United States Virgin Islands national soccer team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
U.S. Virgin Islands

Nickname(s)	The Dashing Eagles
Association	U.S. Virgin Islands Soccer Federation
Confederation	CONCACAF (North America)
Sub-confederation	CFU (Caribbean)
Head coach	Terrence Jones
Captain	Joshua Ramos
Most caps	Jett Blaschka (27)
Top scorer	Jamie Browne J.C. Mack (3)
Home stadium	Bethlehem Soccer Stadium
FIFA code	VIR
First colors Second colors
FIFA ranking
Current	202 (February 7, 2019)
Highest	149 (July 2011)
Lowest	208 (March 2022, November 2023)
Elo ranking
Current	215 (March 3, 2019)
Highest	208 (1998)
Lowest	222 (March 2015)
First international
U.S. Virgin Islands 1–0 British Virgin Islands  (U.S. Virgin Islands; March 21, 1998)
Biggest win
Anguilla 0–3 U.S. Virgin Islands  (The Valley, Anguilla; March 22, 2019)
Biggest defeat
Saint Lucia 14–1 U.S. Virgin Islands  (Port-au-Prince, Haiti; April 14, 2001)

The U.S. Virgin Islands national soccer team is the official soccer team for the U.S. Virgin Islands. They are often called The Dashing Eagles. The team is managed by the U.S. Virgin Islands Soccer Federation. Soccer is the third most popular sport in the islands.

History of the Team

The soccer federation in the Virgin Islands started in the 1970s. It was founded by Robert T. Wills from Trinidad. However, FIFA, the world's soccer governing body, didn't officially recognize the team until 1992.

The team played its very first official international match on March 21, 1998. They won that game against the British Virgin Islands.

In May 2011, Frederick Hillaren, the head of the USVI soccer federation, wanted to make big changes. He brought in Keith Griffith as the technical director. Griffith used to coach and captain the Barbados national team. Just two months after Griffith joined, the team's ranking in the FIFA World Rankings jumped up by 51 spots!

Home Stadiums

For a long time, the U.S. Virgin Islands team didn't have its own special soccer stadium. They had to play their home games at Lionel Roberts Park. This was actually a baseball stadium in Charlotte Amalie. For important games, like the 2014 World Cup qualification matches, they had to bring in new grass and make other special plans.

In the past, they also played at Paul E. Joseph Stadium in St. Croix. But in 2012, this stadium was closed down. There were plans to build a new sports complex there, costing over $50 million. This new complex would have places for tennis, volleyball, baseball, and swimming. However, it didn't include a new soccer stadium.

For the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, the team played at the Addelita Cancryn Junior High School Ground. They lost 4–0 to the Barbados national team there.

Good news came in August 2019! The USVI Soccer Association finally opened the new Bethlehem Soccer Stadium. This stadium has 1,200 seats and is located in Christiansted. It took almost four years to build this new home for the team.

Recent Matches

The team plays in different competitions, including the CONCACAF Nations League and FIFA World Cup qualification. Here are some of their recent results:

• On November 16, 2023, they lost 1–4 to Aruba in the CONCACAF Nations League. Quinn Farrell scored for the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• On March 22, 2024, they played against the British Virgin Islands in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match. The game ended in a 1–1 draw, with Jett Blaschka scoring for the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• On March 26, 2024, they played the British Virgin Islands again. This game was also a 0–0 draw, but the U.S. Virgin Islands lost 4–2 in a penalty shootout, which meant they didn't move forward in the World Cup qualifiers.
• On September 4, 2024, they had an exciting 3–3 draw against the Bahamas in the CONCACAF Nations League. Naqwan Henry, Rakeem Joseph, and Gabriel Catone-Highfield scored for the team.
• On September 10, 2024, they lost 3–0 to Barbados in the CONCACAF Nations League.
• They also had two more matches in October 2024, losing 0–5 to Barbados and 3–1 to the Bahamas.

