TT U-20 women squad named for round one of World Cup qualifiers

TRINIDAD and Tobago's under-20 women's football team will begin their qualification route for the 2026 Fifa Under-20 Women's World Cup with a clash against Bermuda at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva from 6 pm on February 21 in the first round of Concacaf qualifying.

TT have been placed in group E in the first round alongside Bermuda, Canada and Dominica. TT will play their second match against Dominica from 6 pm on February 23, with their first-round campaign concluding with a 6 pm kickoff against Canada on February 25.

All group E matches will be played at the Ato Boldon venue.

Group F, which features Aruba, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica and Guatemala, will also be played in Couva. Group F matches will be played on February 20, 22 and 24.

The TT under-20 team is coached by Dernelle Mascall, with a 21-member squad being announced on February 13. Mascall's squad features as many as ten players who turned out for the TT under-17 women's team in the first round of the Concacaf Under-17 qualifiers in Couva from January 27-31.

The under-17 women advanced to the final round of qualifying by finishing as the best second-placed team in round one.

Attacker Orielle Martin, who scored four goals against the US Virgin Islands in the first match of the under-17 qualifiers, is one of the players to make the step up to the under-20 team. From the under-17 squad, Martin will be joined by the goalkeeping trio of Zara Aimey, Zofia Richards and Kenisha Taylor, defenders Hackeemar Goodridge and Mikaela Yearwood, midfielders Ty'Kaiya Dennis and Cherina Steele, as well as the attacking pair of Rasheda Archer and Madison Campbell.

The team also includes attacker J'Eleisha Alexander, who copped the Secondary Schools Football League girls' MVP award for 2022 and 2023.

The first round of the Concacaf under-20 qualifiers features six groups in total. After round-robin play, the six group winners will advance to the 2025 Concacaf Under-20 Women's Championships where they will join the pre-seeded, top-ranked teams Mexico and US.

The final round of the Concacaf Under-20 qualifiers will be played in May, with the eight teams contesting two groups of four. The top two teams in each group will advance to the semifinals and will also secure their spots in the Under-20 Women's World Cup which will be held in Poland.

TT squad for Concacaf under-20 qualifiers:

• Goalkeepers: Zara Aimey, Zofia Richards, Kenisha Taylor.
• Defenders: Caylpso Ayoung, Hackeemar Goodridge, Jada Graham, Anastasia O'Brien, Soleil St Hill, Mikaela Yearwood.
• Midfiekders: Ariana Borneo, Ty'Kaiya Dennis, Sheneil Findley, Orielle Martin, Gabriel Ramdeen, Cherina Steele.
• Forwards: J'Eleisha Alexander, Rasheda Archer, Sumayah Brown, Madison Campbell, Natalia Penniston-John, Mariah Williams.
• Groups for first round of under-20 women's qualifiers:
• Group A: Antigua & Barbuda, Belize, Guyana, Haiti.
• Group B: El Salvador, Honduras, Puerto Rico, USVI.
• Group C: Bonaire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Panama.
• Group D: Jamaica, Nicaragua, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines.
• Group E: Bermuda, Canada, Dominica, TT.
• Group F: Aruba, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Guatemala.