Nickname(s) | Emerald Boys | ||
---|---|---|---|
Association | Montserrat Football Association | ||
Confederation | CONCACAF (North America) | ||
Sub-confederation | CFU (Caribbean) | ||
Head coach | Lee Bowyer | ||
Captain | Lyle Taylor | ||
Most caps | Alex Dyer (28) | ||
Top scorer | Lyle Taylor (12) | ||
Home stadium | Blakes Estate Stadium | ||
FIFA code | MSR | ||
| |||
FIFA ranking | |||
Current | 175 1 (4 April 2024) [1] | ||
Highest | 165 (August 2014) | ||
Lowest | 206 (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 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 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. [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 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. [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 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.
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.
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.
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
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) |
17 November 2023–24 Nations League | Montserrat | 2–1 | Dominican Republic | Lookout, Montserrat |
15:00 UTC−4 | Report |
| Stadium: Blakes Estate Stadium Attendance: 290 Referee: Yadel Martínez (Cuba) |
20 November 2023–24 Nations League | Montserrat | 4–2 | Barbados | Lookout, Montserrat |
15:00 UTC−4 | Report | Stadium: Blakes Estate Stadium Referee: Moeth Gaymes (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) |
21 March Training Friendly | Montserrat | 4–0 | Club Costa City | La Nucia Football Center, La Nucia, Spain |
17:00 (CET) |
Position | Name | Notes |
---|---|---|
Manager | Lee Bowyer | |
Assistant Manager | Ignatius Reid | |
Goalkeeping Coach | Raheem Jefferson | |
Head Physiotherapist | Robinson Plymouth | |
The following players were called up to the squad for the 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League B matches against Dominican Republic on 17 November and Barbados on 20 December 2023. [10]
Caps and goals correct as of 20 November 2023, after the game against Barbados.
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 | 24 December 2003 | 0 | 0 | Unattached | v. Dominican Republic , 12 September 2023 |
DF | Vashirn Roache | 7 July 2005 | 0 | 0 | Hartpury College | v. Nicaragua , 17 October 2023 |
DF | Nathan Pond | 5 January 1985 | 13 | 2 | Fleetwood Town | v. Guyana , 29 March 2023 |
MF | Lewis Duberry | 7 March 2003 | 7 | 0 | Basildon United | v. Nicaragua , 17 October 2023 |
FW | Lyle Taylor | 29 March 1990 | 16 | 12 | Cambridge United | v. Nicaragua , 17 October 2023 |
FW | Massiah McDonald | 20 August 1990 | 14 | 0 | Rugby Town | v. Dominican Republic , 12 September 2023 |
FW | Jermahri Meade | 13 November 2004 | 0 | 0 | Hartpury College | v. Dominican Republic , 12 September 2023 |
FW | Spencer Weir-Daley | 5 September 1985 | 18 | 3 | Anstey Nomads | v. Guyana , 29 March 2023 |
Rank | Player | Caps | Goals | Career |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Alex Dyer | 28 | 0 | 2011–present |
2 | Dean Mason | 27 | 0 | 2012–present |
3 | Craig Braham-Barrett | 25 | 0 | 2018–present |
4 | Adrian Clifton | 22 | 7 | 2015–present |
5 | James Comley | 22 | 1 | 2015–present |
Joey Taylor | 22 | 1 | 2018–present | |
7 | Corrin Brooks-Meade | 21 | 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 |
Brandon Comley | 17 | 0 | 2018–present | |
# | Player | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Lyle Taylor | 12 | 16 | 0.75 | 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 | 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 | |
Brandon Barzey | 2 | 9 | 0.22 | 2022–present | |
Nathan Pond | 2 | 13 | 0.15 | 2019–present | |
Kaleem Simon | 2 | 14 | 0.14 | 2021–present | |
FIFA World Cup | Qualification | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | F | A | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | |
1930 to 1994 | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | |||||||||||||
1998 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||
2002 | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | ||||||||
2006 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | |||||||||
2010 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |||||||||
2014 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 8 | |||||||||
2018 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||||||||
2022 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 4 | |||||||||
2026 | To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||
2030 | |||||||||||||||
2034 | |||||||||||||||
Total | – | 0/7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 13 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 17 | 49 |
CONCACAF Gold Cup record | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | |
1991 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
1993 | Did not enter | ||||||||
1996 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