Coaches Through the Years

Many coaches have led the U.S. Virgin Islands national soccer team over the years. Here are some of them:

Technical Directors

Technical directors help guide the team's overall soccer strategy.

• Keith Griffith (2011–2013)
• Kenadall Walkes (2013–)

Team Players

Here are the players who were recently chosen to be part of the U.S. Virgin Islands squad for matches in October 2024.

The numbers for games played (caps) and goals scored are correct as of September 10, 2024.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Dylan Ramos	(2001-08-06) August 6, 2001 (age 23)	7	0	Gold Star FC
	1GK	Terrence Jones Jr.	(1991-12-20) December 20, 1991 (age 33)	1	0	La Raza FC
	1GK	Whelan Joseph	(2002-10-08) October 8, 2002 (age 22)	1	0	Eastern Illinois Panthers
	2DF	Jett Blaschka	(1999-12-16) December 16, 1999 (age 25)	24	1	Unattached
	2DF	Quinn Farrell	(2002-09-26) September 26, 2002 (age 22)	12	2	LSU Eunice
	2DF	Zahmyre Harris	(1998-10-14) October 14, 1998 (age 26)	11	0	Georgia Southern University
	2DF	Kidaniel Perez	(1997-09-12) September 12, 1997 (age 27)	3	0	Rovers
	2DF	Carmelo Rodríguez	(1992-12-19) December 19, 1992 (age 32)	3	0	Rovers
	2DF	Deve Barbour	(1993-01-12) January 12, 1993 (age 32)	2	0	Rovers
	3MF	Jamie Browne	(1989-07-03) July 3, 1989 (age 35)	11	3	United We Stand
	4FW	Orion Mills	(2002-09-09) September 9, 2002 (age 22)	8	1	Unattached
	3MF	Julius Brown	(2005-04-11) April 11, 2005 (age 20)	8	0	Helenites SC
	3MF	Axel Bartsch	(2002-05-16) May 16, 2002 (age 23)	7	0	La Raza
	3MF	Rabi Abdallah	(2004-12-04) December 4, 2004 (age 20)	1	0	Helenites
	3MF	Aubin Atemazem		1	0	New Vibes
	3MF	Jannick Liburd	(2001-09-26) September 26, 2001 (age 23)	0	0	Unattached
	4FW	Jimson St. Louis	(2002-12-02) December 2, 2002 (age 22)	20	1	Southeastern Blackhawks
	4FW	Rakeem Joseph	(2000-05-23) May 23, 2000 (age 25)	14	2	Empire
	4FW	Matthew Roth	(2004-08-14) August 14, 2004 (age 20)	10	0	Coastal Rush Pensacola
	4FW	Naqwan Henry	(2004-11-16) November 16, 2004 (age 20)	9	1	United We Stand
	4FW	Gabriel Catone-Highfield		2	1	Mount Olive Trojans
	4FW	Hasani Edgar	(2003-08-20) August 20, 2003 (age 21)	1	0	Unique
	4FW	Dylan Berry		0	0	Football Club Prime

