6 Stadium: TBD
13 October 2024–25 Nations League Montserrat  v  Bonaire Montserrat
--:-- UTC−6 Stadium: TBD
14 November 2024–25 Nations League Montserrat  v  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines El Salvador
--:-- UTC−6 Stadium: TBD
17 November 2024–25 Nations League El Salvador  v  Montserrat El Salvador
--:-- UTC−6 Stadium: TBD

2025

[edit]
4 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Montserrat  v  Belize
10 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Guyana  v  Montserrat

Coaching staff

[edit]
Position Name Notes
Manager England Lee Bowyer
Assistant Manager Montserrat Ignatius Reid
Goalkeeping Coach Montserrat Raheem Jefferson
Head Physiotherapist Montserrat Robinson Plymouth

Coaching history

[edit]

Players

[edit]

Current squad

[edit]

The following players were called up to the squad for the 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League B matches against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 14 November 2024 and El Salvador on 17 November 2024.[11]

Caps and goals correct as of 17 November 2024, after the game against  El Salvador.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Trent Carter-Rogers (2006-04-23) 23 April 2006 (age 18) 6 0 England Hanwell Town
13 1GK Corrin Brooks-Meade (1988-03-19) 19 March 1988 (age 36) 23 0 Unattached
4 2DF Nico Gordon (2002-04-28) 28 April 2002 (age 22) 12 0 United States North Texas
5 2DF Donervon Daniels (1993-11-24) 24 November 1993 (age 31) 8 1 England Walsall
6 2DF Mackye Townsend-West (2003-08-01) 1 August 2003 (age 21) 3 0 England Ware
16 2DF Jernade Meade (1992-10-15) 15 October 1992 (age 32) 15 0 England St Ives Town
21 2DF Lucas Kirnon (2003-10-25) 25 October 2003 (age 21) 12 0 Canada Thompson Rivers WolfPack
22 2DF Vashirn Roache (2005-07-07) 7 July 2005 (age 19) 0 0 England Hartpury College
3 3MF Lewis Duberry (2003-03-07) 7 March 2003 (age 21) 9 0 England Kings Langley
8 3MF Brandon Comley (1995-11-18) 18 November 1995 (age 29) 22 0 England Walsall
18 3MF Alex Dyer (1990-06-11) 11 June 1990 (age 34) 36 0 England Wealdstone
20 3MF Mylan Benjamin (2004-09-21) 21 September 2004 (age 20) 8 0 Unattached
7 4FW Brandon Barzey (1999-07-27) 27 July 1999 (age 25) 17 4 England Hemel Hempstead Town
11 4FW Seigel Rodney (2003-10-02) 2 October 2003 (age 21) 5 0 Antigua and Barbuda Pigotts SC
12 4FW Dominic Richmond (2006-03-18) 18 March 2006 (age 18) 10 1 Unattached
17 4FW Ashley Boatswain (2005-04-19) 19 April 2005 (age 19) 6 1 England Ipswich Town
19 4FW Josiah Dyer (2004-09-24) 24 September 2004 (age 20) 9 1 England Barnsley

Recent call-ups

[edit]

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 Kymani Nelson (2004-03-04) 4 March 2004 (age 20) 6 0 Unattached v.  Panama, 9 June 2024
DF Dean Mason (1989-02-28) 28 February 1989 (age 35) 28 0 Free agent v.  Bonaire, 10 October 2024
DF Craig Braham-Barrett (1988-09-01) 1 September 1988 (age 36) 29 0 England AFC Whyteleafe v.  Bonaire, 10 October 2024
DF Lenni Cirino (2003-01-25) 25 January 2003 (age 21) 4 0 England Clitheroe v.  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 8 September 2024
DF Raff Cirino (2007-02-03) 3 February 2007 (age 17) 2 0 England Fleetwood Town v.  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 8 September 2024
DF Joey Taylor (1997-08-18) 18 August 1997 (age 27) 23 1 England Ashford United v.  Panama, 9 June 2024
DF Jeriel Dorsett (2002-05-04) 4 May 2002 (age 22) 7 0 England Reading v.  Panama, 9 June 2024
MF James Comley (1991-01-24) 24 January 1991 (age 33) 23 1 England Hampton & Richmond Borough v.  Bonaire, 10 October 2024
MF Kaleem Simon (1996-07-08) 8 July 1996 (age 28) 18 3 United Arab Emirates Gulf United v.  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 8 September 2024
MF Sydney Mendes (2003-07-02) 2 July 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Unattached v.  Barbados, 24 November 2023
MF Mark Rogers (2002-05-06) 6 May 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Free agent v.  Barbados, 24 November 2023
FW Lyle Taylor (1990-03-29) 29 March 1990 (age 34) 20 13 England Cambridge United v.  Bonaire, 10 October 2024
FW Jamie Allen (1995-05-25) 25 May 1995 (age 29) 15 0 England Workington v.  Bonaire, 10 October 2024
FW Bradley Woods-Garness (1986-06-26) 26 June 1986 (age 38) 19 4 Unattached v.  Bonaire, 10 October 2024
FW Adrian Clifton (1988-12-12) 12 December 1988 (age 36) 23 6 England Hayes & Yeading United v.  Barbados, 24 November 2023

Player records

[edit]
As of 17 November 2024[12]
Players in bold are still active with Montserrat.

