Montserrat national football team
Encyclopedia
The Montserrat national football team represents the small Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...

 island of Montserrat
Montserrat
Montserrat is a British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies. This island measures approximately long and wide, giving of coastline...

 in the CONCACAF
CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...

 football region. Football is the second most popular sport in Montserrat, with cricket being the most-played sport on the island. The team play at the Blakes Estate Stadium
Blakes Estate Stadium
Blakes Estate Stadium, is a multi-use stadium, located near the village of Look Out in the Caribbean British overseas territory of Montserrat. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds 1,000....

 in Plymouth
Plymouth, Montserrat
Plymouth is the de jure capital of the island of Montserrat, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom located in the Leeward Island chain of the Lesser Antilles, West Indies. The town was overwhelmed by volcanic eruptions starting in the 1990s and was abandoned...

 and the team manager is currently Kenny Dyer
Kenny Dyer
Kenny Dyer is a football player and coach of the national team of Montserrat.-Playing career:Dyer played youth football for Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Charlton Athletic, before playing senior football with Maidstone United, Chatham Town, Dover Athletic, Dagenham & Redbridge, Slough Town and...

. The Montserrat football team was formed in 1973, and has entered World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...

 qualifying three times, being eliminated in the first round on each occasion (2002, 2006, and 2010).

Due to the heavy volcanic
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...

 activity on the island since 1995, 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
Anguilla national football team
The Anguilla national football team is the national team of Anguilla, a British colony in the Caribbean, and is controlled by the Anguilla Football Association. It is affiliated to the Caribbean Football Union of CONCACAF....

 in the qualifying tournament of the 1995 Caribbean Cup, winning 3–2 at home and 1–0 away. Apart from one other draw against Anguilla, all their other matches have been lost.

On June 30, 2002, the day of the final match of the 2002 World Cup, Montserrat, then the lowest ranked team in the world, played against the second lowest team, Bhutan
Bhutan national football team
The Bhutan national football team is the national team of Bhutan and is controlled by the Bhutan Football Federation.- History :While a Bhutanese National football team has existed since the 1970s, it was officially founded in 1983 and joined FIFA in 2000....

, in a friendly match
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...

 known jokingly as "The Other Final
The Other Final
The Other Final is a 2003 documentary film, directed by Johan Kramer, about a football match between Bhutan and Montserrat, the then-lowest ranked teams in the FIFA World Rankings. The game was played in the Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu, Bhutan. Bhutan won the game 4-0...

", but lost 4–0 to become the worst team in the world. In 2006, the team achieved a record-high FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...

 rank of #196.

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
Caribbean Cup
The Caribbean Cup, formerly known as the Copa Caribe, is the championship tournament for national association football teams that are members of the Caribbean Football Union. The first competition was contested in 1989 in Barbados. The Caribbean Cup also serves as a qualification tournament among...

 tournament. The team suffered a 0–3 defeat to Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia national football team
The Saint Lucia national football team is the national association football team of Saint Lucia and it represents that country in international football matches. It is controlled by the St...

 at the Vieux Fort National Stadium
Vieux Fort National Stadium
George Odlum National Stadium is a 9,000 capacity football stadium in Vieux Fort, St Lucia.The stadium was handed over to the Government and people of St Lucia, represented by Prime Minister Honourable Dr. Kenny Anthony and Minister for Education, Human Resource Development, Youth and Sports,...

 in Saint Lucia. The team played their next match at the same venue, securing a 1–1 draw with Anguilla
Anguilla national football team
The Anguilla national football team is the national team of Anguilla, a British colony in the Caribbean, and is controlled by the Anguilla Football Association. It is affiliated to the Caribbean Football Union of CONCACAF....

. This is the team's only draw in international matches to date. Montserrat again entered the Caribbean Cup the following year but were once more knocked out in the Group Stage following heavy defeats to Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Kitts and Nevis national football team
The Saint Kitts and Nevis national football team is the national team of Saint Kitts and Nevis and is controlled by the St. Kitts and Nevis Football Association...

 and Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda national football team
The Antigua and Barbuda national football team is the national team of Antigua and Barbuda and is controlled by the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association. A member of CONCACAF. The team's best performance was in the 1998 Caribbean Cup where it placed 4th...

. They were drawn against the same two teams for the 1994 Caribbean Cup, but again left the tournament at the Group Stage after conceding 17 goals in just two matches. In 1994, the Montserrat Football Association
Montserrat Football Association
The Montserrat Football Association is the governing body of football in Montserrat.-External links:* at the FIFA website....