1998 | Did not enter | ||||||||
2000 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
2002 | |||||||||
2003 | Withdrew | ||||||||
2005 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
2007 | Did not enter | ||||||||
2009 | |||||||||
2011 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
2013 | |||||||||
2015 | |||||||||
2017 | Did not enter | ||||||||
2019 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
2021 | |||||||||
2023 | |||||||||
Total | – | 0/17 | – | – | – | – | – |
CONCACAF Nations League record | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Division | Group | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | P/R | Rank |
2019−20 | B | B | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 20th | |
2022–23 | B | B | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 24th | |
2023–24 | B | B | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 14 | 27th | |
Total | 18 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 19 | 33 | 20th |
Caribbean Cup record | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA |
1989 | Did not enter | |||||||
1990 | ||||||||
1991 | Did not qualify | |||||||
1992 | ||||||||
1993 | Did not enter | |||||||
1994 | Did not qualify | |||||||
1995 | ||||||||
1996 | Did not enter | |||||||
1997 | ||||||||
1998 | ||||||||
1999 | Did not qualify | |||||||
2001 | ||||||||
2005 | ||||||||
2007 | Did not enter | |||||||
2008 | ||||||||
2010 | Did not qualify | |||||||
2012 | ||||||||
2014 | ||||||||
2017 | Did not enter | |||||||
Total | 0 Titles | 0/19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
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 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 0% |
Martinique | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 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 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 27 | −27 | 0% |
Suriname | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 | −12 | 0% |
U.S. Virgin Islands | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 100% |
Total | 48 | 12 | 7 | 29 | 54 | 172 | −118 | 25% |
Note: teams in italic are not FIFA members.
2000s Home | 2000s Away | 2012 Home | 2012 Away | 2014 Home | 2014 Away | 2016 Home | 2016 Away |
2018 Home | 2019 Home | 2020 Home | 2020 Away |
The Saint Vincent and the Grenadines national football team represents Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in men's international football. It is controlled by the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation.
The Barbados national football team, nicknamed Bajan Tridents, is the national football team of Barbados, and is controlled by the Barbados Football Association. It has never qualified for a major international tournament. It came close to qualifying for the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup as it hosted the Caribbean Cup finals that acted as Gold Cup qualifiers, but finished fourth of the four teams. In 2001, it surprised many by making the semi-final round of the 2002 World Cup Qualifiers. In the first game of this round, they pulled off a shock 2–1 win over Costa Rica, but lost their five remaining games. In 2004, Barbados gained a shock 1–1 draw at home to Northern Ireland.
The Nicaragua national football team represents Nicaragua in men's international football and is controlled by the Nicaraguan Football Federation. Nicaragua achieved their first qualification into a major international competition in 2009, as they qualified for the 2009 Gold Cup as the last entrant from Central America, after a 2–0 victory against Guatemala in the fifth place match in the 2009 Nations Cup. However, the team has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup.
The Bermuda national football team represents Bermuda in international football, and is controlled by the Bermuda Football Association, which is a member of the CONCACAF.
The Grenada national football team represents Grenada in international football, and is controlled by the Grenada Football Association, a member of the Caribbean Football Union of CONCACAF. The team is nicknamed The Spice Boys, a reference to the country being nicknamed the "Island of Spice" or the "Spice Isle".
The Saint Lucia national football team represents Saint Lucia in men's international football and is administered by the Saint Lucia Football Association, the governing body for football in Saint Lucia. They have been a member of FIFA since 1988 and a member of CONCACAF since 1986. The team has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup or the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The Dominican Republic national football team represents the Dominican Republic in men's international football, and is governed by the Dominican Football Federation. The team is a member of the Caribbean Football Union of CONCACAF, the governing body of football in North and Central America and the Caribbean.
