Vincy Heat on the road in search of Gold Cup qualification

St Vincent and the Grenadines’ senior men’s team- Vincy Heat is in Belize for their four matches in the September/October Fifa window, with the main mission of qualifying for the 2027 Concacaf Gold Cup.

The team gets goint with its Group D of League B campaign on September 26, 2026, at the BFF Stadium in Belmopan, versus French Guiana. Kick off time is 5:00 p.m, Eastern Caribbean Time.

The Vincentians then meet Belize on September 29, at 10:00 p.m, followed by back- to- back fixtures versus St Maarten, on October 3 and 6, with both matches kicking off at 5:00 p.m.

These four matches precede the November window, when Vincy Heat faces French Guiana and Belize in the reverse fixtures here at the Arnos Vale Playing Field.

“If we are victorious and we lead our group at the end of those four games in September, October, and the two games in November, we will qualify for the Gold Cup in 2027. So, it’s an exciting time for St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Association (Federation),” said Vincy Heat’s head coach Michael Findlay.

The new coach who took up the position in August of this year, was cautious about what lies ahead for his charges.

“All of these teams are going to be competitive. All of these teams are going to present their own challenge to us in being successful. The opponents themselves bring a variety of qualities: French Guiana being a much more aggressive physical side; Belize playing more of a small triangular type Central American side; and St. Maarten, being a Caribbean neighbour, always brings a sense of unpredictability in terms of what they have”, Findlay said.

The Canadian- born Findlay who replaced Vincentian Ezra Hendrickson, named a 23 -man squad to get the job done.

Among those making the trip to Belize are goal keepers Lemus Christopher, Garwin Davis and Anthony Lewis.

The defenders are Andrew Johnson, Tristan Marshall, Kirtney Franklyn, Dimitri Thomas, Nigel Charles Jordon Raguette and Joseph Barter.

The midfielders are Shemron Phillips, Malcolm Stewart, Ted Roberts, Diel Spring, Kennijah Joseph, Micah Joseph, Jahva Audain, and Bishon Richards; while Oalex Anderson, Steven Pierre, Cory Durrant – Barbour, Cornelius Stewart and Azhino Solomon are the strikers.

St Vincent and the Grenadines’ first and only Gold Cup qualification was in the 1996 edition, following the team’s second place behind Trinidad and Tobago in the then Caribbean Cup.