Most appearances

[edit]
Dean Mason is one of Montserrat's most capped players
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Alex Dyer 36 0 2011–present
2 Craig Braham-Barrett 29 0 2018–present
3 Dean Mason 28 0 2012–present
4 Adrian Clifton 23 6 2015–present
Joey Taylor 23 1 2018–present
James Comley 23 1 2015–present
Corrin Brooks-Meade 23 0 2015–present
8 Brandon Comley 22 0 2018–present
9 Lyle Taylor 20 13 2015–present
10 Bradley Woods-Garness 19 4 2012–present

Top goalscorers

[edit]
Lyle Taylor is Montserrat's top scorer with 12 goals.
# Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Lyle Taylor 13 20 0.65 2015–present
2 Adrian Clifton 6 23 0.26 2015–present
3 Jay'lee Hodgson 4 7 0.57 2011–2014
Bradley Woods-Garness 4 19 0.21 2012–present
Brandon Barzey 4 17 0.24 2022–present
6 Vladimir Farrell 3 12 0.25 2000–2010
Spencer Weir-Daley 3 18 0.17 2015–2023
Kaleem Simon 3 18 0.17 2021–present
9 Marlon Campbell 2 3 0.67 2012
Ellis Remy 2 6 0.33 2010–2014
Nathan Pond 2 13 0.15 2019–2023

Competitive record

[edit]

FIFA World Cup

[edit]
FIFA World Cup Qualification
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1994 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
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 2 0 0 2 2 7
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total – 0/7 – – – – – – 15 2 3 10 19 56

CONCACAF Gold Cup

[edit]
CONCACAF Gold Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
United States 1991 Did not qualify
Mexico United States 1993 Did not enter
United States 1996 Did not qualify
United States 1998 Did not enter
United States 2000 Did not qualify
United States 2002
Mexico United States 2003 Withdrew
United States 2005 Did not qualify
United States 2007 Did not enter
United States 2009
United States 2011 Did not qualify
United States 2013
Canada United States 2015
United States 2017 Did not enter
Costa Rica Jamaica United States 2019 Did not qualify
United States 2021
Canada United States 2023
Total – 0/17 – – – – –

CONCACAF Nations League

[edit]
CONCACAF Nations League record
League Finals
Season Division Group Pld W D L GF GA P/R Finals Result Pld W D L GF GA Squad
2019–20 B B 6 2 2 2 4 5 Same position United States 2021 Ineligible
2022–23 B B 6 1 1 4 6 14 Same position United States 2023
2023–24 B B 6 3 0 3 9 14 Same position United States 2024
2024–25 B A To be determined 2025
Total — — 18 6 3 9 19 33 — Total 0 Titles — — — — — — —

Caribbean Cup

[edit]
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

[edit]
As of 14 November 2024[13]
Against Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD % Won
 Anguilla 4 2 1 1 6 7 −1 50%
 Antigua and Barbuda 4 0 1 3 6 20 −14 0%
 Aruba 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 100%
 Barbados 3 2 0 1 7 9 −2 66%
 Belize 3 1 0 2 4 8 −4 33%
 Bermuda 2 0 0 2 0 20 −20 0%
 Bhutan 1 0 0 1 0 4 −4 0%
 Bonaire 3 1 1 1 1 1 0 33.33%
 British Virgin Islands 3 1 0 2 8 6 +2 33%
 Cayman Islands 1 1 0 0 2 1 1 100%
 Curaçao 2 0 1 1 3 4 −1 0%
 Dominican Republic 5 2 1 2 5 8 −3 40%
 El Salvador 5 0 1 4 3 10 −7 0%
 Guyana (will be played in June 2025) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0%
 Martinique 1 0 0 1 0 5 −5 0%
 Nicaragua 1 0 0 1 1 4 −3 0%
 Panama 1 0 0 1 1 3 −2 0%
 Saint Kitts and Nevis 4 0 0 4 2 29 −27 0%
 Saint Lucia 3 1 1 1 2 4 −2 33%
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5 0 0 5 1 31 −30 0%
 Suriname 2 0 0 2 2 14 −12 0%
 U.S. Virgin Islands 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100%
Total 55 13 7 35 59 188 −129 23.63%

Note: teams in italic are not FIFA members.

Historical kits

[edit]
2000s Home
2000s Away
2012 Home
2012 Away
2014 Home
2014 Away
2016 Home
2016 Away
2018 Home
2019 Home
2020 Home
2020 Away

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 19 December 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  2. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 25 December 2024. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "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.
  4. ^ "'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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ FIFA.com. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking - Ranking Table". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  7. ^ "The Montserrat Miracle Men March On". PressFrom – UK. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  8. ^ FIFA.com. "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia – Teams – Montserrat – Profile". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  9. ^ "2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan ™". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 16 November 2007. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  10. ^ "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". Sports Illustrated. 30 June 2002. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  11. ^ "Final Squad". Instagram. Montserrat Football Association. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  12. ^ "Montserrat". National Football Teams.
  13. ^ "World Football Elo Ratings". www.eloratings.net. Archived from the original on 30 June 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
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