Levi wants to put on show, Soca Warriors start World Cup campaign vs Grenada

GREECE-BASED striker Levi Garcia says he and the Soca Warriors are ready to put on a show for the public in the opening game of their Fifa 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign versus Grenada at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo from 7.30 pm on June 5.

Coach Angus Eve’s Trinidad and Tobago men’s football team are in group B for the first round of Concacaf qualifying alongside Bahamas, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis and six-time World Cup participants Costa Rica. After facing the 174th-ranked Grenada, Eve’s charges will face the 200th-ranked Bahamas on the road on June 8.

On June 3, both Eve and Soca Warriors captain Aubrey David spoke about the importance of the team’s first two matches in their quest to seal the country’s second-ever appearance at the World Cup. Speaking to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) media on June 4, Garcia also weighed in on the value of starting on the front foot.

“As you know, we have our opening match against Grenada in a World Cup qualifier. I’m encouraging you guys to come out and give us support and be the 12th man,” Garcia said.

The 26-year-old AEK Athens forward has been in fine form in the last two seasons. In the just-concluded season, the bustling forward shrugged off injury worries to score 14 goals in all competitions as AEK finished second in the league – just missing out on defending their title. In the 2022/23 season, Garcia bagged 18 goals in all competitions to help AEK to a domestic double.

For TT, though, Garcia’s niggling injuries kept him out of contention for most of the team’s 2023/24 Concacaf Nations League A campaign. Garcia missed the entire group stage as the Soca Warriors progressed to the Nations League A knockout phase for the first time.

Garcia then turned out in the first leg of a 3-0 quarterfinal loss to eventual champs US, but was ruled out for the return leg after aggravating an injury. The Soca Warriors won the second leg 2-1 thanks to goals from Alvin Jones and Reon Moore, but they lost 4-2 on aggregate.

Garcia played in the Soca Warriors’ Copa America play-in against Canada in March, and he shouldered most of the blame for a pair of missed opportunities in the team’s 2-0 loss. Faced with a new task, Garcia is ready to make amends.

“It feels really great to be back home. It’s been a while I haven’t played in front of my home fans. I’m a bit excited to see you guys on Wednesday so hopefully we can deliver and give you guys a good show.”

With TT’s maiden appearance at the World Cup coming at the 2006 edition in Germany, both David and Eve believe the squad has a chance to unite the country. Concacaf powerhouses Canada, Mexico and the US are joint-hosts for the 2026 World Cup, which has been expanded to 48 teams.

The host nations aside, Concacaf has been allotted three automatic qualification spots for the tourney, to go along with two intercontinental playoff spots.

The 33-year-old David, who currently plies his trade at CS Cartagines in the Costa Rican top flight, spoke of the significant improvement World Cup participation has done for the Central American country, and he wants TT to take a similar step.

“My dream is to qualify for a World Cup...that’s a dream that will never die unless I achieve it, and I think that’s the same thing for a lot of players,” David said on June 3.

“We all know qualifying for a World Cup can help the sport and the country. We already know the violent situation and we already know the negative energy we have around the nation. I think qualifying for a World Cup could lift us as a nation. We could bring love to many communities.”

Eve reflected on the “euphoria” and “camaraderie” which was generated by the Strike Squad’s 1990 World Cup qualification campaign and the successful 2006 qualifying run. Eve, who took over the Soca Warriors job in June 2021, said the upcoming campaign is the most important spell of his tenure.

“We have laid the foundation and we have set the platform for us to take off in this phase of our campaign. Everything we were doing was leading up to World Cup qualifying,” Eve said.

“All that we were doing in the past is building up to this day. It takes four years to develop a team to go into World Cup qualifying.”

Eve has retained the bulk of the players from Nations League A campaign, and his 25-man squad includes 17 overseas-based players. PSV youth player Dantaye Gilbert has been included in the squad, along with 37-year-old TT Premier Football League top-scorer Kevon Woodley and Canadian-born midfielder Steffen Yeates, who is the teammate of former Defence Force forward Reon Moore at Canadian club Pacific FC.

Eve said the 24-year-old Yeates has acquired his TT passport and is available for selection, while Atlanta United midfielder Ajani Fortune was expected to join the squad on June 4. Eve has been criticised during his tenure for an overly defensive approach, and he pointed to the offensive weapons in his squad and the importance of starting positively against Grenada.

Eve said the Grenada team “are no slouches,” and his team will have to be at their best from a tactical and commitment aspect.

“Pressure comes with every game we play. This is a different team and we attack things differently.

“The dream for me as a coach or player is to be at a World Cup. Once we have the opportunity, we’re going to do the best we can.”