Caribbean Cup: Aruba 1-0 Turks & Caicos Islands

Friday 30^th May 2014
Caribbean Cup Qualifier Preliminary Round Group Two
Guillermo Prospero Trinidad Stadium, Oranjestad, Aruba

Aruba 1-0 Turks & Caicos Islands

Despite the huge gulf in world rankings between the two sides – Aruba are more than seventy places higher than their opponents, well clear of the days when they too were Worst in the World – the Turks & Caicos Islands put up an impressive showing in their opening group match in Oranjestad.  Playing against the host nation Aruba, our intrepid islanders gave as good as they got in a closely fought contest.

The only goal came after 28 minutes when Emile Linkers broke free through the middle and scored with a tidy finish lobbed over the onrushing Turks & Caicos keeper Raymondson Azimard.

Matthew Green: The Englishman in charge of the worst team in the world

The Turks and Caicos Islands head into their Caribbean Cup qualifiers shortly under the leadership of their English coach, and Technical Director of the Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association, Matthew Green. Leading the worst team in the world is quite a daunting task, naturally. But Green has some Caribbean success in his past as well as a rather interesting back story.

‘I did once take a pub side in Hull to a Sunday League title,’ said Green. ‘But that was a bit different to running an international team.’ Green is responsible for overseeing football development on the islands, as well as having had a stint as coach of the national team. Quite the rise for the former youth trainee at Hull City who went on to become a teacher after being released by his home town club as a fifteen year-old.

2014 Caribbean Cup Qualifiers

More usually it has been the little volcanic rock of Montserrat that has been the focus of Worst in the World attention in the Caribbean, but of course they have risen from the depths and left us for a few years at least.  But our focus on the annual Caribbean Cup competition remains thanks to the Turks & Caicos Islands.

The Caribbean Cup itself will take place later in the year in Montego Bay, Jamaica; in November to be precise.  Eight teams will make it that far out of the 26 who entered this year.  Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Saint Martin and Sint Maarten did not enter, but thankfully Turks & Caicos did so we have some preliminary round action to look forward to.