Goalie makes impressive debut as CI bows out of cup
(CNS): In the Cayman Islands’ final 2026 World Cup qualifying game on home soil against Honduras on Saturday, the national squad lost 1-0. Despite the loss, the national football team made an impressive effort on home turf at the Truman Bodden Stadium. The star of the Cayman team was undoubtedly the goalkeeper, Deshawn Whittaker, who made his debut for the national squad with eight spectacular saves.
According to the official match statistics, Honduras had 31 shots, eight of which were saved by Whittaker. But 86 minutes into the game, a close shot by Carlos Mejia was deflected into the goal off Wesley Robinson, finally putting Honduras on the scoreboard.
But even with only 14% of the match possession and just one shot at the Honduras net, the result was an impressive end to the team’s World Cup run and a great day for Whittaker.
See highlights of the game on CONCACAF’s channel below:
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
Category: Local News, Sports
The Cayman Islands will NEVER win the World Cup much less qualify for it.
How much money do you want to spend on a dream?
I vote we spend €1 more than the ticket costs to get you off the island đŸ˜˜
You must be an NAU recipient or a civil servant.
I can tell that you are the most annoying person to be around. Lol yes let’s take more away from people who just wanna play a sport
This is not a dream for Cayman, this is a dream for the athletes!! We should support our youths to continue sports, as this is a way out of drugs, gang activities, school drop outs, etc.. We should support our youths to continue to get scholarship s, through sports,that they may get a chance also at bettering themselves in life!! Proud of you all, that represent us!!
That applies to hundreds of national teams, but they are generously supported by grants from FIFA which means we do not spend our own money on these qualifiers.I watched the game against Bermuda a week ago which Cayman lost, but the same team played Honduras and lost 6-1.I attended the home game against Honduras and although it was mostly played in the Cayman half our players put up a valiant defence and kept them from scoring until the last 15 minutes and had two good chances to score themselves. I was genuinely impressed with their performance. Like the F.A. Cup in Britain where every home town team takes part in the initial rounds and can be drawn against the top Premier League teams, the odds are stacked against them , but they are playing the dream which is what the World Cup is all about.
FIFA has 211 member associations. 8 of them have previously won the World Cup and more than 3 others certainly have a realistic opportunity to do so.
Therefore, this does not apply to “hundreds of national teams”
Cayman will always struggle. Team sports, not just football, will never produce the required number of quality players here.
So, Cayman could produce an exceptional player, but the team will always be poor. Even if 11 solid players were found, they would rarely train together or even play on the same continents.
A one goal defeat to Honduras is about as good as they can get, realistically.
Could the downvoter explain the counter-argument, please? I’m not being negative, just realistic.
Truth and reality hurts.
He did do a good job. but the only goal they got he looked like he was afraid of the ball.
It was a deflected cross at close range, he had no chance.
Honduras had the home advantage it seemed.
and most of them are illegal by nature.
Thank you for their excellent efforts. I thank them and applaud them.
Chicken or the egg: The majority of us do not attend the matches because our national team does not win… or the team does not win more often because we do not support them enough? I think it is latter.
09@2.40pm – I believe it’s the latter too. Many fans (and some players) lost faith in Cayman football after the Jeff Webb fiasco. He ruined football in Cayman.
Meanwhile, he’s living big in Atlanta.
I seem to remember football being a lot better when Webb was in power, the fiasco is the current state
Idk. I know you and I weren’t there in person for Jordan Crook’s journey yet he got an oly gold.
No he didn’t
Gold in the Short Course World Champs, not Olympics.
Not even close to the same thing.
Still better than any large-number CI National Team, e.g., football, will ever achieve, which I believe was the original poster’s point you are deliberately trying to avoid.
Or we don’t attend because we don’t care, win or lose. Really, why this idea that people are supposed to support sports teams?
could be so much better if CIFA was being run by people who actually knew something about football
So true. The hole shebang is best described as a cluster f%@k!
They should have the field open for kids to play pick up games during the day. Why are they not actually supporting local kids by bringing all the clubs together for tournaments more often on their field? Don’t they get money from the CONCACAF fund to develop our talent?
if you don’t know what you are talking about – please stay quiet.
If you know more about the topic they are talking about, please don’t stay quiet: educate them (and the rest of us) with the facts.