 (MFA) was formed. Like all other Caribbean football teams, the MFA became a member of CONCACAF
CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...

.

On 26 March 1995, Montserrat played their first ever home international match. They defeated Anguilla 3–2 in Plymouth
Plymouth, Montserrat
Plymouth is the de jure capital of the island of Montserrat, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom located in the Leeward Island chain of the Lesser Antilles, West Indies. The town was overwhelmed by volcanic eruptions starting in the 1990s and was abandoned...

, achieving their first win. The team beat Anguilla again in the next fixture to ensure progress to the Second Qualfying Round of the 1995 Caribbean Cup. The 1–0 win in the second leg was their only clean sheet in international football to date and is also their most recent victory. The side exited the competition in the next stage, losing 0–20 on aggregate over two legs against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines national football team
The Saint Vincent and the Grenadines national football team is the national team of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and is controlled by the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation....

. Soon afterwards, the Soufriere Hills
Soufrière Hills
The Soufrière Hills volcano is an active complex stratovolcano with many lava domes forming its summit on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. After a long period of dormancy, it became active in 1995, and has continued to erupt ever since...

 volcano became active and the eruptions destroyed Plymouth, the capital of Montserrat, severely disrupting all football on the island. Despite the lack of football action, the MFA became a full FIFA member in 1996. However, it was a further three years until the Montserrat team played another international fixture. This was mostly because many of the island's footballers had emigrated away from the area, many of them to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

After a four-year hiatus, the team entered the 1999 Caribbean Nations Cup. However, they were knocked out in the Preliminary Round of the tournament, losing 1–6 over two legs to the British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands national football team
The British Virgin Islands national football team is the national team of the British Virgin Islands and is controlled by the British Virgin Islands Football Association.A member of CONCACAF, it is among its weakest teams.-History:...

. Due to the volcanic activity, Montserrat had been unable to enter the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...

 for the 1998 tournament, so their entry into the 2002 World Cup qualification campaign was their first. Their inaugural World Cup conquest was not a success as they were defeated 0–3 away by the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic national football team
The Dominican Republic national football team is the national team of Dominican Republic and is controlled by the Dominican Football Federation. Football is not the most popular sport in the country, losing out to baseball by a large margin...

. In the second leg, played in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...

, the team fell to a 1–3 loss in front of a crowd of only 50 spectators. In 2001, the MFA visited The Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...

 to raise money for a new stadium. The Blakes Estate Stadium
Blakes Estate Stadium
Blakes Estate Stadium, is a multi-use stadium, located near the village of Look Out in the Caribbean British overseas territory of Montserrat. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds 1,000....

 was opened in Plymouth, the now abandoned city. The team's next match happened 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 25,000 fans in Thimphu
Thimphu
Thimphu also spelt Thimpu, is the capital and largest city of Bhutan. It is situated in the western central part of Bhutan and the surrounding valley is one of Bhutan's dzongkhags, the Thimphu District. The city became the capital of Bhutan in 1961...

.

Montserrat entered the World Cup qualifiers once more for the 2006 edition of the competition, but again lost in the First Qualifying Round, this time losing 0–20 on aggregate to Bermuda
Bermuda national football team
The Bermuda national football team is the national team of Bermuda and is controlled by the Bermuda Football Association. A member of CONCACAF, it is not among its strongest teams....

. In the first leg at the Bermuda National Stadium they lost 0–13, which is their heaviest-ever defeat. The second leg, a 0–7 loss, was the first international match played at the team's new ground and was watched by 250 supporters. Montserrat then competed in the 2005 Caribbean Cup, but once more failed to progess past the Premilinary Round. In the team's most recent match in 2008, they were defeated 1–7 by Suriname in the First Qualifying Round of the 2010 World Cup. The match was played in Macoya
Macoya
Macoya is a small town located alongside the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway in Trinidad and Tobago. It is located between Tunapuna and Trincity on the island of Trinidad...

 because neither team's stadiums met FIFA standards.

Montserrat all time record against all nations

Against Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD % Won
1 0 0 1 1 4 −3 0%
1 0 0 1 4 5 −1 0%
1 0 0 1 0 5 −5 0%
2 0 0 2 3 8 −5 0%
2 0 0 2 0 20 −20 0%
1 0 0 1 0 4 −4 0%
2 0 0 2 1 6 −5 0%
2 0 0 2 1 6 −5 0%
2 0 0 2 1 10 −9 0%
1 0 0 1 0 3 −3 0%
1 0 0 1 0 7 −7 0%
1 0 0 1 1 7 −6 0%
Total 17 0 0 17 12 85 −73 0%

World rankings

The poor results of the team has seen them often frequenting the lower end of the FIFA World Rankings
FIFA World Rankings
The FIFA World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in association football, currently led by Spain. The teams of the member nations of FIFA , football's world governing body, are ranked based on their game results with the most successful teams being ranked highest...

