SVGSPN Presents--My Soccer Life with Oronde Ash

TAYLOR MADE (Part 2 of 5): The 1995 St. Vincent & the Grenadines Mens Nat'l Team's Improbable Run to the 1996 Gold Cup (And Why It Hasn't Been Done Since)--A Pass Back 

Following a successful Shell Cup tournament in the Cayman Islands, July 1995, the team returns to SVG. Before they get started on final preparations for the Gold Cup, we take a look some of the issues that plagued the federation and players from 1992-94, years where the standard on the field dropped and the administration was in turmoil. Money woes, hunger,  using wooden desks for beds while in camp, a player strike and a tragedy that made football a pariah in the business community, all reminders of why the Cayman triumph meant so much more than some may think.

TAYLOR MADE (Part 1 of 5): The 1995 St. Vincent & the Grenadines Mens Nat'l Team's Improbable Run to the 1996 Gold Cup (And Why It Hasn't Been Done Since)--1995 

In 1995, St. Vincent & the Grenadines became the smallest nation to ever qualify for a major FIFA tournament when they upset Cuba to claim a spot in the 1996 Gold Cup in the USA. In December 1995, SVG was also the smallest nation with the highest FIFA ranking (#95). At 100000 people, no professional football, no money from FIFA, no grassroots, no youth league, no player development plans, no int'l football history to draw upon, what made Coach Lenny Taylor think it was possible to turn a group of players--avg age 23--into world beaters. Took him a few years... but he kinda did. That 1995 int'l season was a footballing miracle that begs  to be heard.