Trinidad and Tobago’s men’s hockey team are still basking in their successful qualification for next year’s Pan American (PanAm) Cup in Uruguay after they topped the recently-concluded Pan American Men’s Hockey Challenge in Peru.
The Calypso stickmen hammered the hosts 6-0 in a lopsided final in which captain Jordan Vieira secured a hat-trick, while the tournament’s top scorer Teague Marcano had a brace. Nicholas Grant got the other goal.
An elated Tarell Singh said winning the title and, by extension, qualifying for the PanAm Cup was a just reward for their hard work over the past week and leading up to the competition.
“Qualifying feels great because the Pan American Cup is where we should be competing,” Singh beamed.
“We have the quality to compete amongst the top teams in the Pan American region. The reason we went unbeaten in this tournament is because we came to make a statement, and we also worked for each other and kept trying to push positivity amongst the team,” he added as he reflected.
In the showpieces contest, Vieira handed Trinidad and Tobago a 1-0 lead at the half-time interval before they later asserted their authority on the encounter.
Vieira scored twice in the third quarter, while Grant also got his name on the scoresheet to make it 4-0, before Marcano fired in the last two to cap a solid performance for the Twin Island Republic, who ended the tournament as the only unbeaten team.
They tallied 60 goals in the process, 27 of which came from Marcano’s stick, while they only conceded a mere two goals across seven games.
Trinidad and Tobago will now be hoping to build on those performances leading up to and at the PanAm Cup scheduled for July 24 to August 3 in Montevideo.
The Calypso men will be hoping to replicate or even surpass the third-place finish in 2013, which remains the country’s best showing at the PanAm Cup.
Caribbean teams face tough draws for Netball World Youth Cup
The road to the Netball World Youth Cup 2025 has officially begun, as Caribbean representatives Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados now know their opponents for the tournament, which will see 20 of the world’s top under-21 netball teams vying for supremacy on the international stage.
With 10 months to go before the September 19–28 showpiece in Gibraltar, Jamaica’s young Sunshine Girls, as well as the young Barbados Gems and Calypso Girls, will intensify preparations as they have tough draws to navigate.
Jamaica’s young Sunshine Girls have been drawn into a competitive Pool C alongside powerhouse England, Tonga, Wales, and Sri Lanka. It’s a challenging group, but one that Netball Jamaica President Tricia Robinson believes they will be well-prepared for.
“We know the quality of our opponents, especially England, who are always strong at the youth level. However, we will be ensuring that the girls preparation is very thorough, as we have every intention of possibly making a deep run in this tournament. So the focus of the preparation will be on fine-tuning strategies and sharpening the team’s physical and mental readiness in the build-up to the World Cup,” Robinson told SportsMax.Tv.
While Jamaica, having established itself as a powerhouse in senior netball, aims to carry that momentum into the youth competition. For Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados, this tournament represents an opportunity to showcase their developing talent and challenge more seasoned teams on the global stage.
This, as Tuesday’s draw pitted Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados in Pool D, where they face an equally formidable lineup. They will go up against Fiji, South Africa, and Malawi—teams known for their athleticism and tactical prowess.
Meanwhile, Pool A will see host Gibraltar square off against defending champions New Zealand, Malaysia, the Cook Islands, and Zambia.
Australia, Samoa, Scotland, Singapore, and Northern Ireland will contest Pool B.
The initial pools further highlighted the global diversity of the competition, with at least three teams from each of World Netball’s five regions—Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Oceania—represented.
Games will be played at the Europa Point Sports Complex and Tercentenary Sports Hall in Gibraltar.
World Netball President Dame Liz Nicholl, DBE, emphasized the importance of the tournament for young athletes.
“This competition is often the first time many players experience different styles of play from across the globe. The NWYC is a platform for emerging elite talent, and we are excited to see what new matchups and experiences await,” Nicholl said.
Dwight Yorke backs push for T&T’s citizenship reform to boost Soca Warriors’ World Cup bid
Soca Warriors Head coach Dwight Yorke has warmly embraced the government’s initiative to review the nation’s citizenship laws, a move that could significantly bolster his squad's depth and aspirations for the 2026 Fifa World Cup.