. The loss to Bhutan in "The Other Final
The Other Final
The Other Final is a 2003 documentary film, directed by Johan Kramer, about a football match between Bhutan and Montserrat, the then-lowest ranked teams in the FIFA World Rankings. The game was played in the Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu, Bhutan. Bhutan won the game 4-0...

" saw them fall to #203 in the rankings, becoming worst-ranked side in the world. After the addition of another two teams to FIFA, Montserrat achieved a new low of #205 between July and October 2004. In July 2006, they achieved a record high rank of #196 but they fell back down to #198 the following month. As of December 2009 Montserrat are #203 in the rankings, just ahead of American Samoa.

Due to the number of losses incurred by Montserrat, the team have also traditionally languished at the lower reaches of the unofficial World Football Elo Ratings
World Football Elo Ratings
The World Football Elo Ratings is a ranking system for men's national teams in association football. The method used to rank teams is based upon the Elo rating system method but modified to take various football-specific variables into account...

, which ranks teams directly based on their match results.

Colours

Since the team's first match in 1991, Montserrat have worn a first-choice kit of all olive-green. Currently, the away kit is red jersey, shorts and socks.

Recent results and forthcoming fixtures

Main article: List of Montserrat national football team results
Date Location Opponent Score Scorers for Montserrat Competition
6 October 2010 Kingstown
Kingstown
Kingstown is the chief port of Saint Vincent, and the capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. With a population of 25,418 Kingstown is a centre for the island's agricultural industry and a port of entry for tourists...

, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an island country in the Lesser Antilles chain, namely in the southern portion of the Windward Islands, which lie at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea where the latter meets the Atlantic Ocean....

0–7 N/A 2010 Caribbean Championship
2010 Caribbean Championship
-Group B:Played in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines from October 6–10.*Saint Kitts and Nevis ranked ahead of Saint Vincent and Barbados based on head-to-head tiebreaker...

8 October 2010 Kingstown
Kingstown
Kingstown is the chief port of Saint Vincent, and the capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. With a population of 25,418 Kingstown is a centre for the island's agricultural industry and a port of entry for tourists...

, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an island country in the Lesser Antilles chain, namely in the southern portion of the Windward Islands, which lie at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea where the latter meets the Atlantic Ocean....

0–5 N/A 2010 Caribbean Championship
2010 Caribbean Championship
-Group B:Played in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines from October 6–10.*Saint Kitts and Nevis ranked ahead of Saint Vincent and Barbados based on head-to-head tiebreaker...

10 October 2010 Kingstown
Kingstown
Kingstown is the chief port of Saint Vincent, and the capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. With a population of 25,418 Kingstown is a centre for the island's agricultural industry and a port of entry for tourists...

, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an island country in the Lesser Antilles chain, namely in the southern portion of the Windward Islands, which lie at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea where the latter meets the Atlantic Ocean....

0–4 N/A 2010 Caribbean Championship
2010 Caribbean Championship
-Group B:Played in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines from October 6–10.*Saint Kitts and Nevis ranked ahead of Saint Vincent and Barbados based on head-to-head tiebreaker...

15 June 2011 Couva
Couva
Couva is a town in west-central Trinidad, south of Chaguanas and north of Claxton Bay and San Fernando. The Greater Couva area includes the Point Lisas Industrial Estate and the Port of Point Lisas. Couva's southern boundary is at the town of California, and to the north Couva stretches to McBean...

, Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...

2–5 align=center| Jaylee Hodgson
Jaylee Hodgson
Jaylee Hodgson is an English-born Montserratian footballer who plays as a striker for Northern Premier League Division One South club Shepshed Dynamo He has been capped internationally for Montserrat.-Club career:...

 
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
The CONCACAF qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup will see teams competing for places at the finals in Brazil.As in recent tournaments, CONCACAF will have three direct qualifiers for the finals tournament in addition to a further possible place via the inter-confederation play-offs against the...

