Montserrat

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
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	176 (21 December 2023)[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.

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 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.

World rankings

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.

Colours

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.

Results and fixtures

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

2023

Montserrat  v  Haiti

25 March 2022–23 Nations League	Montserrat	0–4	Haiti	Lookout, Montserrat
17:00 UTC−4		Report	Nazon 49' Pierrot 60' Etienne 70' Prunier 84'	Stadium: Blakes Estate Stadium Referee: Bryan López (Guatemala)

Guyana  v  Montserrat

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)

Barbados  v  Montserrat

8 September 2023–24 Nations League	Barbados	2–3	Montserrat	Wildey, Barbados
19:00 UTC−4	Downey 8' Gale 26'	Report	Taylor 6', 90+8' Codrington 81' (o.g.)	Stadium: Wildey Turf Referee: Ken Pennyfeather (Antigua and Barbuda)

Dominican Republic  v  Montserrat

11 September 2023–24 Nations League	Dominican Republic	3–0	Montserrat	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
19:00 UTC−4	Dorsett 3' (o.g.) Romero 25', 64'	Report		Stadium: Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez Referee: Oshane Nation (Jamaica)

Montserrat  v  Nicaragua

13 October 2023–24 Nations League	Montserrat	0–3	Nicaragua	Wildey, Barbados
15:00 UTC−4		Report	Pérez 5' Medina 72' Montes 90+4'	Stadium: Wildey Turf Referee: Jorge Leira (Panama)

Nicaragua  v  Montserrat

16 October 2023–24 Nations League	Nicaragua	3–0	Montserrat	Managua, Nicaragua
20:00 UTC−6	Pérez 38' Coronel 43' Moldskred Belli 48'	Report		Stadium: Estadio Nacional de Fútbol Referee: José Valladares (Honduras)

Montserrat  v  Dominican Republic

17 November 2023–24 Nations League	Montserrat	2–1	Dominican Republic	Look Out, Montserrat
15:00 UTC−4	Barzey 37' Simon 57'	Report	Reyes 75'	Stadium: Blakes Estate Stadium Attendance: 290 Referee: Yadel Martínez (Cuba)

Montserrat  v  Barbados

20 November 2023–24 Nations League	Montserrat	4–2	Barbados	Look Out, Montserrat
15:00 UTC−4	Barzey 33' Dyer 35' Daniels 62' Richmond 88'	Report	Jules 47' James 90+4'	Stadium: Blakes Estate Stadium Referee: Moeth Gaymes (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)

Coaching staff

Position	Name	Notes
Manager	Lee Bowyer
Assistant Manager	Ignatius Reid
Goalkeeping Coach	Raheem Jefferson
Head Physiotherapist	Robinson Plymouth

Players

Current squad

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.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Corrin Brooks-Meade	(1988-03-19) 19 March 1988	21	0	Unattached
13	1GK	Kymani Nelson	(2004-03-04) 4 March 2004	6	0	Bush Hill Rangers
2	2DF	Craig Braham-Barrett	(1988-09-01) 1 September 1988	25	0	Dulwich Hamlet
3	2DF	Jernade Meade	(1992-10-15) 15 October 1992	8	0	Tonbridge Angels
4	2DF	Nico Gordon	(2002-04-28) 28 April 2002	6	0	Solihull Moors
5	2DF	Jeriel Dorsett	(2002-05-04) 4 May 2002	5	0	Reading
6	2DF	Donervon Daniels	(1993-11-24) 24 November 1993	3	1	Walsall
14	2DF	Joey Taylor	(1997-08-18) 18 August 1997	22	1	Chatham Town
17	2DF	Lucas Kirnon	(2003-10-25) 25 October 2003	8	0	Garstang
18	2DF	Dean Mason	(1989-02-28) 28 February 1989	27	0	Unattached
7	3MF	Brandon Comley	(1995-11-18) 18 November 1995	17	0	Walsall
8	3MF	Alex Dyer	(1990-06-11) 11 June 1990	28	0	Wealdstone
10	3MF	Kaleem Simon	(1996-07-08) 8 July 1996	14	2	Arabian Falcons
11	3MF	Brandon Barzey	(1999-07-27) 27 July 1999	9	2	Dartford
15	3MF	James Comley	(1991-01-24) 24 January 1991	22	1	Hampton & Richmond Borough
21	3MF	Sydney Mendes	(2003-07-02) 2 July 2003	0	0	Unattached
23	3MF	Mark Rogers	(2002-05-06) 6 May 2002	0	0	Free agent
9	4FW	Adrian Clifton	(1988-12-12) 12 December 1988	23	6	Dulwich Hamlet
12	4FW	Jamie Allen	(1995-05-25) 25 May 1995	12	0	Curzon Ashton
16	4FW	Dominic Richmond	(2006-03-18) 18 March 2006	3	1	Fleetwood Town
19	4FW	Josiah Dyer	(2004-09-24) 24 September 2004	1	1	Barnsley
20	4FW	Bradley Woods-Garness	(1986-06-26) 26 June 1986	18	4	Tower Hamlets
22	4FW	Seigel Rodney	(2003-10-02) 2 October 2003	4	0	Unattached

Recent call-ups

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	(2003-12-24) 24 December 2003	0	0	Unattached	v.  Dominican Republic, 12 September 2023
DF	Vashirn Roache	(2005-07-07) 7 July 2005	0	0	Hartpury College	v.  Nicaragua, 17 October 2023
DF	Nathan Pond	(1985-01-05) 5 January 1985	13	2	Fleetwood Town	v.  Guyana, 29 March 2023
MF	Lewis Duberry	(2003-03-07) 7 March 2003	7	0	Basildon United	v.  Nicaragua, 17 October 2023
FW	Lyle Taylor	(1990-03-29) 29 March 1990	16	12	Wycombe Wanderers	v.  Nicaragua, 17 October 2023
FW	Massiah McDonald	(1990-08-20) 20 August 1990	14	0	Rugby Town	v.  Dominican Republic, 12 September 2023
FW	Jermahri Meade	(2004-11-13) 13 November 2004	0	0	Hartpury College	v.  Dominican Republic, 12 September 2023
FW	Spencer Weir-Daley	(1985-09-05) 5 September 1985	18	3	Anstey Nomads	v.  Guyana, 29 March 2023

Player records

As of 20 November 2023^[11]

Players in bold are still active with Montserrat.

Most appearances

Dean Mason is one of Montserrat's most capped players

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

Top goalscorers

Lyle Taylor is Montserrat's top scorer with 12 goals.

#	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

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record										FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Not a FIFA member									Not a FIFA member
1934
1938
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
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

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

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

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

Head-to-head record

As of 20 November 2023^[12]

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.

References

External links

• RSSSF archive of Montserrat national team results
• National Football Teams
• Guardian article which refers to Montserrat's 2012 match against a Network Rail XI