Players Recently Called Up

These players have also been called to play for the U.S. Virgin Islands team in the last year.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Lionel Brown	(1987-09-17) September 17, 1987 (age 37)	20	0	Helenites	v.  Cayman Islands, 17 October 2023
GK	Ramius Stiehler	(1999-08-18) August 18, 1999 (age 25)	1	0	St Petersburg Aztecs	v.  Cayman Islands, 17 October 2023
DF	Joshua Ramos	(2000-04-25) April 25, 2000 (age 25)	18	0	Tormenta	v.  Barbados, 10 September 2024
DF	Alfred Harris	(1999-01-23) January 23, 1999 (age 26)	1	0	Rovers	v.  Barbados, 10 September 2024
DF	Jonathan Fuller	(1991-06-04) June 4, 1991 (age 34)	0	0	La Raza	v.  Barbados, 10 September 2024
DF	Sam Eliades	(1995-02-15) February 15, 1995 (age 30)	1	0	LRVI	v.  Aruba, 17 November 2023
DF	Kassall Greene	(1985-09-08) September 8, 1985 (age 39)	21	0	Galo	v.  Cayman Islands, 17 October 2023
DF	Jaeden Joseph	(2007-04-11) April 11, 2007 (age 18)	0	0	Helenites	v.  Cayman Islands, 17 October 2023
DF	Matthew Meyers	(2006-03-31) March 31, 2006 (age 19)	0	0	Unattached	v.  Cayman Islands, 17 October 2023
MF	Mohammed Abdallah	(2004-12-05) December 5, 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Unattached	v.  Bahamas, 4 September 2024
MF	Raejae Joseph	(1997-08-09) August 9, 1997 (age 27)	15	1	Helenites	v.  British Virgin Islands, 26 March 2024
MF	Andrew Shaffer	(2004-03-09) March 9, 2004 (age 21)	3	0	Bowling Green University	v.  British Virgin Islands, 26 March 2024
MF	Yahya Yusuf	(1993-05-13) May 13, 1993 (age 32)	0	0	Rovers	v.  Aruba, 17 November 2023
MF	Christopher Griffith	(2005-10-18) October 18, 2005 (age 19)	0	0	Unattached	v.  Aruba, 17 November 2023
MF	Jair Whyte	(2004-06-04) June 4, 2004 (age 21)	3	0	Merrimack Warriors	v.  Cayman Islands, 17 October 2023
MF	Kersan Marcellin	(1993-07-05) July 5, 1993 (age 31)	2	0	Unattached	v.  Cayman Islands, 17 October 2023
MF	Andrew Bornn	(2006-09-22) September 22, 2006 (age 18)	0	0	Unattached	v.  Cayman Islands, 17 October 2023
FW	Devante Larsen		0	0	Prankton	v.  Bahamas, 4 September 2024
FW	J. C. Mack (captain)	(1988-10-08) October 8, 1988 (age 36)	18	3	Napier City Rovers	v.  Aruba, 17 November 2023
FW	Ramesses McGuiness	(2000-01-06) January 6, 2000 (age 25)	12	1	Pittsburgh City United	v.  Cayman Islands, 17 October 2023
FW	Matthew Roth	(2004-08-14) August 14, 2004 (age 20)	5	0	Unattached	v.  Cayman Islands, 17 October 2023
FW	Arthbert William	(2004-12-06) December 6, 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Texas Lutheran University	v.  Cayman Islands, 17 October 2023
INJ Withdrew due to injury PRE Preliminary squad / standby RET Retired from the national team SUS Serving suspension WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

Team Records

Here are some interesting records for the U.S. Virgin Islands national soccer team.

Most Games Played

These players have played the most matches for the team.

Jett Blaschka has played the most games for the U.S. Virgin Islands, with 24 appearances.

Top Goal Scorers

These players have scored the most goals for the team.

J. C. Mack is one of the top goal scorers for the U.S. Virgin Islands, with 3 goals.

Tournament History

The U.S. Virgin Islands national soccer team has taken part in several major soccer tournaments.

FIFA World Cup

The team has tried to qualify for the FIFA World Cup several times but has not yet made it to the main tournament. They first started trying to qualify for the 2002 World Cup.

CONCACAF Gold Cup

The team has also tried to qualify for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which is the main soccer championship for North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. They have not yet qualified for the main tournament.

CONCACAF Nations League

The U.S. Virgin Islands team competes in the CONCACAF Nations League. This competition helps teams play more international matches and can also be a way to qualify for the Gold Cup. The team usually plays in League C, which is one of the lower divisions.

Caribbean Cup

The team has also participated in the Caribbean Cup, a tournament for teams in the Caribbean region. They have not yet qualified for the main tournament of the Caribbean Cup.

Lionel Roberts Park was used as the U.S. Virgin Islands home stadium before the Bethlehem Soccer Stadium was built.

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de las Islas Vírgenes de los Estados Unidos para niños