17 July 2011 San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sula is a city in Honduras. It is located in the northwest corner of the country, in the Valle de Sula , about 60 km south of Puerto Cortés on the Caribbean. With an estimated population of 638,259 people in the main municipality, and 802,598 in its metro area , it is the second...

, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...

1–3 Jaylee Hodgson
Jaylee Hodgson
Jaylee Hodgson is an English-born Montserratian footballer who plays as a striker for Northern Premier League Division One South club Shepshed Dynamo He has been capped internationally for Montserrat.-Club career:...

 
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
The CONCACAF qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup will see teams competing for places at the finals in Brazil.As in recent tournaments, CONCACAF will have three direct qualifiers for the finals tournament in addition to a further possible place via the inter-confederation play-offs against the...


Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF First Round
This page provides the summaries of the CONCACAF First Round matches for 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification.-Format:In this round the ten lowest seeded teams were drawn into 5 home-and-away ties....

 against Belize
Belize national football team
The Belize national football team is the national team of Belize and is controlled by the Football Federation of Belize. It is affiliated to the Central American Football Union of CONCACAF...

 on the 15 of June and the 17 of July 2011. Caps and goals updated as of July 17.
|-----
! colspan="9" bgcolor="#B0D3FB" align="left" |
|----- bgcolor="#DFEDFD"
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! colspan="9" bgcolor="#B0D3FB" align="left" |
|----- bgcolor="#DFEDFD"
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! colspan="9" bgcolor="#B0D3FB" align="left" |
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Note: Caps and goals may be incomplete for certain players, therefore being inaccurate.

World Cup record

  • 1930
    1930 FIFA World Cup
    The 1930 FIFA World Cup was the inaugural FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Uruguay from 13 July to 30 July 1930...

     to 1998
    1998 FIFA World Cup
    The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...

     – Did not enter
  • 2002
    2002 FIFA World Cup
    The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...

     to 2014
    2014 FIFA World Cup
    The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that will take place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014....

     – Did not qualify

Gold Cup record

  • 1991
    1991 CONCACAF Gold Cup
    -Group B:---------------------Bracket:-Semifinals:-----Third place match:-Final:-Top scorers:4 goals Benjamin Galindo3 goals Dale Mitchell Eduardo Bennet Luis Cálix Carlos Hermosillo...

     – Did not qualify
  • 1993
    1993 CONCACAF Gold Cup
    -Group B:---------------------Bracket:-Semifinals:-----Third place match:-Final:-Top scorers:11 goals Zaguinho5 goals Luis Miguel Salvador4 goals Eduardo Bennett3 goals Juan Arnoldo Cayasso Octavio Mora...

     – Did not enter
  • 1996
    1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup
    The 1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the third edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean ....

     – Did not qualify
  • 1998
    1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup
    The 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the fourth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean ....

     – Did not enter
  • 2000
    2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup
    The 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the fifth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean . It was held in the United States, in Los Angeles, Miami, and San Diego. The format of the tournament changed from 1998; it was expanded to twelve teams,...

     to 2002
    2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup
    The 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the sixth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean ....

     – Did not qualify
  • 2003
    2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup
    The 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the seventh edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean ....

     – Withdrew
  • 2005
    2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup
    The 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the eighth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean . It was contested in the United States in July 2005. The United States emerged victorious in the final against an upstart Panama team led by tournament...

     – Did not qualify
  • 2007
    2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup
    The 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the ninth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean , and was won by the United States over Mexico. It was contested in the United States from June 6 to June 24, 2007.This competition was the third...

     to 2009
    2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup
    The 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the tenth edition of the Gold Cup competition, and the twentieth association football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean . It was contested from 3 July to 26 July 2009 in the United States. This competition was the fourth tournament...

     – Did not enter
  • 2011
    2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
    The 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 11th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup competition and 21th CONCACAF regional championship overall in CONCACAF's fifty years of existence...

     – Did not qualify

Coaches

Knut Auf Dem Berge (2000) Paul Morris (2002) William Lewis (2002–2004)   Ruel Fox
Ruel Fox
Ruel Adrian Fox is an English former professional football player of Montserratian and Antiguan descent who played for Norwich City, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, and West Bromwich Albion from 1986 to 2002...

 (2004) Scott Cooper (2004) Kenny Dyer
Kenny Dyer
Kenny Dyer is a football player and coach of the national team of Montserrat.-Playing career:Dyer played youth football for Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Charlton Athletic, before playing senior football with Maidstone United, Chatham Town, Dover Athletic, Dagenham & Redbridge, Slough Town and...

Cecil Lake (2008)

External links

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