The proposed changes, currently under discussion, would allow foreign-based players with Trinidad and Tobago-born grandparents to represent the Twin Island Republic, a significant step up from the current Constitution, which states that “A person shall not become a citizen of T&T if, at the time of his birth—(a) neither of his parents is a citizen of T&T.”
This adjustment could expand the Soca Warriors player pool and, by extension, create new opportunities for Trinidad and Tobago to remain competitive on the global stage across various sports.
Minister of Sport and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis explained that steps are being taken to explore legislative reforms.
The Ministry of National Security, the Office of the Attorney General, and the TT Football Association (TTFA) are also involved in discussions about the initiative to draw insights from policies in other Caribbean nations.
“We’re starting with football. We are exploring the policies of our neighbours and the legislation to work out an arrangement suitable for T&T. So we’re at the discussion stage right now,” Cudjoe-Lewis said during Yorke’s unveiling recently.
“For the drafters of the legislation and the persons looking at the policy, it’s a little more complicated, and a proper, thorough study on policy development must be done. It’s not something you want to rush,” she added.
Although a timeline for implementation has not been established, the initiative has already sparked interest across Trinidad and Tobago’s broader sporting community, with other national sporting organizations inquiring about similar eligibility expansions for their athletes.
“As we started looking at football, many of the other sporting bodies started reaching out, saying they want to be able to use persons whose grandparents were born in T&T for them to be able to play for national teams,” Cudjoe-Lewis shared.
“You have to pass the legislation and the policy in such a way that it is fair and just. We’re starting with football, and we are just looking at and exploring the policy of our neighbours and the legislation, so we’re at the discussion stage right now,” she stressed.
Yorke, a former Soca Warriors and Manchester United stalwart, understands the potential impact such reforms could have but emphasized that any additions to the squad must be carefully considered to ensure they fit seamlessly into the team’s long-term strategy.
He referenced the success of global football powerhouses like France, England, and Germany, which have leveraged similar eligibility rules to assemble world-class teams.
“It’s been talked about, and we’ve seen over the years where other teams, predominantly big teams in world football, all have some type of inheritance. We are looking at the situation, one that we will implement at some point, but it has to be the right players to come into the equation,” Yorke said.
Yorke also praised the December restart of the TT Premier Football League, which he believes will serve as a proving ground for local talent with national team ambitions.
“For the players who have aspirations of representing T&T, it gives them additional incentive when they get out there to know what’s at stake. Any young man who is playing at that level should have aspiration to be part of the national team.
“So that’s the message. In terms of me, Russell Latapy, Derek King (assistant coaches), and the backroom staff, we’re collectively looking for the best talent in the country,” Yorke declared.
Brazil 1-1 Uruguay: Valverde and Gerson hit superb goals in drab spectacle
Brazil recovered from a goal down to earn a 1-1 draw at home to a stubborn Uruguay side in Tuesday's CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier.
The hosts were booed by some quarters of their own support in Salvador following the result, which leaves them fifth in the table and five points inside the automatic qualification places.
It was a match of few chances punctuated by two moments of world-class quality, with Uruguay striking first.
Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde opened the scoring 10 minutes into the first half, curling into the bottom corner from the edge of the area to put Uruguay a goal up.
But seven minutes later, Gerson scored his first goal for his country to level things up, a brilliant volley from outside the box.
The draw has Uruguay in second place, two points above Brazil, who could have won it if not for Sergio Rochet's fine save to deny Gabriel Martinelli, and five behind leaders Argentina with six matches remaining.
Data debrief: Brazil struggle to break down Bielsa's Uruguay
Despite Raphinha, Vinicius Junior and Gabriel Martinelli all featuring in this game, Brazil could not find the quality to regularly trouble their visitors.
The home side managed just three shots on target during the match – one more than Uruguay.
While they won the xG battle 1.09 - 0.47, it will be a disappointment that they had 18 attempts in total and could only divert so few goalwards.
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