The Dominica national football team represents Dominica in international football and is controlled by the Dominica Football Association. They are a member of CONCACAF.
The Guyana national football team, nicknamed the Golden Jaguars, represents Guyana in international football and is controlled by the Guyana Football Federation. It is one of three South American nations to be a member of the Caribbean Football Union of CONCACAF alongside Suriname and French Guiana. Until the independence of Guyana (1966), it competed as British Guiana. They qualified for the Caribbean Nations Cup in 1991, coming fourth, and in 2007. Guyana has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, but on 23 March 2019 they qualified for the first time for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The Bahamas national football team is controlled by the Bahamas Football Association; it was founded in 1967 and joined FIFA in 1968. Bahamas has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup or the CONCACAF Gold Cup. They have been a part of CONCACAF since 1967.
The Anguilla national football team is the national team of Anguilla, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, and is controlled by the Anguilla Football Association. It is affiliated to the Caribbean Football Union of CONCACAF. The team has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup or the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The Aruba national football team is the national team of Aruba. It was founded in 1932 and is affiliated with the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), CONCACAF and FIFA and is controlled by the Arubaanse Voetbal Bond.
The Turks and Caicos Islands national football team represents Turks and Caicos Islands in international football, and is controlled by the Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association.
The Saint Martin national football team is the football team of the Collectivity of Saint Martin, the French half of the island of Saint Martin which was previously part of the French overseas department of Guadeloupe and is controlled by the Comité de Football des Îles du Nord. Saint Martin is not a member of FIFA, and is therefore not eligible to enter the World Cup, but it does compete in CONCACAF competitions.
The Other Final is a 2003 documentary film, directed by Johan Kramer of Dutch communications agency KesselsKramer, about a football match between Bhutan and Montserrat, then the two lowest-ranked teams in the FIFA World Rankings. The game was played in the Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu, Bhutan on the same day as the 2002 FIFA World Cup Final. Bhutan won the game 4–0, their first ever victory and also the first time they had kept a clean sheet in any match. The friendly match, officially sanctioned by FIFA, saw Bhutan rise out of the bottom two of the world rankings and kept Montserrat in last place. The referee was Englishman Steve Bennett.
The Montserrat national football team is the representative association football team of the small Caribbean island of Montserrat. Football is the second most popular sport in Montserrat after cricket, and official competitive football on the island is governed by the Montserrat Football Association (MFA). The association is affiliated to the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and the team has, as of December 2009, entered seven Caribbean Cup competitions and three FIFA World Cup qualification campaigns. Montserrat played their first international fixture in 1991, which ended in a 0–3 defeat by Saint Lucia. In their second match, they secured a 1–1 draw with Anguilla. Montserrat lost their next seven matches before achieving their first ever victory on 26 March 1995, when they defeated Anguilla 3–2 at the Blakes Estate Stadium in Plymouth. Montserrat also went on to win their next match, again defeating Anguilla 1–0.
The Dominican Republic women's national football team represents the Dominican Republic in international women's football. The team is governed by the Dominican Football Federation and competes in CONCACAF women's competitions.
Anguilla women's national football team is the national team of Anguilla, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, and is controlled by the Anguilla Football Association. It is affiliated to the Caribbean Football Union of CONCACAF. As of November 2015, it remains unranked on the FIFA Women's World Rankings.
The Bonaire national football team is the national football team of the Caribbean island of Bonaire, a public body of the Netherlands. It is under the control of the Bonaire Football Federation. It became a member of the CFU and an associate member of CONCACAF on 19 April 2013. after which it became a full CONCACAF member on 10 June 2014 The team can participate in the CONCACAF Gold Cup and Caribbean Cup because of their membership in the confederation and sub-confederation. However, Bonaire is not a member of FIFA and therefore can not compete in the FIFA World Cup or other FIFA events.
This page details the match results and statistics of the Anguilla national football team.